Clean out plug blowout

[Chucktrex]

Did water fill the engine compartment or get into the engines? I’m asking for insurance purposes.

No because the engine shut off quickly. It did put a lot of water in the boat considering how fast it happened. Lol

 

[sunbyrned]

No because the engine shut off quickly. It did put a lot of water in the boat considering how fast it happened. Lol

That’s good! This happened to me. I lost an engine because of it. Insurance took care of it and was going to give you some advice if needed. Since then I’ve installed EZ Locks and a high water alarm in the engine compartment. I refuse to go out again without the EZ Locks at least. I highly recommend them. Also, when you install your plugs, tug on them as hard as you can at least three times. You may think they’re installed but often times they are not installed correctly.

 

[Chucktrex]

I’m going to install ez locks and a pool noodle when I get it back. Lol. It’s stupid because I never need to remove it because of seaweed. I only remove it because of the sitting water. This last time I had my marine mechanic friends verify that it was in correctly. I decided not to remove it to get rid of the water above it. It was so hard that it wasn’t worth the aggravation. 2 weeks later it came flying out again and now my pump is screwed up. I had run it a couple of hours in between. There was no rhyme or reason for it to blow.

 

[sunbyrned]

Here’s a video that @swatski created regarding EZ Locks. If you haven’t seen it before, maybe watch it. It may help you trouble shoot why it keeps blowing. He suggested this video to someone just recently who thought there was a rock or something obstructing the mechanism from working properly.

 

[sunbyrned]

I’m going to install ez locks and a pool noodle when I get it back. Lol. It’s stupid because I never need to remove it because of seaweed. I only remove it because of the sitting water. This last time I had my marine mechanic friends verify that it was in correctly. I decided not to remove it to get rid of the water above it. It was so hard that it wasn’t worth the aggravation. 2 weeks later it came flying out again and now my pump is screwed up. I had run it a couple of hours in between. There was no rhyme or reason for it to blow.

Some have suggested trying to swap the plugs over to the opposite holes. Maybe?

 

[Dixie Highway]

It looks like he has a 2018, doesn’t it have the new twist lock plugs? We don’t have a button or latch, it’s a 1/4 turn to lock and unlock. There are 3 tabs per plug that need to be lined up. 2 are not moveable, the 3rd moves. It must be in the “SET” position or the plug will not go in the port and the tabs won’t lock. If that’s the case the EZ locks aren’t compatible.

 

[swatski]

Here’s a video that @swatski created regarding EZ Locks. If you haven’t seen it before, maybe watch it. It may help you trouble shoot why it keeps blowing. He suggested this video to someone just recently who thought there was a rock or something obstructing the mechanism from working properly.

Wish I were that smart (to come up with something useful like that)! lol

The vid and EZ locks are all @Cobra Jet Steering LLC .

--

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I actually I saw this post however the 2018 models have the new twist in plugs as the push button plugs were discontinued in 2017 models and newer so that video I made years ago will not help them with their issues.

 

[Marble_eye]

Bought my 2020 SX210 last year and always had water on top of my cleanout plugs. Always just drained them and went about my day.. First ride last week in 38 Degree waters and my auto bilge kicks on. I only take on water underway.. and the plugs (Twist Lock) seem to be seated well. We are talking on good amount of water.. the bilge will kick on for a couple of mins, turn off for a minute and then back on. I held down the kill switch and looked all over in the rear compartment accessible between the cleanout ports at low RPMs and no water is coming in. Motors are powered totally fine, doesn't appear to be any leaks there.. what could be causing this massive influx of water into the rear compartment? Any and all ideas would be greatly appreciated.

and yes... the plug is installed and well seated..

I did make the mistake of winterizing and leaving the plugs installed all winter so maybe changing the seals will fix it?

 

[Bruce]

@Marble_eye, it is normal to have water on top of the cleanout plugs. It washes over the swim deck when the boat stops.

The water in the bilge while underway is a concern. If someone can stick their hand in the bilge stream out of the boat to check the water temperature that will give you some indication of source. If it is hot then it likely is escaping from the engine cooling. If it is cool then it likely is coming in through the hull.

The anchor locker drain has been a source of water entry in wavy conditions. Various fittings under the swim deck and even the joint behind the rub rail can be sources of leaks.

 

[sunbyrned]

There have been people who have installed a GoPro in the engine compartment to see if they can rule things out. I think @2kwik4u did this and posted about it.

 

[2kwik4u]

There have been people who have installed a GoPro in the engine compartment to see if they can rule things out. I think @2kwik4u did this and posted about it.

I did. Lemme find the post.

Here it is:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/water-washing-over-the-rear-platform-i-finally-found-my-test-videos-from-2018.29524/

 

[2kwik4u]

@Marble_eye what Bruce is saying is 100% spot on. My AR190 has a hot water intrusion problem. I'm going on two seasons without figuring it out at this point. Only happens on plane above ~6k rpm or so. Bilge will fill with hot water from the engine. I've had my head in the engine bay at 7,500 RPM (with hearing protection on BTW) and can't find the source. I've had my entire exhaust system out of the boat, inspected and reinstalled. Still leaks. I've all but given up on finding it, it's more nuisance than anything as the boat can sit for days on the water and not leak and the engines don't appear to care at all either.

 

[Marble_eye]

I appreciate all this feedback as it has taken me a minute to get the boat back in the water to try and find the source of the issue. I’ve gotten out twice since I initially posted and both times I have had a completely dry rear compartment and bilge. I have literally pumped 0.0 gallons of water out of the bilge... but that first day it was at least 5-10 gallons of water in 30 mins.
I have read things here about drain plug o rings, water coming back up the clean outs... even watched the video montage that @2kwik4u masterfully provided. I think I’m at a loss for now. I cannot find anything and I’m going to just keep an eye on it... I’m never more than a couple miles from the dock and a back up bilge will probably be next on my list of stuff to add on the boat.. I like the idea of the secondary bilge in that rear compartment.
Thanks!