Clean out plug blowout

[Thomas Calarco]

I finally pick up my 190 FSH this Thursday. Has anyone experienced a clean out plug blowout on the 190 FSH? Just wondering if anyone installed a EZ Lock on the clean out plug to prevent a blowout. On other forums there are reports of blow outs creating catastrophic damage.

 

[Bruce]

I know about the boat that had significant damage from being swamped in salt water after a plug blowout. Additionally I was on a very poorly maintained 12+ year old Yamaha that had a plug blowout during a test drive. I am sure that the cost to get her running again was significant.

My opinion is that all you have to do to avoid blowouts is to make sure the plug is fully inserted and give it a tug to verify after installing. You should remove the plug between uses and lay it sideways across the hole. This will avoid it absorbing water or oil that may sit above and swelling. If the plug even becomes difficult to install order a $40 rebuild kit and rebuild it.

 

[Bruce]

PS, it is fine to name or link to other forums here.

 

[Bruce]

Another potential to consider is that the plug lower halves in the rebuild kits are much easier to install. It is likely that they are an improved design. It may be that the earlier plugs had more issues than the newer design.

 

[Scottintexas]

I also believe that most blowouts are because of user error but not all. I think at $20. or whatever it is it's very cheap insurance to have a mechanical solution that you won't have one (or significantly reduce your odds).

 

[davel501]

I would not be surprised if all cleanout blowouts are due to user error. I ran without the pins for 3-4 seasons and never had an issue. I always checked and double checked the plugs by leaning on them and tugging hard on them. A few times they came out and I busted my knuckles or almost fell off the swim platform but never while underway. When I rebuilt my plugs due to the lowers swelling I added the ez-locks. I still do the same checks with the ez-locks in and have had 1 occasion where I could not get the plug out at the end of the day because it was partially blown. It had popped out of place but the ez-lock caught it in kept it in place. I just had to jam the plug back down to get the pin out and unlock the plug.

The small amount of money you spend to pin the plug may just save your bacon someday.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

So I'm trying to justify not spring more money on the boat. My plugs are really hard to get out, which that said, I never have the need to take them out. Nor have I had a blowout (knock on wood) why should I rebuild them? Is it simple for the ease of removing them? Or am I running the risk of a blowout because they're hard to remove?

 

[Speedling]

I hardly ever pull mine other than making sure they work.
Have had one blow out and it was because i didn't seat it correctly after doing just that while cleaning the boat.

 

[robert843]

So I'm trying to justify not spring more money on the boat. My plugs are really hard to get out, which that said, I never have the need to take them out. Nor have I had a blowout (knock on wood) why should I rebuild them? Is it simple for the ease of removing them? Or am I running the risk of a blowout because they're hard to remove?

You are only running a risk of a blow out because they are likely hard to seat as well but if they are seated correctly I would say your blow out chances are low. I feel the same as many others I bet most blow outs come from when the plugs begin to become hard to remove and seat so it appears they are seated correctly but they are not. Good example is jet boat pilot discontinued his locks as with the new plug design and the rebuilds there was no real need for them.

 

[davel501]

So I'm trying to justify not spring more money on the boat. My plugs are really hard to get out, which that said, I never have the need to take them out. Nor have I had a blowout (knock on wood) why should I rebuild them? Is it simple for the ease of removing them? Or am I running the risk of a blowout because they're hard to remove?

If they are in and not coming out you should be fine. The thing you are setting yourself up for is ingesting something into the jets, spending an hour each fighting the plugs out, more time cleaning them out, then having 1 or both blow out half way back to the dock.

 

[Bruce]

Or am I running the risk of a blowout because they're hard to remove?

That is precisely my theory. The harder they are to install the more likely that they will be installed incorrectly.

When my six year old can drop it in the in the hole and lock it things are working well. When I have to pound on it to install things are likely to go badly.

 

[Thomas Calarco]

Thanks for all of your responses. Does anyone know if the EZ Lock voids the warranty?

