Sea King 15 running hot

[auldscott]

My 1962 Sea King 15 has started running hot – not quite overheating (as in possible damage) but the water coming from the exhaust relief is hot, almost painfully hot.

It idles at what I consider normal water discharge temperature, and the volume looks OK. As I throttle up, the water output seems to diminish (does not stop) and the water gets hotter.

The pump housing shows moderate wear and pitting, the lower plate shows some wear, and the impeller looks fine, with easy flexibility and no visible damage or wear.

Is my problem nothing more than a worn out water pump assembly? I ask because the wear I am seeing doesn’t seem to be bad enough to cause the pump to under-deliver at higher RPM.

Thanks.

[frankr]

I’d certainly suspect the pump housing before tearing into something more serious. It might be letting exhaust air in through the drive shaft hole at higher pressure at higher speeds. Did you seal between the plate and gearcase surface?

[davesko]

I had the same exact problem, I solved it with the help of a video from Ben ditmar "Chrysleroutboardude" Look up his YouTube video. It involves sanding the pump housing and plate and sealing it. Worked like a charm and runs all day without getting hot . My motor has never run this cool.

[fisherman6]

A few things to look at in the water pump. How is the wear plate? If it is grooved it should be replaced. The first picture shows a wear plate in good shape. The second one is grooved and needs to been replaced.

This impeller housing is getting a little worn, but should still pump fine. I’ll put this one backin as-is.

Water tube grommets can get damaged or lose their ability to seal up too. This one suffered damage when the lower unit was reinstalled. It was partially blocking the water passage and not sealing properly.

Hope this helps a little.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

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