can you test a boat motor out of water and if so how long can u keep it

A

angel v

New member
1)remove the engine sea water intake hose and place it within a 5-gallon bucket of water.
2)Insure power to engine is off, then take a socket wrench and turn the main pulley nut at front of engine (this shall insure cooling water pump impeller gets water, otherwise when you start engine if void of water the impeller fins will sheer-off) Also, turning it over by hand first shall insure nothing is binding inside.
3)Also, insure you've got good fuel since otherwise you could clog/damage injectors. If not, disconnect fuel intake and insert hose in 1 gallon Clorox bottle full of fuel.
4)Insure when you first try to start it you have kill switch engaged, so you may let oil circulate throughout engine.
NOW, your ready to start engine... Provided you maintain 5 gallon bucket of water full with water hose or whatever means you can run it indefinitely since cooling water is being provided. Of course supply of fuel would govern this.
I would suggest you require seller to perform oil change prior to starting engine since oil does deteriorate over time...
 
This is a real problem. In this case it's unlikely that you can start it, or would even want to try. If you were an experienced mechanic, you would be able to take steps to prevent further harm, sometimes a costly mistake, by starting out of water. Also, it's probable that a "short" run out of the water would yield little useful information.

It's a gamble to buy repo's and you get what you get. Odds are against you.

You might be able to ask the advise of a local mechanic, not a marine surveyor. Ask them to look the boat over and tell you what they think......an experienced eye will see things you don't,,,,,but sometimes it's months before you notice little things that can turn in to expensive fixes.
 
You can not run the engine without water long enough to determine if it is good or not without doing damage. Preform a dry, then wet compression test and inspect the spark plug(s) for color and deposits too.
 
can crank a boat motor without water to cool it just cant let it run a long time or it wil over heat

can run motor long enough to know it runs or starts
 
You can not run the engine without water long enough to determine if it is good or not without doing damage. Preform a dry, then wet compression test and inspect the spark plug(s) for color and deposits too.
 
yes you can but you will have to hook up a water hose to it for cooling purposes. also since the motor has not been used in 2 years, hopefully the fuel was drained from it before it was stored or else you will have to have the carb cleaned as gas that sits turns bad after a while gunking up the carb
 
Yes, you have to have what is called ear muff's, if you don't have any, ask someone that you know if they have a pair or you can buy them at little expense. that a hose hooks to and then you attach the ear muff's to the shaft where the water is pumped in to the motor. They attach at the bottom where the propeller is, you'll see what look like louvers, attach the ear muff over them on each side and turn on the water. If you don't have any, ask someone that you know if they have a pair or you can buy them at little expense. When and if the motor starts look for water to be pumping (squirting) out at the top, that will tell you that the water pump is working. You can then run it as long as you like. Be sure there is good gas in the tank as stated above. Hope this helps you.
 
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