Re: Water pump theory question

[Don]

So, you pulled the water tube out of the exhaust housing? Perhaps it is misaligned, kinked, not seating properly in the grommets. Does the engine show signs of overheating, burnt paint, melted harness? I’m assuming you just got this engine and have not run it much.
Anything is possible, I suppose the inner exhaust tube could be cracked/corroded away where the inlet water passes through. You could test your theory by removing the gearcase, then rigging up some sort of hose/reducer to the inlet water tube. Now tilt the engine up and turn the water on gently, look up inside with a flashlight for big inlet leaks/problems.
Sometimes the upper water tube grommets on this engine family gets crushed/deformed causing a water restriction, or perhaps a leak. Maybe you can see up inside with the tube out. Is this a salt water motor? This problem is not as common on fresh water engines. Sure hope I am wrong about this, don’t want you to have to pull the powerhead.