Engine towing/flushing/water ingestion risks...

[dan_hoog]

Hello,

I am a first time boat owner, with about 10 hours prior experience. My boat is on a lift at our community's marina, so my setup/prep/departure and cleanup procedures are adjusted accordingly. We do have several fresh water spigots available as well as shore power, that I leave connected to a smart dual battery charger. I use plastic quick connects on the hoses and accessories and a flush connector that itself is connected to a short hose. Still working to leave hoses hanging in the most convenient positions.

I am being very careful with flush procedures, no need for towing yet, etc. However, I wanted to get a feel for the risks during various procedures.

Flushing: I almost opened the rear seat platform to remove plugs while flushing yesterday (didn't though, as I realized it would kill the engines). Had that happened, I would hopefully have gone immediately to the flush port and turned water flow off. Would that likely have been too late? Could I ruin an engine by accidentally opening a hatch, moving a lanyard, bumping a key? I plan to be very diligent, but I'd like to have a sense of just how much risk there is, so I can ensure I have adequate procedures.

Cleaning: I spray the boat with a sprayer at the end of an extending pole, first with salt-away, and then with fresh water to rinse after each trip. The inside and outside hull areas are no issue, and actually seem to clean up quite nicely. I also spray under the rear seat around the transom area, trying to get salt residue off the mechanical items. While I'm not deliberately spraying water into anything, the underside gets randomly sprayed from many directions. Is there an engine risk in this cleaning procedure? Any special precautions or am I worrying too much.

Towing: I hope not, but some day I may need to be towed. At first, I thought I'd install (or have installed) tow valves. Now, since that seems like an unlikely event, I'll probably just purchase two of the cooling line clamps I saw in another thread (need to find it again). I haven't looked, but hope I can have positive confirmation on the particular hoses and plan to attach two "CLAMP HERE" stickers, so I can quickly find the location should I need it. I'd keep the clamps in my CG/emergency/First Aid box stored under the helm.

So far, the first few trips have been great (the first was 2+ hours from dealer). Loving the new toy....

Thanks in advance for your thoughts,
Dan

 

[john94si]

No.. the engine will not ingest water that quickly.. you have plenty of time if the engines go off it wont hurt them. If you leave it for a few minutes then you have a high risk.

 

[Andy S]

@dan_hoog If you ever have to clamp you need to install the clamp at point A or aft of Point A. The red hose is coming from the flush port and goes into the to of a plastic wye fitting. Since you are on salt water and flush regularly, if you install tow valves I would install them aft of the plastic wye.

 

[Gus Julia]

@dan_hoog If you ever have to clamp you need to install the clamp at point A or aft of Point A. The red hose is coming from the flush port and goes into the to of a plastic wye fitting. Since you are on salt water and flush regularly, if you install tow valves I would install them aft of the plastic wye.

I'm new t o jet boats. Bought a 2007 SX 210 last October and the last two times I took it out the overheat engine light came on in my port engine. I had to use the other engine, at no wake speed, to get back to the marina (not fun). I've been reading your post on where to clamp to avoid water from getting into the engine. Bought the clamps but not sure on where they need to be placed. Attached are the pictures of my port and starboard engines, respectively. Any help on where I should place the clamps would be appreciated.

 

[Scottintexas]

glad to have you on board, place your clamp just in front of the Y fitting where the red hose and black hose meet, //// edited to add; Andy post below gives better detail of where to place the clamp///

update your profile with your location and maybe there's a member close by that could help you trouble shoot your overheat, otherwise start a new thread about the problem,

also watch the "how does cooling water flow through my engine" in the FAQ tab at the top of the screen,

 

[Andy S]

@Gus Julia when needing to run on one motor, the clamp would go on either side of the wye fitting (were the red hose connects). When flushing and wanting all the water to go through the motor, the clamp would go between the wye fitting and the bulkhead.

 

[Gus Julia]

glad to have you on board, place your clamp just in front of the Y fitting where the red hose and black hose meet,

update your profile with your location and maybe there's a member close by that could help you trouble shoot your overheat, otherwise start a new thread about the problem,

also watch the "how does cooling water flow through my engine" in the FAQ tab at the top of the screen,

Thanks for your quick response. One thing that I noticed is that I can see the Y fitting on Photo #1 but not in photo #2. Should I then place the clamp below where the two meet on the black hose(2nd photo)?

 

[Scottintexas]

you can't see it in photo #2 because it is directly below the red hose attach point (unless you have bigger issues).
As andy said above, if you're running on one engine or being towed place the clamp either forward or aft of the Y fitting on the black hose,

The red hose is the fresh water flush intake.

here is the video of how the cooling water flows,

 

[Michael M.]

Everyone I am new to jet boats (my last boat was a 33ft Cruisers with 2 454's) does anyone have any pictures of where to clamp the cooling hose(s) on a 2005 SX230 with the MR1 engines?? Thanks For Your Help ... Michael M.