I am trying to run a 1995 Mercury 115HP 2-stroke outboard motor for 10
minutes in order to get the treated fuel to the fuel system (for
winterizing). Because I am doing this out of the water, I need to use
a flush-earmuffs to pump water to the lower unit. But I am having some
problems in using the flush-earmuffs:

- I was setting the water pressure to about half way. But I didn't
see the "telltale" sign of water stream coming out from the back of the
motor when I was running the motor. All I saw was water coming out
from around the flush-earmuff, and from around the propeller. Is that
normal? Should I increase the water pressure (knowing that I should
not use full water pressure)?

- I saw that the engine temperature steadily went up from 100-degree
to 170-degree (during the period of 4 minutes). At that point, I was
afraid that I might overheat the motor; therefore, I turned off the
motor. Did the motor not getting enough water cooling?

- During the sea-trial of the boat just a couple weeks ago, I saw the
telltale sign of water coming out from the back of the motor.
Therefore, I know that the water pump worked. I am wondering why the
flush earmuffs doesn't seem to delivery the desired result?

- I guess one of the alternative is to put the motor into a water tank
instead of using a flush earmuff. Where can I find a water tank big
enough for a 115HP outboard motor? I measure that the water tank needs
to be at least 21" tall and 24" wide. I have a feeling that a plastic
container probably will not hold up the water pressure, right? Where
do people get their water tanks for this purpose?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan