Flushing an Engine while the Boat is still in the water??

I have put the "lady Jane" on a berth in the new Marina in Greystones, I need advice on flushing the Engine.. Do I tilt the Engine up, attach the hose and turn on the fresh water or do I leave the Engine down in the Sea water and then flush and tilt up??

[the weasel]

It would be best if you took the boat out of the water and flush it with fresh water,i myself would do this and leave the engine down and attach a set of water muffs to the inlets and flush with fresh water as it would be best for flushing to prevent corrosion and if the engine is going to be idle for a period of time.From my experience as a fitter in the navy the engines that we were using were started with fresh water attached to one connection and this would flush them before they were put in sea water and flushed again when they were taken out by doing this it was prolonging the life of the engines.Hope this helps

John Ainsworth

Last edited by the weasel on Thu Apr 25, 2013 2:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Is it bad to run the engine when its tilted up??

Is the engine 2 or 4 stroke

DF70 Suzuki 4 stroke

You need to check if it is ok for your engine. I flush my mariner 115 with fresh water and engine tilted up out of water but I can tell you I checked it out very carefully before I did it for first time. This is the way they bench test them in the factory.



Yappo

i know that's it's ok for a 2 stroke to be tilted and flushed, I am not so sure about a 4 stroke , if there is a direct attachment instead of the muffs I'd use that.

If you are flushing on muffs and the engine is peeing you are getting good water circulation and you should be ok. As Yappo mentions, it would be worth checking. Also remember, there are many thousands engines that are normally only flushed from time to time during the season on possibly only once, when they are lifted at the end of the season. I wouldn't get overly hung up on it.

what about putting on muffs , turning on the water and then lowering the leg back into the water.... it should still pull in the fresh water from the muffs if they are on tight

what about putting on muffs , turning on the water and then lowering the leg back into the water.... it should still pull in the fresh water from the muffs if they are on tight

Can't hurt. Maybe you can also try with the engine just clearing the water.

Suzuki outboards are equipped with fresh water flush ports (all models except DF2.5, 9.9, 15, 40 and 50). A simple garden hose attachment makes it easy to clean the cooling system of saltwater and impurities. In fact, DF70, 80, 90, 250SS and 300 have dual flushing ports. One is located on the backside of the down housing and the second is located on the front panel to provide easy access and no excuses.

Dual Engine Flush Ports
The buildup of salt, sand, and dirt
in the engine’s cooling system can
lead to damage over time. The
DF70/80/90 are designed with dual
freshwater flush ports to make
flushing of the cooling system as
convenient as possible. One inlet
located on the port side and a
second on the front panel provide
easy access and facilitate flushing
of the system whether the boat is
in or out of the water.

Taken from Suzuki marine site so you can definitely do it just not sure whether you can have it tilted out at same time. I am interested in this as my seahog has a DF70 engine on the back.
The fitting they sell on the Suzuki site is exactly the same as the Hozelok one I have on the mariner. I am swapping out the 2 boats tomorrow so will check it out and let you know.

Yappo

So connecting the water hose to the engine when it just idling will flush it out enough??
When I flush it on the trailer I normally put a bit of power on the engine.. is this ok??

Joeduke I dug out the manual to check this out and it appears there are 3 ways to do this.
The usual way with the muffs on and engine running when out of water. In water connect water hose to engine in vertical position but DO NOT run engine. In water tilt engine and connect hose to engine but again DO NOT run engine. I will check this out tomorrow and you are more than welcome to see how its done anytime in the marina in Dun Laoghaire.
I will contact you with results tomorrow.

Yappo

Joeduke I dug out the manual to check this out and it appears there are 3 ways to do this.
The usual way with the muffs on and engine running when out of water. In water connect water hose to engine in vertical position but DO NOT run engine. In water tilt engine and connect hose to engine but again DO NOT run engine. I will check this out tomorrow and you are more than welcome to see how its done anytime in the marina in Dun Laoghaire.
I will contact you with results tomorrow.

Yappo

In a lot of places over here the water pressure isn't strong enough to force water around the powerhead and out the the tell tale to show proper flush is taking place, so the engine has to be started. The engine should only idle as some engines can be damaged by revving them on muffs.

To be honest my seahog is out of the water on trailer most of the time and I have a plastic container that I lower the engine into and just start as normal and leave running at idle for about 5 minutes --- job done.
Joedukes question is how does he do this when boat is in marina and the answer according to the manual is he can only put fresh water through the engine either in vertical position or full tilt but he MUST NOT run the engine.
As mac said there are loads of boats on swinging moorings all year round that never get flushed until they are out for yearly service and no harm seems to be done.


Yappo

I would agree... If the engine is getting regular use then I would not worry about flushing.
If you have a concern, do what the manuals says and hitch the hose without starting.

Think i heard somebody mention an additive called Saltaway which you can put in the fresh-water barrel when you're flushing at the end of the season. Plenty boats in the local harbour here never get flushed for six months at a time and there's no problem.

What about getting a large enough bucket or cut down a wheelie bin then raise the engine put your muffs on then slip the bin on and drop it back into the water,

I reckon you will need a strap or rope to hold the bin above the water but in my minds eye I can see this in action and might try it myself,

as my little brain is ticking over me thinks you can do without the muffs... just fill the bin with fresh water

Think i heard somebody mention an additive called Saltaway which you can put in the fresh-water barrel when you're flushing at the end of the season.

That might have been me on about this stuff that has a fitting to go onto muffs and as the water is pissing out u turn its nob to on and let her piss away till u see bubbles coming from the tell tail, you let it run for a minute or so after the bubbles start the cut the engine leaving the saltoff inside to do its work,

I never got around to doing mine before I took it to cork... never mind there's always next year

2013-05-05 16.43.16.jpg

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.