Four stokes and cold temps

I have a Yamaha F115 and a T8 kicker and everytime I’ve gone over to the river fishing and the temps are below freezing it takes a long time to get the engines pumping water out the pee hole. Does everyone else experience this problem? Are you going to do any damage to the engine if it doesn’t start pumping in a short period of time? Any help you can give me would be appreciated.

Hey Mitch, I don’t know much about 4-strokes but it would seem to me that if the motor isn’t peeing then its going to over heat and cause damage. I would call your dealer Monday and ask him about it before using it again. Those motors are too expensive. Thanks, Bill

I won’t tell you what to do Mitch, but for me, I don’t worry about it. There always seems to be a little water get caught in the “pee” hose and that will freeze unless you crank the motor a few times to get all the water out of the system when you get back to the landing after each trip. I don’t like running the motor out of the water while on the trailer so I just trim it down all the way verticle and let what water will drain that way. A minute or so will do.
Then when I hit the river next time, yes, there is a period when the water won’t shoot out the pee hole, but as the motor warms up, that warmer water will thaw out what is blocking the pee hose. Also, if your motor was to overheat, that buzzer will let you know it and you can shut down before any damage is done. Just remember, in colder temps, the four strokes need to warm up longer before take off, just like a car motor.

I have the exact motors you do (the 115 and T8) and have never had the problem, and I have fished for a week straight in below freezing temps. I don’t know if it is the secret or not, but each time I come out of the water with mine (in cold temps) I immediately lower the motor trim and let the water drain (I suspect you do that too) but in addition to that, I unscrew the water flush tube and drain approximately 1/2 cup of water out of that tube. As soon as it drains out (about 5 seconds) I put it back on and proceed to tarp down the boat. It is possible the water in this flush freezes which prevents normal pee tube operation. I also do this on my F40 and have no problems with it either.

Thanks for the info guys it is appreciated. When I pull my boat out of the water I put it vertical to let the water drain and run it for 2 to 3 seconds. LundgEYE I also unscrew the flush hose and let it drain just as you describe but I still have a problem with the water getting trapped and freezing in the water line. I’m confident that this is the problem because last week when I changed oil I put the muffs on the engine and I didn’t get any water to come out the pee hole. I shut it off and put the hair dryer on the hose for a short time and then when I started the motor the 2nd time it immediately started shooting out water. The way the hose lays in the bottom of the engine compartment some water is always going to stay in the hose and freeze unless I can figure out a way of getting it out. Hair dryer is not an option when I’m on the river.

My Yamaha mechanic told me to blow it out by puffing some air through the flush connector. Somehow I don’t know if I like putting my lips on the “OL Miss water”
Seems like Yamaha didn’t think this hose option through very well for those of us fishing in freezing weather.

Here is my experience with cold water boating and water discharge problems.

The first thing to know here is the “Pee Hole” is simply an indicator of water flow. It is basically a tube off of the main cooling system. If the pee hole becomes clogged or frozen, that does not mean there is total shut down of the cooling system. The motor is still circulating the water, just not releasing any from the indicator “Pee Hole”. Nearly every frozen Pee Hole I have seen on various types of motors will thaw out after a long worm up or after the first ½ mile run.

Some motors have thermostats that restrict water low or hold water in the top of the motor until a specific temperature is achieved. (Usually in the 160-180 degree range) Many times you will see no flow or a restricted flow until the thermostat completely opens. Also, in cold water, the thermostat may open and close many times during a days use.

Furthermore, nearly every motor (In the 90 to 225hp range) made since the mid 90’s (Probably older models too) have some type of temp sensor that will set off an alarm when the motor gets too hot. That is the main thing to worry about. If you are cold water boating and set off the temp alarm (Normally a continuous beep or horn) shut the motor off and let it fully cool. Re- start and if the alarm goes off again, time to see the mechanic!

Having boated and been around cold water boating scene for years, I can’t recall any motor failure that can be attributed to freezing water in the pee hole. Most of the time it is an oil delivery failure that causes the motor to blow.

Jon J.

Almost forget….

There are known issues with some of the Merc Opimax motors where where thermostats were stuck closed during warm up. Upon opening, the t-stat lets very cold water hit the over heated cylendar heads and POW! I know a few guys who have had this problem and Merc has always covered the repairs under warranty.

J.

Mitch, You’ve probably heard of those portable compressed air tanks that you fill a low tire with when theres not an air compressor around. Maybe get one of those in a halfway decent size with a trigger hand valve on the end of the hose and blow the water out through the flush screw. Hit the throttle a couple of times inbetween using the air. Might work

My Yammie 175 HPDI does the same thing. No need to worry here Mitch. Buy the time I am half way to the dam it is warm enough that it starts spitting the water out. Every boat I have ran in cold water season does this until it gets warmed up and I have yet to have a problem

Thanks for the great info guys, I usually store my boat over the winter months but this winter I plan on keeping it in the garage and getting out when ever the weather will allow. As Bill said in an earlier post these motors are to expensive and I would hate to do any damage that would keep me off the water next spring.
Mitch

I guess I am lucky as I have a heated garage. So in addition to lowering the motor trim and letting the water drain out after I pull the boat out of the water, I also turn on the heater when I get home and leave it on over night.

lots of very good answers here, JonJ was right on. when I’m done on very cold days. I’ll vert the motor and I’ll run It briefly in gear while on the trailer to get any little remaining water out. the pee vent has a rubber tube which on mine has a slight curve in it that will trap water in it. so on very cold days I’ll also warm up the vent with my hand then blow the little remaining water back into the motor. next time out. the vent is blowing always right away. might look strange,, but it works. Jack.

Ditto to what everyone else is saying. The biggest concern to me is the impeller in the pump. The pump impeller will need to be changed more often. Any ice at all in the cooling system,(and you will have ice in the impeller housing)this will cause the impeller to wear out faster or possably tear a vane on start up. So plan on changing the impeller more often for winter use. One thing I have learned is that Old man winter can tear up, break, and destroy any peice of equipment that you own.