2010 df9.9 cooling water problem

[PEARSON26VT]

My brand new DF9.9THLK10 does not have a stream of water coming out of the of te pilot hole, as soon as the engine starts. The first time that I started the engine it took about 30 seconds. The first five minutes that I used the engine (low speed) water would flow some of the time. Some times the pilot hole would appear to have little or no flow. When it did have water flow, it was so hot, that you could not hold your hand on the water flow. When it did not have water flow, it appears to have very hot vapor coming out.
This my first time with a Susuki engine. The engine appears to produce a lot of exhaust fumes. My previous motor was a 10 hp older Murcury brand.
How do I tell if there is a serious problem, with this brand new motor?
The closest dealer is 90 minutes away, and would be difficult to remove and
transport.

[boats.net]

You can run a compression test, sounds like it needs new water pump.

[DAbeln]

I also have a new DF9.9TLK10 (remote control, not tiller) that had water pump fail after just one hour of use. Dropped the lower unit and opened the pump, impeller blades are gone and pump housing pieces suffered heat damage, both need replacement. Am working thru fixing the water pump. Repair shop at Tablerock Lake said engine didn't show external signs of overheating, and that water pump problems are not covered under warranty. Water pump did run fine for first hour. I may have caused the problem by not having motor all the way down, not sure. Will run compression check, flush cooling water passages, pull thermostat, etc to make sure impeller parts aren't caught somewhere. Learned that Mercury 9.9 motors have a high temperature alarm -- my motor does not. So I am looking into adding temperature sensor and wiring it into low oil pressure alarm. Also looking into feasability of adding a low water flow sensor and alarm. Also learned that Mercury and Yamaha 9,.9 motors have additional water inlet ports on the side of the lower unit, not just the underside of the anti-cavitation plate -- seems more forgiving. Starting to wish I had bought a Merc. If anyone has experience with any of this, please let me know.