454 Baja overheating
 

a friends 1996 454 / 330 carb w/Bravo 1 drive----in the water or on the ears the engine over heats------however on the fresh water rinse hose hook up in the bilge, she runs cool--if the impeller was no good, would it not still run hot on the hose hook up???? If the impeller IS good, there must be a blockage in the drive!!!!???? Mike--Tampa Bay

Sounds like a case of the bravo fever.

If it runs fine off of the fresh water flush then you're correct In it sounds like a blockage in the drive. More then likely it's at the fitting on the transom assembly where the water hose enters. It's known for the aluminum to swell shut especially when running in salt water. I see you're from Tampa.

To Inspect pull the water hose off the transom assembly and then remove the water hose fitting. (Be careful the bottom bolt could be seized) and then feel around to see if it's swollen shut.

take hose off inlet of raw water pump. hook garden hose up and blow it out back thru the drive. if it is an obstruction, this may help. if water barely flows back thru it, you need to pull drive and try again. another option would be to add another water pick up run either thru hull bottom like a sportfish or off transom like an old
trs intake.

THANKS to the both of you....Sunday we were planning on pulling the hose off the pump that goes to the transom/drive and running water thru it to see if it is blocked......My friend was told that if the impeller was gone-it would still run cool of the hose/fresh water flush because of the water pressure from the house??!!??? I guess if the transom / drive hose is plugged at the transom,that's it BRAVO FEVER hahaha.....if not it will be the impeller !!!!! I know when my impeller went bad, it ran hot off the hose/fresh water hook-up!!!t Thanks--Mike--Tampa Bay !!!!

OK---we ended up pulling the hose from the raw water pump to the transom late today---poured water thru it---all clear-water came out the lower drive pick up---pulled the other hose off and pulled the raw water pump off---the back plastic housing was cracked and the impeller was missing its ends/ears??? You could spin the impeller freely---Soooo I guess you can run it on the hose inside the fresh water connection in the bilge, with a bad/not working impeller......YES Sunday we have to back flush the hoses and hope to get all the impeller parts otu !!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks--Mike Tampa Bay!!!!!!!!

I just had an overheating problem fixed. Clogged power steering cooler...2 impellers worth of material the shop said.

It stayed cool at low rpms', above 2500 and temp went up quickly.

Apparently a new impeller was put in, but the old impeller pieces weren't flushed out. It's a new to me a boat, and lst time boat owner, sooooo that's all I can offer. lol.