Suzuki 2.5DF cooling.

[ss2016]

A bit of advice please. This winter I thought an oil change and a new impeller might be a kindness to my little outboard. It is probably 7 or 8 years old but probably does less than 5 hrs a year. Just boat to shore etc... So what is the problem? Before I took it back to my big boat I thought I would just test it in a dustbin of water. Started fine but very little water coming out of the tell tale. Spitting ,,,,peeing..... spitting. Is this because it has not warmed up or might I have a blockage?
It ran fine at the end of last year when I ran it in a dustbin to empty the carb. Is It just cold and the thermostat has not opened? I remember it as a strong flow right from the start last year but perhaps I am wrong. I do not see how the cooling system could have become blocked over winter. Thoughts please.

 

[Boathook]

Salt can build up in the small cooling channels and block them. Doing the service may have disturbed some muck that is now blocking the channels.

When you put the gear box back on to the leg did the tube carrying the cooling water get connected correctly ?

 

[ss2016]

Thanks Boathook, The salt idea is possible but seems unlikely to me since I always run the tank dry while the engine is in a dustbin of fresh water. It only gets used a few times a season, perhaps 4 last year.
WRT the cooling water tube it took quite a while but I got it plugged in to the rubber connector in the end. Would any water pee out if not? Also, should it pee water when cold (I thought it did) or does it have to warm up first?

 

[VicS]

Water should spray from the telltale as soon as the engine is started ( see page 21 of the Owner's Manual )

If the water tube is not inserted into the water pump grommet there will be no water flow from the telltale.

Are you sure the water is deep enough in your dustbin. The water level should be well above water pump.

The spitting ,,,,peeing..... spitting you describe suggests a problem with the pump rather than blocked water passages.

 

[veshengro]

Can I suggest that you start with a check on the Impellor. Sometimes the plastic/rubber? compound hardens when not spun for a while and a vane(s) will snap and water flow is poor.

Different engine but I had a similar poor flow with a Mariner 4hp...Duff Impellor.

Just to add. My Impellor looked fine when I assembled the leg, but when the engine started after a long lay up I imagine the water pressure found the weakness in the Vanes. On stripping it down again I found damaged vanes on the Impellor.

 

[ss2016]

Problem solved!
Thank you for the further suggestions. Both good ideas but the impeller new and reinspected, and plenty of water in the dustbin. So for the last investigation before I gave up and took it to a dealer, I unscrewed the tell tale and started it. Water gushed out. Replaced the tell tale, restarted and a flow my doctor would be pleased to see, plus a good spray from the exhaust holes just below the tell tale.
I don't know why but I can only assume there was some sort of blockage that the lack of back pressure from the tell tale had cleared.It was not a blocked tell tale I had already checked that repeatedly.
Thank you all.