 

[itsdgm]

Ez lock shouldn't void the warranty. But I'll let Jeff at @Cobra Jet Steering LLC verify that.

IMHO, the design of the locking system on the plugs is flawed. There's more than one reason why they blow. User error is one reason. But it's irrelevant. The cost of prevention is well worth it. Any potential repair will cost more than the $30-$40 cost. I've found my plugs unlocked and held in place only by the Ez-locks a few times. So they've saved me plenty in potential damages. Just my opinion, results may vary

 

[Ronnie]

Having a plug blow out is only part of the problem, depending on where your are when it happens (e.g. On the water many miles from your trailer) the inability to reinstall a plug properly can be bigger problem. Like others have stated if it is hard to put in or get out its time to rebuild it. $40 and 5 to 10 minutes per plug v. Nearly unbound cost in money and time if one fails on the water.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Warranty question, If your plug fails after you disassembled your clean out plugs and replaced the internal workings with any aftermarket parts and Yamaha gets wise to it.
Yamaha would be asking the dealers for pictures of the internal parts and upon seeing that the parts are not theirs they would not be responsible for them and then you would be on your own.
Any damage caused by the clean out failure would not be covered either. This is why I DO NOT replace ANY of Yamahas original parts I simply back them up so if their plug fails my lock catches it and prevents the plug from blowing out.
So the answer is NO you do not have a warranty issue with EZ locks.
I have been making them for many years and I have sold thousands .
I supply the 9/64ths titanium drill bit for drilling the hole and I place a lanyard on the lock to help you prevent dropping them in the water.
You can attach that lanyard to your cable if you have a newer boat.
The lock also tells you when it prevented a blowout since it will cam tight and resist being removed until you press hard on the T handle to remove that pressure.
You simply place the EZ lock on the plug prior to installing it in the hole "this makes it easy to install" then when you push the T handle down the small holes lineup and you see the EZ lock close you can even see the ends of the lock from above so you have no doubt that the plug is locked in place properly.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Ok as for the bottom end rebuild kit I understand that it was for stuck plug issues, the top half is where the blowout issues occur. Remember the bottom of your cleanout plug is actually the bottom of your hull so all the impact you feel in chop etc. is also pounding on the bottom surface of the plug , thus the violent blow out scenario you hear about, but often the worst one is the partial blowout as it can ruin your engines from water ingestion if you are a new boater and not in tune with how your boat should handle and have the experience to realize something is terribly wrong telling you to stop and investigate not just keep driving.
As opposed to the violent blowout that actually shuts down the engines when the hatch blows open.
I have a video all about how plugs lock and how they can fail and why you NEVER know if the dogs are going to release during use, so once again I will post it just for those who do not know.
Once you see how the internal parts operate and how easily they can fail you will see why I chose to make lock the way I did.
I avoid making any large holes 9/64ths is very small so it will not compromise the strength of the parts. I designed it so you do not need to fumble around down inside the clean out tube to install them like the pin fix does, "they go on the plug before it is placed in the tube.
I make it so you can see that the dogs have engaged since the holes will not line up if they are not fully engaged in the tube and the lock can not close.
This is also for convenience out on the water, you really do not want to be fooling around out on the back of the boat in a storm or rough water trying to install a cleanout plug .
I also make an adapted set for people who have the older pin fix to make their process just as easy.
Since boating season is getting started you should watch this video if you have not seen it in the past,

 

[2015 SX210]

Sorry for jumping on an old thread, but just got these in the mail. Took 5min to install.

 

[merlinjet]

I think these locks are cheap insurance relative to the potential damage and are easy (foolproof) to use...seems like a no brainer to me!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Yes considering what can happen if a plug blows out or worse, it comes loose and you don't realize it until the engine compartment fills with water and eats your engine been making those for many years. all push button clean out plugs from 2000 models to 2016 models need to be locked.
.

 

[Bruce]

Sorry for jumping on an old thread, but just got these in the mail. Took 5min to install.

Clean up those plugs and replace the lower portions if they are difficult to install.