Water pump problem J15TELSU

[Jeko1958]

I was running my outboard in a barrel to warm up the oil before changing, and noticed that water wasn't coming out of the telltale (pee hole). I put my finger in front and felt puffs of air, and after about 30 seconds a little steam. I shut her down and let it cool, made sure that the intake was clear (it was) and started it again. Same thing! When I covered the hole with my finger, air bubbles came from the intake. I ordered a rebuild kit (impeller, gaskets, and keyway), but was wondering where the air would come from if the impeller was bad. Anybody?

[boats.net]

Running on ear muff flusher sometimes doesn't get enough water to pump, make sure muff fit on tight and completely cover inlet screen.

[Jeko1958]

I wasn't using muffs, I had a barrel. The water was about where it would be if I
was running the motor on the boat.

[boats.net]

Water pump has to be completely submerged in water.