Question about running motor out of water
 

I have a 2001 Shabah 182 with a 4.3 liter V6 with a alpha 1 stern drive. I keep the boat in a storage yard and wanted to know what everyone thinks about starting it without water for a minute or so to make sure it will start before I leave for the lake. I take it home after the lake to rinse it out with muffs, I would like to pick it up at the yard and make sure it will start before I get to the lake and not go back home to use the muffs. I want to avoid driving to the lake and needing to jump the battery or something else.

Re: Question about running motor out of water
 

Following

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Re: Question about running motor out of water
 

It is fine to try to start it for a few seconds. Once it starts you really only have less then a couple of seconds before the engine overheats. Just see if it will turn over and as soon as it does shut it off.

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Re: Question about running motor out of water
 

Actually the engine's coolant thermostat won't even open until a few minutes after starting, so the engine won't overheat in that time. There will be residual water in the engine block and heads that will circulate in the meantime. My concern would be for the drive's water pump and that could be damaged by more than a few seconds of dry operation. Is there no running water at the storage yard?

Re: Question about running motor out of water
 

On my boat it will burn out the impeller in a few seconds if it doesn't have water. And my coolant temperature seems to open right up as it starts.

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Re: Question about running motor out of water
 

If your thermostat is opening right up then there is something wrong with it. It should not open until maybe 180 degrees (some are 160) and that would take at least two minutes to occur with a cold engine. Don't confuse the engine coolant circulation with the external one that merges with it before the thermostat. You will get normal flow from the water discharge at a cold start but most of that bypasses the engine until the thermostat opens.

Re: Question about running motor out of water
 

Oops! I thought you ment when it would start reading a temperature. Yeah it takes like 5 mins of idling for it to get up to operating temperature

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Re: Question about running motor out of water
 

I don't run the impeller even with the muffs just let it idle in neutral.

Re: Question about running motor out of water
 

Also on mine there is no engine coolant but the lake water.

Re: Question about running motor out of water
 

What! The water pump impeller in the lower unit is always turning anytime the engine is running. Otherwise the engine would eventually overheat. Are you thinking of the bilge pump? In an Alpha drive, the shifting is done in the lowest part of the unit just ahead of the propeller.

The lake water IS the engine coolant. That water stays in the engine until it is flushed out by the external water pump in the drive. When the thermostat opens, the external water then flows thorough the engine.