Both cleanout tube plugs stuck

[GTBRMC]

...when I got home from a week+ on Lake Michigan. I was on a buoy for about 9 days, kept the plugs in during that time. I pulled them once on approx day 4, was a bit of a grunt but they both came out.

Went to pull them last night as I was cleaning her up in the driveway - they were genuinely stuck.
I was able to get each out without too much fuss after icing them down for about 45 mins.
Seems as the plugs were swollen - only way I can describe it. Note that both the plugs and the tubes were freshly cleaned before this trip.

Anyone have experience with lower end rebuild kits sold by Yamaha for last couple of years?
I assume it fixes the immediate problem, but will I end up in the same place a year or two down the road?

 

[96Pirate]

...when I got home from a week+ on Lake Michigan. I was on a buoy for about 9 days, kept the plugs in during that time. I pulled them once on approx day 4, was a bit of a grunt but they both came out.

Went to pull them last night as I was cleaning her up in the driveway - they were genuinely stuck.
I was able to get each out without too much fuss after icing them down for about 45 mins.
Seems as the plugs were swollen - only way I can describe it. Note that both the plugs and the tubes were freshly cleaned before this trip.

Anyone have experience with lower end rebuild kits sold by Yamaha for last couple of years?
I assume it fixes the immediate problem, but will I end up in the same place a year or two down the road?

I ordered mine from Stadiumyamaha.com I have only had them for a little over 3 months but they work perfectly so far. I just don't have any long term outlook yet for you but they work no different today as they did 3 months ago..

 

[cwoav8r]

Spray them down with a food grade silicone spray every trip or so. When mine get really stuck I spray a little PB Blaster around the edge and let them soak for a few minutes, then they pop right out. Wipe the PB off really good and apply another coat of silicone.

 

[JetBoatPilot]

The rebuild kits are built at a slightly smaller diameter than yours. That way when they do swell they won't stick.

 

[Bruce]

My experience is documented at Rebuilding Yamaha Jet Boat Clean Out Plugs .

I have rebuilt the clean out plugs on both Yamaha's that I have owned.

On the first I used a ratchet strap to a deck that the LX210 was parked under to pull the plug to rebuild.

When I bought my SX230 the rebuild kits were back ordered. For about a month I used a short piece of 2x4 that I placed across the clean out out plug tray to spread the load and a second one as a lever with a ratchet strap from it to the plug to pull them. I used the longer piece of 2x4 to hammer them back into place. I was very happy when the rebuild kits arrived!

 

[OCMD]

Take 'em out after every trip and they will never stick. My 8 years with an LS and my year with an SX230 and the plugs have never stuck. No spray, no nothing just take them out religiously and you should not have an issue.

 

[Ronnie]

So I refurbed my plugs last Thursday (the week before I had to remove a plug with rope because it was stuck). After the boat was in the water from Saturday through Monday the same plug was stuck again. I was able to remove it with a rope but was disappointed to find that the plug was still sticking. What I will probably due in the "off season" is wet sand the openings in the pump for the plugs. My recommendation is to refurb the plugs every few years as preventive maintenance. The plugs are almost useless if they get stuck in place out on the water, I learned this the hard way.

 

[Matt Phillips]

My port one was recently sticking. I leave my boat in the lake all summer and between trips I remove them but leave them laying in the water at the bottom of the tube.

The port side swelled so I had to take a deck line to remove it. I since left them out of the water and it's not sticking any longer. I also use WD-40 silicone on them ( found @ my local OSH).

I do have rebuild kits for them and I'm keeping a close eye on them for now....

 

[HidnNOS]

Rebuild kits are extremely easy to install and make an enormous improvement over old/swollen plugs. I followed instructions from other owners to clean and lube the open holes and since then I often remove them after trips. HOWEVER I have backed my wife in the water now 3 times while the plugs lay sideways on top of the holes under the cover. Would have been a 4th time but last weekend my wife asked if I had the plugs in this time to which I gave her much credit as I put them back in.

 

[txav8r]

The reason is leaving in the water that causes the swelling. I have rebuilt both plugs several times...once before it was in vogue and the rebuild kits were not available. The second time was with the kits. Two things happen when left in the water, the lower shell of the plug swells as does the gasket seal. In some instances, the shell causes the plug to not only be hard to get out, but hard to get back in as well. And if it is the least bit hard to get in, it can not seat completely, and we all know what happens if it is...BLOWOUT!

