Overheating i assume?

[OldieButBaddy]

Finally got my 92 xp 587 in the water. Started right up, but after about 5 mins, alarm went off ( did not know i even had an alarm!) , motor shut off, and would not restart. After each attempt to start, alarm would sound for a brief time, then shut off.

Paddled to shore, after cooling for 30 minutes, starts right up, no alarm.

Ive run this motor on a hose for a bit, never any issues. So my guess is that im not pumping water. To check that, can i pull the hose off the head, starboard side, and if no water flows conclude my i have a pump or impellar issue? I have the service manual, but dont have much if a clue how the cooling system works on these motors. Thanks!

 

[Spider4real]

When you run on the hose does water come out of the 2 pee holes on the back?

Also the alarm will not shut off the engine. So there might be a secondary issue here.

 

[OldieButBaddy]

Yes, getting some water out the holes on the transom, from the two clear tubes. When running on the hose. I don’t think I had any when running in the bay. Kind of hard to tell from the pic, I have a video but I guess forum is set not to allow.

I think I was looking at the cooling system backwards - as I assumed the water came in to the head, and out the exhaust - like a boat motor. But water actually enters on the exhaust side, and exits out the head? which makes me wonder why the hose/flush kit is on the outlet side? but I guess by design it’s set to backflush, or previous owner spliced it into wrong hose? Bummed that the alarm wasn’t shutting off the motor; looks like I do have two problems. And summer is almost over!

 

[Spider4real]

When you flush the engine it is in reverse of the flow when in the water. So it is to back flush the system. So if you are not getting any water out the back when in water then there might be a blockage early on in the system.

When it was running for that 5 minutes was it performing ok? Was there any cavitation (high revs but not moving very fast). If you have a worn wear ring and cavitation you may not be building enough pressure in the pump to get the water flowing.

By the way, don't run the engine too long on the hose. The carrier seal does not get cooled out of water and you can cook it if you run it to long. I think the manual says 3-5 minutes but I usually keep it to 30 seconds or less. It gets really hot fast.

And lastly, have you ever checked the compression on the engine? Might be good to check before you go to far down the rabbit hole.

 

[OldieButBaddy]

It seemed to be running well. Pulls like a mule when I had it in the water and tied to the back of my boat, and was revving it up a bit. I didn’t have a gps with me for my short ride, but when I gave it gas, got right up on plane, and i didnt feel any cavitation.

compression checked out, both cylinders between 145 and 150. Spark plugs look good, but only have about 8 minutes of run time. previous owner converted to pre-mix ): , didnt leave the tank, but left a line to the motor filled with oil. The fuel lines look new. when I got the ski it would not start. All I did was drained the fuel tank, put in new gas, and replaced the plugs. Fired right up. I have not rebuilt the carb. But it starts and idles so nicely ( on land at least), that I was hoping not to take the carb off.

on the water input side, no hose clamps, hoses attached to fittings with zip ties. Is that typical? They aren’t real tight either, i can remove and re-attach hoses with the ties in place. I guess I should blow some air through the water lines?

 

[burtshaver2021]

I would replace the zip ties on the water lines with gear clamps. Your right, they don’t usually fit on super tight like the fuel lines. If a cooling line were to come off and the engine had no cooling water... lots of damage

 

[Spider4real]

There should be two lines from the engine with oil. One on the front and one on the back. Probably connected together above the engine. This is the oil for the rotary valve. Always make sure these two lines have oil in them before you head out.

The pump and engine seem to be in good shape. If this was my ski would start talking things apart and look for debris clogging the system. Start with the pump, then just follow the flow of the cooling lines. Remove the hoses, take the exhaust and manifold off, take the cover off the top of the engine. If it was run in shallow water it could have ingested sand, rocks and who knows what else. Blowing air throught the lines might help but might just relocate the dirt somewhere else.

I personally have gear clamps on all the black rubber cooling hoses. All the small clear lines I have zip ties.