Flushing question

Nasher · 03 July 2008, 19:50

This may be a silly question but I'll ask it anyway.

So far I've always flushed my Suzi 200EFI using a set of muffs, but have always worried about the fit, and how much water was getting through the engine, although the tell tale was always very strong so can't have been too bad.

The engine does however have a std hose connection on the side of the engine tray that I tried flushing it with over the weekend.
Obviously all the water now goes in the engine and doesn't escape like it does around the sides of the muffs.
But, even without the engine running the tell tale was quite strong and didn't appear to pick up at all when actually running the engine.

My question is - does the water pump receive water when using the hose connection at the top of the engine, or is this meant for flushing without the engine running?
I suppose I could have now wrecked the impellor I fitted at the end of last season by running it this way.

Any views or knowledgable comments?

Nasher.

jyasaki · 03 July 2008, 21:11

Generally, you do not run the engine when using the hose connection. The purpose of using muffs and running it through the water pump is to get circulation from the lower unit up through the head.

If you're running the water directly into the water jacket in the head (which is the hose connection just under the powerhead), you do not need the impeller to pump the water around, as you're already pumping it there anyway.

That said, there is a video on the Suzuki website that shows the guy running while on the hose attachment, but one that screws into the lower unit (usually smaller engines have these - my Honda 40 did.) Apparently they don't think it'll do any harm.

jky

martini · 03 July 2008, 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nasher

My question is - does the water pump receive water when using the hose connection at the top of the engine, or is this meant for flushing without the engine running?
I suppose I could have now wrecked the impellor I fitted at the end of last season by running it this way.

Any views or knowledgable comments?

Nasher.

As far as I'm aware youre right, The hose connection on the side of the motor is just for flushing the salt water from the power head. You musn't run the engine using this method as you will **** the impellor!

m chappelow · 03 July 2008, 23:00

just checked through my tohatsu operators manual and it says , remove plug ,attach flushing hose in , turn on water and then run engine on tickover but then to stop the engine before turning off water , so you may be ok .

Nasher · 03 July 2008, 23:05

Mmm, thanks all.

Was afraid of that. its probably f***ed then.

I realised afterwards exactly what I'd done, just didn't think at the time.

I'll go back to the muffs and see if it pumps, but I'll probably change the impellor anyway, its only a 15min job.

I suppose another observation is that using the flushing port won't flush salt water out of the pump housing and lower unit, so doesn't do such a good job as a set of muffs.

A 40HP Suzuki had one of the attachments that screwed into the lower leg, it worked well.

Oh, and its far too late at night for me to think up something comical about sticking hoses in lower holes rather than head holes

EDIT

Quote:

Originally Posted by m chappelow

just checked through my tohatsu operators manual and it says , remove plug ,attach flushing hose in , turn on water and then run engine on tickover but then to stop the engine before turning off water , so you may be ok .

Ah, the other side of the coin.
I'd better ask a Suzi dealer tomorrow whats recommended.
Thanks all.

Nasher.

Nos4r2 · 03 July 2008, 23:19

Personally I'd flush it on muffs as well. As far as I know flushing via a powerhead hose attachment doesn't flush the water pickup tube from the lower unit very well.Having brackish water sitting in there isn't a particularly good idea.
It'll still get some water to the impeller to lubricate it so you're probably OK this once. Worth dropping the L/U to check it though.

<edit>

beat me to it while I was making a brew in the middle of posting

m chappelow · 03 July 2008, 23:22

if i remember right the rnli atlantic lifeboats use the flushing hose system when they launch ,the engines are started and warmed up sometimes long before the boat reaches the water ,cooling water beeing fed from tanks on each side of the trailor and the hoses fit into the flushing hole on the outboard engines when the boat drives off the trailor the hoses just pull out .

Erin · 04 July 2008, 09:54

I would advise against running the engine when on the hose. Although my suzy dealer said it wouldn't be a majorn concern, I'd be worried about lack of lubrication to the impellor.

bedajim · 04 July 2008, 12:01

I always use a large bucket and drop it in

Nos4r2 · 04 July 2008, 12:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by bedajim

I always use a large bucket and drop it in

Where did you find a bucket that big? I'd far rather do it that way but can't find one big enough for my lower unit.

bedajim · 04 July 2008, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Where did you find a bucket that big? I'd far rather do it that way but can't find one big enough for my lower unit.

IBC with the top cut off

ribpilot · 04 July 2008, 15:23

I also found the bin method easy filling half to 3/4 full and leave the engine running for a couple of minutes and then just tip away in the garden.You know then that the leg is is submerged enough so the engine gets a good flushing.....

bernithebiker · 05 July 2008, 17:51

There always seems to be lots of different opinions on this subject.

I flushed my Yam F60 using the hose connector, WITH the engine running, for over a year. Then I stopped 'cos I feared I might have been damaging the impellor, but as far as I know, it was never damaged at all, as it was always fine. Plenty of water always seemed to come out of impellor area.

I now tend to use muffs, even though I too worry about the amount of water leaking out of them, but it works fine. I also think that having the engine running and getting warm is good, as it accelerates the flushing/dissolving of salt, and makes sure that the thermostat is open allowing fresh water everywhere in the engine.

I sometimes use a huge flower pot that I have - if it's rained alot (i.e. most days!) then it's full and I can just back the boat up to it and dunk the engine in.

jyasaki · 05 July 2008, 18:46

Perhaps my motor is different from eneryone elses on the planet, becuase I seem to defend this pretty often.

My Yamaha F115, flushing on the hose connection, leaks water all over the place. (See pics.)

In the first, you can clearly see water coming out of every orifice in the lower unit (and there're a bunch of them.) In the second, you can see water flowing out of the water intake screens, and the prop hub. Proof that water does flush out the input and pickup tubing.

The cooling system does not have a one-way valve or anything that will prevent water leaking back down; the impeller spinning drives water up through the head, but if it's not spinning, it won't prevent water from flowing back the other way. If it is spinning, but water is insufficient to fill the chambers between the vanes, you will get lubrication but no pumping (impellers are an eccentic vane, decreasing volume type pump.) There may be some chambers within the impeller/housing that won't get flushed if not running the motor, I suppose, but given that the manufacturers don't consider this a problem should be a little telling.

I'd be interested in seeing pics of other motors running on the hose connection (engine off.)

jky

p.s. Ignore the green hose in the background; that used to be a garden watering hose that has now become my dogs plaything. She's busy cutting a 50 foot hose into 1 foot sections, in between dragging the rest of the hose around the yard. You can also ignore the yellow tub. Impromptu water resistant (hah!) storage.

m chappelow · 05 July 2008, 19:29

i have always run my engines in an old 45 gallon oil drum cut down or more recently the wheelie bin though if you have a really big engine its best to remove the prop otherwise one flick of the gears and its bluuuurpp and all the waters gone ,i have heard recently of a large bag that can be pulled up the leg and filled with water.,strictly no running in gear with that one. mart.

Roy Smith · 05 July 2008, 19:40

Unless we have a high pressure hose we cant get the tell tale to work
no matter how tight the muffs are and i have made mine with twin water outlets
so now we have gone over to the hose connector.
When the engine was serviced the water channel from the impeller looked clean
so it must work to a degree.
Lansdale marine have a loft water storage tank they use if they need to start the engine and test the impeller, as the later yam 250 have a water pickup at the base of the engine just in front of the skegg so muffs don't work.