So definitely overhaul them, whether by wet sanding the shell surface symmetrically along with the aluminum seat, or change the lower shell and gasket seal with the kit. I agree with @Ronnie that periodic maintenance may be necessary, especially if you leave them installed while in the water for days at a time. But I also think they will give you some warning that they are beginning to get tight, and then you can just order a new rebuild kit for them. The way people keep, clean, store, and use them is variable. Even when it is written they do the same procedure, there may be variables that go unnoticed that contribute to one and not the other. My feeling is that keeping them out of the tubes unless running is the way to go. I no longer lube them with anything as that is a contributor to gunk too. So for me, clean/dry/store out of the tube sideways.

Cobra Jeff says that locking the plug takes the pressure off the spring and will make it last longer, and that pressure is present when unlocked. I haven't done that and it has never been an issue, but I believe him...I just think maybe the longevity of that spring locked/unlocked is far greater than the life of the boat itself. But the key in my mind is to keep the plug clean and dry when not in use. Even if the boat is on the water for a week, remove them at the end of each day. If you have worry about a critter or splash coming up the tube, put a couple of bowls, balls, or a life jacket over the clean outs. I don't do any of that, I just lay the plugs across the tube holes.

 

[Glassman]

After all these years I've never had a problem with plugs swelling....until a couple of weeks ago.

The port side - only - was a tad bit stuck and a bit difficult to re-seat. I suppose I should look into the rebuild kits, just to have on hand when they ultimately have to be rebuilt.

 

[TxChristopher]

Take 'em out after every trip and they will never stick. My 8 years with an LS and my year with an SX230 and the plugs have never stuck. No spray, no nothing just take them out religiously and you should not have an issue.

Yep, that's what I do. When I first got the boat I left them in over the winter and liked to never got them out. Now after every trip I remove them and lay them on their side over the holes. Problem solved. On this last trip I forgot to remove them when we pulled it out of the water but the next day I remembered that I hadn't removed them so I swung by the boat and quick removed them.

This technique has worked for at least 9 years, still on the original plugs.

 

[jetboater4life]

When I bought my boat it was a couple seasons old and I don't think the plugs had ever been removed. I could not get them out by hand. I needed to tie a rope around the T-handle, attach it to a 2x2 and then pull will all my might side to side even to get both of them out. Since then I have taken them out after every trip and put them in before launching (except for the one time I forgot last summer ). My plugs have some wear but fit well enough so I'm not going to bother with the rebuild kit until I notice them being difficult to get out after a single day trip.

 

[txav8r]

I think more importantly Derick, @jetboater4life , is when they start to give you trouble installing them, is when rebuilding is necessary, IMHO.

 

[Gym]

Rebuild kits are extremely easy to install and make an enormous improvement over old/swollen plugs. I followed instructions from other owners to clean and lube the open holes and since then I often remove them after trips. HOWEVER I have backed my wife in the water now 3 times while the plugs lay sideways on top of the holes under the cover. Would have been a 4th time but last weekend my wife asked if I had the plugs in this time to which I gave her much credit as I put them back in.

What I've done to prevent this @HidnNOS is I have a piece of red gimp tied to the inside of my clean out locker. When I take the plugs out after a trip I leave the red gimp hanging out of the closed locker. You can't miss it when you board so when I reinstall the plugs I tuck the gimp back in the clean out locker.

 

[jetboater4life]

I think more importantly Derick, @jetboater4life , is when they start to give you trouble installing them, is when rebuilding is necessary, IMHO.

Yes, both scenarios would indicate it's time to start thinking about a plug rebuild.

 

[TxChristopher]

What I've done to prevent this @HidnNOS is I have a piece of red gimp tied to the inside of my clean out locker. When I take the plugs out after a trip I leave the red gimp hanging out of the closed locker. You can't miss it when you board so when I reinstall the plugs I tuck the gimp back in the clean out locker.

That is a really good idea! I have forgotten to put the plugs back in a handful of times (usually the first time or two taking the boat out of the year) and this would had corrected that. It is not that big a deal when you forget because you can simply go back there and plop them in but you feel like an idiot when you can't get it off the trailer or it won't move after its floated off the trailer LOL!

 

[HidnNOS]

Each time I have done it to my wife I push it off the trailer and back she goes as I drive up the ramp. It moves in no wake but each time I'm walking down the hill to meet her, her face tells me what I'd forgotten once again, lol, god bless the woman !

 

[Gym]

Yeah, I thought about hanging my wife's "honey do list" to a piece of string hanging out of the clean out hatch but figured even on a smooth day it would be a bumpy ride so I went with the red gimp instead.

 

[Gym]

Each time I have done it to my wife I push it off the trailer and back she goes as I drive up the ramp. It moves in no wake but each time I'm walking down the hill to meet her, her face tells me what I'd forgotten once again, lol, god bless the woman !

Another thing you could try @HidnNOS is to hang a thong out of the back of the clean out locker. I'm sure your wife wouldn't miss that. Course you might have some splainin to do.