Starting outboard while out of water?

[AirBoyzT]

it's an evinrude 9.9 Outboard...not sure if it's air or water cooled.

[cfarrar]

Air cooled, definitely. Make sure you put plenty of air in the trashcan when you run it.

No, seriously.... here's the deal. Put 18-20" of water in the trashcan. Put the engine in the trashcan. Start the engine (hold it so it doesn't tip over). The impeller will pull water up from the intake in the lower unit. The water helps cool the engine. The water spits out the rear underside of the cowling in a constant stream.

[propellanttech]

Trash cans work great. If plastic stay away from the gear lever (bad for can). If galvanized stay away from the gear lever (bad for prop).

Used trash cans for years working on outboard motors.

James L

[SkiprJohn]

When I need to raise my bucket or trash can so the lower end of the engine is in the water I block up the trash can using 4x4 pieces of leftover cutoffs and raise it to the right height before I put any water in the can.
kind regards,

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

maybe I'll wait until I get her back in the water lol

You should have a system of how to run the motor out of the water anyway. As at the end of each use, you should flush it to remove any salt or debris in the cooling system.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

When I need to raise my bucket or trash can so the lower end of the engine is in the water I block up the trash can using 4x4 pieces of leftover cutoffs and raise it to the right height before I put any water in the can.
kind regards,

If the yacht is in the water, why wouldn't you simply raise the motor, float the trash can in the water and fill it with a hose leaving a foot or so floating above the surrounding water level, lower the motor into the can and proceed as previously described? If one the hard, why not simply mount the motor on a cart?

[Celestialsailor]

A 5 gallon paint pail works fine for my 6hp. I usually have to block it up or just hold it

[perchance]

Buy a set of Muffs and be done with it. They are not that expensive.

[Irish rambler]

If you can get your hands on a sack truck, borrow/buy one, fit the outboard on with the bottom leg in a bucket of water and it's easy to work on or move around.

[ranger58sb]

Muffs that fit over the water intakes are certainly inexpensive, although you do have to be sure they stay on tightly enough to work.

The bucket/trash can only has to be high enough to immerse the water intake.

Some motors specifically have a flush adapter, where you can attach a water hose. This is usually the most elegant method. See your manual. If you can't find a manual anywhere else, you'll likely find exploded parts diagrams on boats.net.

-Chris

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

You should have a system of how to run the motor out of the water anyway. As at the end of each use, you should flush it to remove any salt or debris in the cooling system.

+1
You need to flush the outboard with fresh water after use anyway if you are leaving it for any length of time.
There are three ways to feed fresh water to an outboard.
1. A screw in fitting with a hose attachment.
2. A wheelie bin filled with fresh water
3." Ear muffs" with a hose attachment.

With any one of the above you can run the outboard continoiusly.

With a dry impeller I would only run it for 10-20 seconds. With a wet lubricatated impeller (lifting an running outboard ) removed from the water probably 30-60 seconds is reasonable without too much damage.