03 df40 cooling system

[luke 316]

Hi all, New to the forum and new to Suzuki 4 stroke.
I have a 40hp and been having cooling problems, I replaced the impeller and
thermostat, but I am still getting a inconsistent discharge at the tell-tale, some times it's a strong stream after a couple minutes it slows. I took the hose off from the starboard side and ran it that way to make sure it was circulating.
There are two rubber lines on the portside but I am no sure what they are for.
One hose runs to a tee fitting at the tell-tale and the other runs to the bottom
of the large hose from the thermostat.
should I have water flowing through the hose from the portside to the tee fitting at the tell-tale and also it seems that the water coming out of the tell tale is very hot after motor is shut down.
any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Moonlighter]

Did you replace the water pump housing when you replaced the impeller? If not, do that as your next step!

[luke 316]

Thank you Moonlighter for such a fast response.

I did not replace the housing because I thought it was ok, no scratches or marks of anything.
I did replace the seal on the top of the housing for the driveshaft because it looked bad.
I might add, that when I was flushing the motor out I did get a lot of dirt out
that kept pugging the tell tale. that's why I removed the hose from the right side of the motor to check the flow from there but, I am not getting any water flow from the left side. I wondering if I have particle blockage on water passage.

[Moonlighter]

Water pump housings can LOOK ok, but a slight warp in the shape, barely detectable to the naked eye, can develop over time and has been found to be the cause of the sorts of problems you reported due to the impeller not always gettinga good seal against it.

Some cases my local Zuke mechanic has had where this was the fix had frustrated other mechanics for months only to find this simple item being changed solved all the problems.

So worth replacing, and its quite an inexpensive fix. Give it a try and see what you notice when a new housing is fitted.

That is not to say that you havent also got a blockage or partial blockage if there is evidence of that in there.

[luke 316]

Thanks I'll change it out.
one last question, when I remove the lower unit I have to have the motor in the forward gear other wise I can not get to the turnbuckle to disconnect the shift rod. I know they say to put it in neutral, but there is just no way. I just have to make sure it's still in drive when I assemble it.
Is that ok to do?