Johnson 15 not pumping water.

[lockieboi]

My OB isn't pumping water.
I had this problem before and stripped it down and checked all the usual bits and finally pulled the rubber tube that goes to the tell tale outlet of from the engine block (see pictures) poked a coat hanger in and it started pumping water.
Left it a month or so fired it up and the same thing happened, no water until I poked a hanger in.
My guess is it's full of salt and crap but how do I access it to clean it?
I can see a screw that says "flush" but I can't get it out. Any ideas?
Thanks

[jyasaki]

Get a pair of muffs, and idle the motor using a garden hose to supply the cooling water and rinse out the cooling system.

Any shop that deals with outboards will have the muffs.

jky

[lockieboi]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Get a pair of muffs, and idle the motor using a garden hose to supply the cooling water and rinse out the cooling system.

Any shop that deals with outboards will have the muffs.

jky

Thanks for your reply, have muffs but was running it in a bin of fresh water. I had it pumping ok for about half hour but after leaving it dry stored for a month, started it again and no water came out of tell tale until I poked a coat hanger in the whole mentioned.

[captnjack]

Originally Posted by lockieboi

Thanks for your reply, have muffs but was running it in a bin of fresh water. I had it pumping ok for about half hour but after leaving it dry stored for a month, started it again and no water came out of tell tale until I poked a coat hanger in the whole mentioned.

Take the cowl off, disconnect the hose, run on the muffs. There's little bits of sand or aluminum corrosion flaking off and getting jammed in the plastic fitting at the very end of the hose. Flush those bits out.

Poking with the wire is just shuffling them around to allow the water by temporarily.

edit ok I see better now where its getting blocked. I don't know a way to access that space.

[lockieboi]

Originally Posted by captnjack

Take the cowl off, disconnect the hose, run on the muffs. There's little bits of sand or aluminum corrosion flaking off and getting jammed in the plastic fitting at the very end of the hose. Flush those bits out.

Poking with the wire is just shuffling them around to allow the water by temporarily.

edit ok I see better now where its getting blocked. I don't know a way to access that space.

Thanks for your response.
Am I understanding this right because I have flushed the OB in a bin of fresh water and it doesn't make a difference so I don't see why doing the same with muffs will make any difference.
Sorry for the questions............ Novice!

[captnjack]

There's larger bits of sand or corroded metal in there. One possiblity is to take the leg off and flush the powerhead backwards so it drains out the larger intake pipe right above the impeller.

Maybe someone else has an idea of how to get that crud out.

[lockieboi]

Originally Posted by captnjack

There's larger bits of sand or corroded metal in there. One possiblity is to take the leg off and flush the powerhead backwards so it drains out the larger intake pipe right above the impeller.

Maybe someone else has an idea of how to get that crud out.

Now that I think I can manage. Good thinking, thanks.

[jyasaki]

Other possibility is that some bug has decided to build a nest in your telltale tube. Happens a lot in the US southeast, I've heard.

jky