2009 SX210 Neither Engine P*ssing, No Overheat

[CarCynic]

So in addition to my general rant about things not being Ship-Shape on my 2009 SX210, I have a few specific problems.

I just purchased this boat knowing that it is a bit of a project. After fixing a starting issue with the #1 engine, both engines start and run.

When running on the hose for the first time, I didn't see any water coming out of the pisser of engine 1 (is tell-tale more "appropriate"?). Water was coming out of the exhaust, so I figured it was OK to run it for a few minutes (< 5 minutes).

I switched the hose over to the other engine, and started it up (yes, I know to start the engine first. I have a cut-off valve attached to the hose adapter so that I can start the water immediately after the engine is running, and do the opposite for shutdown without climbing in and out of the boat 20x.)

Same thing for the starboard engine -- no tell-tale. At some point, at least some water came out because there were a couple drips in an arc on the side of the boat. Good amount of water from the exhaust. No lights, no smells or other indication of overheating.

I disconnected the pisser lines from the exhausts, and flushed them with the garden hose. It's possible (but not certain) that a little brown water initially came out of each port (more likely on the #1 engine) when I did this, but it was a full flow of clean water. I re-connected both hoses.

I also read that little or no water from the pi--- tell-tales is normal for running on the hose, and since both engines behaved the same, I decided to put the boat in the water.

No tell-tale at the dock from either engine after starting -- Maybe after thermostat opening, I figured --- So I left the dock. I carefully watched for any lights, smells changes in sound... I ran a few minutes (on plane-- over 7000 rpm) to a nearby island, and shut both engines down. We stayed there probably about 15 minutes -- Sorted out the bimini top, untangled the anchor line, helped a pontoon boat push off. I pushed off, fired up both engines, and ran back again -- staying pretty close to the boat ramp. This time we ran a little longer -- a few markers in the other direction, some turns, on and off the plane, different RPMs.

Back at the ramp, there seemed to be a little spray or "spritzes" from the forward pisser (starboard engine?), but never a stream, and that seemed to stop when I looked again a minute or so later. I tried running each engine in "neutral" at about 3000 rpm at the dock -- still nothing. No stream, No lights, no smell, no change in sound, performance etc. from either engine.

Note that as part of fixing the starter problem with engine 1, I had the exhaust flex connection and elbow apart at the front of that engine. There was a little corrosion in the water passages, but certainly nothing significant.

Same during the flush out, there was nothing from either pisser, lots of water from the exhaust, no lights....

Since this "boat" has no temperature gauges (I've never seen an inboard boat without proper gauges before), I'd sure feel better if the "tel-tales" worked.

Sorry about the long and possibly overly detailed post, but any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Babin Farms]

My boat barely has any water come out until I’m over 3k rpm. At 7000 & faster rpm I’ll get water out of all 4 ports. I keep a string trimmer line in the boat to clear the lines due to occasionally getting bugs and mildew buildup. & I’ve never had water come out of the ports while on the hose.

 

[CarCynic]

@Babin Farms thank you for the quick reply. It helps me feel a little better. I figured that both engines having the exact same problem was unlikely.

But whether or not I identify as a giraffe is personal, and I understand that they've limited species affirmation surgeries anyway, so how exactly am I supposed to see the p*ssers from the helm when running at 7000 RPM -- especially in a boat that has pretty much zero directional stability?

Just wait untill the "You're out $8000" light comes on?

Is there a port or connection where I can add a sensor for a water temp or head temp gauge? I don't think the ones that fit under the sparkplug would be compatible with the coil arrangement.

Maybe a copper male/male hose fitting with a hole drilled and tapped?

I'd be willing to stick 2 of the little motorcycle temp gauges on my dash/console.

 

[Babin Farms]

I look over the side of the boat all of the time to see if there’s water coming out. It’s not as bad as your thinking. You could also have a passenger check it out on occasion for ya.