No water flow with '74 Mercury 9.8

[GregK9]

Water pump and impeller was replaced last year and I've only used the engine a few minutes here and there just to keep in running shape. It was working fine when I tested it last time out last fall.

Now I'm getting no water flow but I *am* getting air flow out of the pee hole.

If I blow air into the pee hole, it comes out the water pump inlet hole.

When I blow air into the inlet hole, it blows out of the pee hole.

I put the lower until in a tank of water, fire it up; no water out of the pee hole but lots of airflow.

What gives????

[lilmule]

I had an old merc 50 (about a 74)that run in a tank never did pea,yet run in the water with boat sure did.
The fact you can blow air in and it goes out correctly means no stoppage,my low water pickup I had to blow out last year due to grass etc.
Run it under a load for a short distance in the water if it peas its ok,havnt a clue why mine wouldnt in a tank but would under actual conditions.

[Abbeysdad]

Put rabbit ears on it and see what you get - a bit of water pressure may make all the difference???
If okay, then put her in some real water and test.

Edit: Could be wrong, but just thinking it may not be deep enough in the bucket to pull water as it would in the lake (an not enough suction is created by the impeller to expel all the air to pull water).

[TN_Bassin]

Just throwing this out there but it sounds as if the impeller is in the pump backwards. I know you said you had ran it but maybe for some reason or another it got twisted backwards. This happened to my buddies 150 black max and all we had to do was switch the impeller around the right way.