Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Hose flush connector

P

pronto

New member
Hi, following up to my earlier thread, can anyone advise how effective is a hose connector screwed into the "wash" port of my BF15A ? I have been told this only flushes out the leg & not the entire engine, this seems a little strange as this port is above the water inlets & is clearly marked "wash". I usually flush my motor in a large drum but this is tedious compared to flush muffs but even the rectangular two way muffs don't seat very well & I am always concerned that enough water is being flushed through the motor, I have to physically squeeze the new muffs to ensure a reasonable seal for the pee hole to discharge. A hose connector connected directly to this port would seem to be most effective, any & all advice most welcome.
 
Most motors with the flush port will do the motor and the leg.Without running. Get the owners manual.It will help with that question.
 
Thanks Jerry, I downloaded the owners manual & it does show the use of the hose connector & has a drawing depicting the operation of the hose connector however it shows water running OUT of the normal inlet points at the bottom of the leg & this gave to some confusion also.
 
Not sure what you mean by "the leg" ---a hose connector flushes the cooling ports. Water will go down the water tube if that's what you mean by "the leg" but the water won't get into the water pump housing, at least not in a strong stream that might flush out salt or sand etc the way it would if you attached clamshells and started up the outboard

For long term care, you're probably better off firing up the motor attached to a hose and clamshells-- that way, you flush the impeller, water tube, AND cooling ports

A newer set of clamshells (the circular ones) seem to work best on < 40 Hp outboards; the square ones seem yo work better on the larger Hp motors
 
Hi Marketic, by "the leg" I mean the outboards leg, that is the long bit under the actual motor that goes into the water. Sorry that is what I've always known it to be called. Anyway as you have pointed out, after removing the Flush Bolt I can see the small amount of water that would be injested through this port would not be enough to cool the motor, so back to the tub or clam shells. I will have to purchase a set of circular clam shells & try these, as I mentioned the rectangular/square ones do not do the job allowing most of the flushing water to escape. Thanks so much for taking the time to assist, we learn so much from your experience & knowledge.
 
Not sure about the 40HP, but clamshells are not sufficient to cool my 225 and causes the overheat alarm to go on. Would use a tub if at all possible.
 
Hi chawk-man. mine is just a 15hp so the clam shell seems to do a fair jub. I use a tub mostly but I was just trying to figure out the best way of flushing my engine with Salt Away/Saltex corrosion inhibitor as occasionally the pee hole gets blocked with a tiny bit of salt crystal. Maybe the previous owner didn't take too much care when flushing in the past. When this blockage of the pee hole occurs I just poke a small length of nylon cord into the discharge hole & we're away again. So, in short just attempting to use the most effective method of delivering Salt Away. I purchased a pair of round muffs yesterday as advised by Marketic & they seem a tight fit so will try them today. Thanks for your input chawk-man.
 
chawk_man said:
Not sure about the 40HP, but clamshells are not sufficient to cool my 225 and causes the overheat alarm to go on. Would use a tub if at all possible.
Click to expand...

Well my 225 cools properly with clamshells. I only ever let it idle and bring it up to temperature. (I watch the gauge and it only sits where it does when its running in water) Perhaps you have a water pump impeller on the way out.

That was certainly the way my Mercruiser would tell me the impeller had gone a bit hard. :)

Also, the flush port is for static flushing isn't it? You shouldn't run the motor because the water pump impeller is running dry and is likely to overheat. The flush port is for when the boat is still in the water (salt) and you need to flush the salt out of the block.
 
Hi Berniek, thanks for the info regarding the flush port, we can't learn this stuff from books, just experienced guys like yourself.
 
http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2013/August/outboard-flushing-the-right-way.asp here is the best writeup i have found on flushing etc...the merc manual for my 60 efi leaves something to be desired on this...i use the muffs...make sure to run it til well after the thermostats open and dont leave it unattended and watch the temperature...if you dont have a gauge just feel the exhaust water...the telltale never gets warm so that not the place to feel..
 
I use the square muffs on my Honda BF150. The trick to getting maximum water flow into the cooling ports/impeller----water pressure at medium flow and if all else fails, prop a pair of 2 x 4's against the outsides of each muff.

If the H20 pressure is too high, they "lift" away from the cooling ports --- 2 x 4's or something similar can keep them tight against the cooling port screens.

As mentioned above, DON'T go do something else while you're running off muffs. Too much chance of water-interruption resulting in overheating or toasted impeller (or both)
 
Hi Papyson, good article & good tips, strange the telltale doesn't get warm ? Hi again Maketic, I had similar problems with rectangular muffs, not sealing so I bought a set of round ones as you suggested & they work fine on my BF15A. I guess it's down to the curves of the outboards leg as to what shape of muffs surfices best. Thanks guys I have picked up some valuable information from the forum. The weather here on the Gold Coast Queensland Australia is great, tides are right so off to dip a line.
 
I agree with kimcrwrb1. The "test tank" method is the most thorough and reliable way to check the operation of the cooling system. As far as flushing goes, many of the small Honda thermostat housings have a port for a hose adapter that is for flushing out that portion of the cylinder head. I have found though, that if you use it, it will typically not reseal and you will have induced a leak at that port. I take the housing off and clean that area "manually".

That "chamber" is where most of the "crystallizing" takes place anyway since that is the where the heat is primarily being "exchanged" with the head. At least that is the nearest access to where there is the most heat.

Also, many outboards have "hidden" intake ports that do not get covered by either of the the MUFF designs. You need to locate and tape-seal those ports or risk the possibility of starving the pump for water and burning up your impeller and/or overheating your engine. In a "production shop" environment the MUFFS become an essential tool for the mechanic but I stopped using them years ago because of the drawbacks associated with them. Each person will make their own assessment here and do what seems best for them.

And, yes, the tell tale is not a good indicator for temperature. It is a "bypass" passage that is only used to indicate how much flow you have from the pump. It WILL get hot though if the engine is overheating. Try briefly running the engine and then shut it off while holding your finger under the tell tale stream. You will experience quite a bit of heat as the water flow ceases. This little "test" should illustrate to you how relatively "cool" that stream is in comparison to what is actually taking place in the engine.

CAREFUL though! Don't get burned!

Cheers,
jimmyd
 
Last edited:
Hi Fellas, a couple of very good points there & more information. I think I will just use the tub in future to try to emulate the motor in the river/lake whatever & add a little corrosion inhibitor for added protection. Thanks, Les.
 
Thanks kimcrwbr1, saltaway is available here so that's what I'll do. we don't need to store them here, luckily we have good weather all year round, just need to use a bimini in summer as gets a little hot.
 
Back
Top