Flush Time

+1 for Salt Away

Hampton - I thought I was the only one who used the old taste test to determine when the salt is gone! I always get funny looks from my neighbors.
 
Yeah! Coming back from a long day on our 250, I was usually a mess. I would literally wash my face/hair/hands/arms in the warm exhaust water once it tasted relatively fresh. Nothing like a good fresh water rinse after being coated in dried salt!

I still use the taste test on my 340 after I rinse the 8.1's and Kohler 5.0. They don't take nearly as long to rinse.
 
The impeller is a do-it-yourself item, if you would put a new starter on a car. If not, it's about $250 at a service center. It's a rubber, star-shaped device that is engine driven
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guys, pcola has an alpha one drive (says so in his signature). doesnt that have the impeller in the drive? and if so, by most accounts i've heard, it's darn near impossible for a DIYer to change. i tried ONCE with a boat my dad had and we had to give up and pay for the job. also, the "open thermostat" rule only applies on a raw water cooled boat. if you are factory FWCd, an closed thermostat is not an issue - it's on the closed system (ie: no salt water contamination).

i flush before leaving for the weekend - i do the taste test occasionally but i now know approx how long it takes to get fresh water out of the exhaust. i'll leave things running for about 2 minutes to rinse the innards a bit and shut down.

garden house pressure is going to be different depending upon the pressure of your water supply. if your hose is turned fully ON and the hose is real hard as you flush(lotsa pressure in it) than you are probably using too much pressure. if the house is too soft as you flush, you may not be supplying adequate flow. i'm always shooting for the hose to be slightly compressible.
 
rondds said:
guys, pcola has an alpha one drive (says so in his signature). doesnt that have the impeller in the drive? and if so, by most accounts i've heard, it's darn near impossible for a DIYer to change. i tried ONCE with a boat my dad had and we had to give up and pay for the job. .........
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Ron:

Alpha One impellers, IMHO, are definitely a DIYer job. I used to change my alpha impeller on my 1983 225SXL every year. I think it was six bolts to 'break' the two halves, and the pump housing is right there. The hardest part was holding my breath for long periods.....:grin:
 
dom:
now that you mention it, it may have NOT been the impeller that was tough. i think it was a short length or rubber hose leading from the impeller housing UP that was giving us a real hard time. this was back in the mid-80s so forgive my senility - the boat was running hot and we were changing EVERYTHING we could get our hands on from the outdrive up to and including the water circulator pump and risers. turns out it was cholesterol in the thermostat housing. but the one and only thing we could NOT handle was that length of hose!

btw, you gonna be at tices tomorrow?
 
rondds said:
dom:...............btw, you gonna be at tices tomorrow?
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Yes, but not as a part of the Aquapaloza. I have an afternoon BBQ to go to so the admiral and I are going to get there and just drop the hook for a few hours. We'll probably get there around 11AM and leave by 1PM or so. I want to jump in the water and clean the hull sides and check out things underneath.
 
Pcola,

I run in Pensacola too, and I also have a Sea Ray 200. I bought mine new from Marine Max, and they recomended the rectangular muffs. They should fit snug, and you shouldn't have to hold them. It seems to me as though the problem is a poor seal around the muffs and lack of water pressure. I usually flush mine for 7-10 min. and have never had a problem. I always do it as soon as I get home, so the engine is still very warm, and it takes no time at all to reach normal running temp.
 
Yes, but not as a part of the Aquapaloza. I have an afternoon BBQ to go to so the admiral and I are going to get there and just drop the hook for a few hours. We'll probably get there around 11AM and leave by 1PM or so. I want to jump in the water and clean the hull sides and check out things underneath.
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we'll probably be there when you arrive. (hoping to leave the marina by 9am [yeah, right!]. if you're solo, look for us. the raft up will look exactly like this (same boats not necessarily in the same order.) we'd love to have a 5th...

pelicanisland3a.jpg
 
I'll look for you guys.....I'll be the Fat Bald Italian with the big blue balls, I mean fenders, hanging over the side.......we'd love to tie up with ya'....
 
