Re: Powerhead removal advice, ’79 OMC 9.9?

[Don]

quote Theodore:

My 15 is a 1986. It has cooling system problems that are not fixed by servicing the pump. It’s had a hard life in salt water, so I suspect it has grommet problems. I haven’t investigated to see what kind of “updated grommet design” would be used in mine.

I think I once saw a picture of a grommet “failure” where the walls of the grommet had caved in due to a salt buildup between it and the casting it was inserted in. Maybe try to “glue” the walls of the grommet to the casting, so the salt can’t wick its way in between the two?

OK, accidentally clicked on the "report this post" instead of the "quote" icon, sorry.
In any event, your 1986 15hp has two water tubes and two grommets. The normal long water tube bringing water up from the water pump, and the shorter water exit tube that leads water away from the open exhaust megaphone. Chances are pretty darn good these grommets are crushed if this is a salt water engine, even though the tubes/grommets are the "improved design", unless someone has already done the grommet work. I think you will notice that the new grommets are just a little higher than the water tubes, cutting about 1/8" off the top of each grommet should solve this problem.
Don’t forget to check the upper mounts while the powerhead is off, the open megaphone engines like yours are more prone to upper mount failure.