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Your boat may be trying to tell you something, you need to listen up and interpret what it is saying then act accordingly.
Long before your temperature gauge or dash light illuminates to notify that your boat is overheating it will likely exhibit a slightly louder exhaust note and billow steam from the exhaust outlet. If the boat suddenly sounds like a dragster out of the hole, you should immediately look to see if the steam is billowing out of the back then look down at the temperature gauge. When your impeller throws a few blades it will likely pump enough water to keep the temperature gauge and warning light off but it will not have enough water in the system to cool the exhaust manifolds. This will result in the exhaust temperature staying high enough to vaporize the water before it exits the rear of the boat, this is displayed by steam billowing from the back of the boat. On cold days your boat may display some steam billowing but the exhaust note should not change. It is the combination of the two that should indicate you are about to overheat the motor.
In my experience the number one cause of cooling system failure on our boats happens when the cooling water filter canister is not sealed. At an idle it passes air into the impeller and burns it up quickly. This has happened to me with an impeller that was only a few hours old. My old boat's filter became stubborn and was quite difficult to tighten and seal. After replacing 3 impellers one weekend I ended up completely bypassing the water filter. It ran two more summers this way before I sold the boat without the water filter. The filter was not needed in the waterways I and the new buyer used so it was better with it gone. My new boat still has the water strainer but I leave it there with mixed feelings.
There are other ways your boat will "talk" to you. Learn to listen to your boat, use your nose, and your eyes too. Learn how your boat smells right after it starts, while it is idling but don't breath too much CO.
Happy to hear input from others here too.
Mikeski
Long before your temperature gauge or dash light illuminates to notify that your boat is overheating it will likely exhibit a slightly louder exhaust note and billow steam from the exhaust outlet. If the boat suddenly sounds like a dragster out of the hole, you should immediately look to see if the steam is billowing out of the back then look down at the temperature gauge. When your impeller throws a few blades it will likely pump enough water to keep the temperature gauge and warning light off but it will not have enough water in the system to cool the exhaust manifolds. This will result in the exhaust temperature staying high enough to vaporize the water before it exits the rear of the boat, this is displayed by steam billowing from the back of the boat. On cold days your boat may display some steam billowing but the exhaust note should not change. It is the combination of the two that should indicate you are about to overheat the motor.
In my experience the number one cause of cooling system failure on our boats happens when the cooling water filter canister is not sealed. At an idle it passes air into the impeller and burns it up quickly. This has happened to me with an impeller that was only a few hours old. My old boat's filter became stubborn and was quite difficult to tighten and seal. After replacing 3 impellers one weekend I ended up completely bypassing the water filter. It ran two more summers this way before I sold the boat without the water filter. The filter was not needed in the waterways I and the new buyer used so it was better with it gone. My new boat still has the water strainer but I leave it there with mixed feelings.
There are other ways your boat will "talk" to you. Learn to listen to your boat, use your nose, and your eyes too. Learn how your boat smells right after it starts, while it is idling but don't breath too much CO.
Happy to hear input from others here too.
Mikeski
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