Changed my water pressure gauge and now it's overheating

[Crooked stick]

1999 200 EFI Mercury

Let me first say, my water pump is a week old. Been at the lake twice since the new impeller and everything has been fine. My gauge was pegged so I ordered a new gauge and put it in at home. Put the water clamp on the motor, started it and realized I had a leak in the hose going to the gauge. Everything was fine at this point with water coming from the tell tale. I run the new hose, leave the hose unhooked from the new gauge to flush out any junk I may have gotten in it and out of curiosity just to see how much water is coming down the new hose, hook up the water again, turn the hose on and start the motor. No water coming out the hose going to the new gauge. It runs a couple minutes and I'm at the motor and no water coming from the tell tale. At this point my wife happens to walk by the boat and hear the solid continuous overheat alarm going off. I shut the motor off and scratch my head. Wait a bit and try it again. Same thing. I hook the garden hose up to the back of the motor and flush it. Have some pieces of what looks like water pump come of the water intake holes on the motor.

I have no idea how I went from everything is fine and a week old water impeller to no water pressure and overheating the motor by simply changing the water pressure gauge and hose..........??????????????

[mikesxpress]

Pull the water pump.

[larryhyco]

Pull the water pump.

It all starts at the pump

[Rip Bass]

On that engine you won’t get any water from the tale tell until the t stats open but they should have been open if it was over heating. It’s possible some of that debris may be blocking the t stats and preventing flow through the engine. Pull the t stats and the water pump. What you say you did should not have caused the over heat unless you slipped up and ran it without water and it don’t take long.

[Crooked stick]

Melted the water pump to the housing. New pump and housing. Have no idea how it happened because I had the water muffs on.

[dkibat]

Water valve on full with muffs to supply enough water to pump??

[Crooked stick]

Water valve on full with muffs to supply enough water to pump??

Affirmative. Only thing I can come up with is the muffs are the type that just slide on and they must have slipped out of position and I didn’t notice.

[Crooked stick]

I ordered quicksilver ones that have the wire that goes through the inlet holes so it can’t slip.

[turfy49431]

Thats why I never use muffs. Better off putting the motor into a large tub so the bottom of the motor is submerged. Only takes a quick second or two to wreck a brand new impeller if its dry