My Honda outboard is not pumping. Does the lower unit have to be completely in the water?

I have a 2001 50hp Honda Outboard, and we were running it on the land after some maintenance in a tub of water. The lower unit was not completely under water. Does it have to be to pump water?|||The tub needs to hold about 120 gal of water and be at least 30" deep, like a cattle trough, even then you can only run the motor at limited throttle. Assuming you have ear-muffs (flush attachment) which is fed by a water hose, then you can run at limited max rpm. Depending on the maintenance you did, you might not be deep enough in your pail to keep the water pump from sucking air, thus it will overheat in seconds and might need to be replaced. I've seen people at ramps, climb on the boat and start their outboards. These are the same people who can't understand why they need a new impeller is only a couple months. I wish you well, and that lady luck smiles at you.|||Hi Vicente





Honda recommends that the water level be a minimum of four inches above the anticavitation plate to ensure adequate water flow. A good practice is to use "earmuffs" attached to a garden hose when running the motor on land. Hopefully you did not run the motor long enough to damage the water pump impeller.





Having said that, MOST of the water pumped by the impeller comes out the prop hub. PERHAPS the "check hole" is plugged with debris (Dirt, weeds, etc.). You could try cleaning the check hole with a toothpick or coat hanger first to see if this was the cause of water not coming out of it. Happens quite often in our 15,000 miles of cruising experience.





Hope this is helpful.


Good Luck!