Hagar
15-07-2006, 02:04 PM
With the current restrictions on flushing and seeing some of our guys going on away trips to Fraser where there may not be any taps I thought I would share this you all . It's the result of me wanting to get a good flush on my motor by making sure the thermostats open - something that may or may not happen with cold water from the tap thru muffs . An experienced dealer I knew - thanks Graeme - made the comment the best way to flush is to run it in a tank so the water gets warm thru recirculation . That gave me the idea for this . One of the Yammie tech guys I have spoken with also static flushes his with hot water from the laundry tap . A flush bag will do it but takes more water to fill up and mine had a foil making it hard to fit in the bag .. There was only one prototype needed . I use the screw on connector ( the one for flushing without running engine ) to quickly rinse any residual salt water out of the powerhead or a quick run on the normal muffs first then do an extended run on this rig . Basically you can flush anywhere there is fresh water available .
Basic components are a set of muffs ( the good flat soft ones that fit closely ) converted to twin feed , a RULE 1100 gph bilge pump with extended power cable , some bilge pump hose , a plastic tub and some hose / irrigation fittings . The two surplus muff halves were made into a blanking muff to cover some of the water exit holes at the front of the gearbox to slow down the rate of water loss . Mine has a connector to go into the cigarette outlet on my switch panel . It's hard to find a good one so if your battery is accessable you can use battery clamps instead . All up cost was about $ 120 with half of that for just the bilge pump .
To flush just fit as in the picture , fill up the tub and turn on the pump . THe 1100 gph Rule supplies more water than the 115 engine will suck . The water goes down a bit as the powerhead fills up after start and can be topped up again . I leave mine running until the discharge water from the outlet grilles above the cav plate is really warm on your hand . About 7 - 8 minutes or until the bilge pump is getting low on water in the tub . The warm water has had no effect on the impeller which was good as new at scheduled replacement .
COUPLE OF MAJOR CAUTIONS with using something like this though .
1. #Never walk away from the engine while it's running . Crack a beer and watch the tell - tale #. If the bilge pump stops your motor will not get any water .
2. #It is possible to recirculate the water for so long it will get too hot . Keep checking the outlet temp with your hand .
DISCLAIMER - not all of us are mechanically minded . Don't even think of doing something along these lines if you are not comfortable with it for your engine .
Chris
Basic components are a set of muffs ( the good flat soft ones that fit closely ) converted to twin feed , a RULE 1100 gph bilge pump with extended power cable , some bilge pump hose , a plastic tub and some hose / irrigation fittings . The two surplus muff halves were made into a blanking muff to cover some of the water exit holes at the front of the gearbox to slow down the rate of water loss . Mine has a connector to go into the cigarette outlet on my switch panel . It's hard to find a good one so if your battery is accessable you can use battery clamps instead . All up cost was about $ 120 with half of that for just the bilge pump .
To flush just fit as in the picture , fill up the tub and turn on the pump . THe 1100 gph Rule supplies more water than the 115 engine will suck . The water goes down a bit as the powerhead fills up after start and can be topped up again . I leave mine running until the discharge water from the outlet grilles above the cav plate is really warm on your hand . About 7 - 8 minutes or until the bilge pump is getting low on water in the tub . The warm water has had no effect on the impeller which was good as new at scheduled replacement .
COUPLE OF MAJOR CAUTIONS with using something like this though .
1. #Never walk away from the engine while it's running . Crack a beer and watch the tell - tale #. If the bilge pump stops your motor will not get any water .
2. #It is possible to recirculate the water for so long it will get too hot . Keep checking the outlet temp with your hand .
DISCLAIMER - not all of us are mechanically minded . Don't even think of doing something along these lines if you are not comfortable with it for your engine .
Chris