keep 72 on your dial as you approach, as will we :thumbsup:
 
PPD said:
Pcola,

I run in Pensacola too, and I also have a Sea Ray 200. I bought mine new from Marine Max, and they recomended the rectangular muffs. They should fit snug, and you shouldn't have to hold them. It seems to me as though the problem is a poor seal around the muffs and lack of water pressure. I usually flush mine for 7-10 min. and have never had a problem. I always do it as soon as I get home, so the engine is still very warm, and it takes no time at all to reach normal running temp.
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The problem was definitely the muffs. maybe they were too old and the rubber too hard, but they never really fit perfect and sealed around the intake holes. The new one hooks up and stays in place perfectly. I had the flow turned up about halfway, so there was some water escaping out around the muffs. By the time I fired her up and walked back to the stern, there was already water flowing out of the exhaust. That was the first time it flushed the way it was supposed to for me. I also flush right when I get home and clean all the salt residue off of everything. Where do you run, in the Intracoastal, we put in at Big Lagoon state park.
 
rondds said:
garden house pressure is going to be different depending upon the pressure of your water supply. if your hose is turned fully ON and the hose is real hard as you flush(lotsa pressure in it) than you are probably using too much pressure. if the house is too soft as you flush, you may not be supplying adequate flow. i'm always shooting for the hose to be slightly compressible.
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I was going to post a question about flushing when I found this thread. Good information, thanks. What is the issue with pressure? I always have mine wide open and was not aware you need to regulate. Does it not flush as well with too much pressure? My hose is not particularly strong so not sure it's a problem but I am curious.

I also flush upon returning home while she is still warm and run for about 5-10 minutes. Same Merc muffs as pictured before, they seem to work real well.
 
before I had the pin through the outdrive model the muffs could slide off if you started with to much pressure.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it possible for the boat to cool properly when on the hose but doesn't have enough suction when out on the water. If it were me I would replace the the impeller since it is fairly easy on the Alpha drive.
 
If the water pressure is too high, there is a possibility that you could damage the seals in the water pump/impeller. Never actually seen it happen, but I suppose it’s a legitimate concern.
 
i think with too much pressure on a "hard wired system" (ie: one that doesnt use earmuffs but is piped directly into the intake line, as with an inboard engine) you could get water ingestion into the cylinders which would be catastrophic. with muffs, the extra pressure would probalby just ooze out the sides so it wouldnt be such a problem.
 
rondds said:
i think with too much pressure on a "hard wired system" (ie: one that doesnt use earmuffs but is piped directly into the intake line, as with an inboard engine) you could get water ingestion into the cylinders which would be catastrophic. with muffs, the extra pressure would probalby just ooze out the sides so it wouldnt be such a problem.
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I would have to agree with this which is one of the reasons I've not made a cut in my line and added a way to flush from in the water. Can't seem to find a straight answer on what's to much pressure and what's not enough, could some kind of regulator be added.
 
wish2fish said:
before I had the pin through the outdrive model the muffs could slide off if you started with to much pressure.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it possible for the boat to cool properly when on the hose but doesn't have enough suction when out on the water. If it were me I would replace the the impeller since it is fairly easy on the Alpha drive.
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I'm sure my problem with the original muffs was that they were old, hard and just didn't seal well, so pressure was an issue. The higher the pressure, the more water that leaked out and the less that actually ended up where it was needed. With the new muffs held in place, I just turn the water on 3/4 of the way, some leaks out around the seal, but the engine seems to flush just fine. As far as the impeller goes, wouldn't it have to work harder to create suction while on the hose than when the outdrive is actually in the water?
 
Has been mentioned several times by different members, but the critical thing (apart from having enough water flow so as not to over heat engine) is to get the engine up to normal operating temp, so thermostat opens. Until you get up to temp, the thermostat reamins closed, and the engine is not getting flushed at all. I allow at least 5-10 minutes after reaches operating temp.
I know I am restating the obvious! :thumbsup:
 
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