How to add a Shutoff Valve to your boat's cooling system

[Geoff Cooper]

I would be very surprised if the valves your getting from China are marine grade stainless for that price and consequently you may have corrosion build up in a short space of time, Plastic ball valves are as good as anything and wont corrode and obtainable from any DIY outlet at a fraction of the cost and have no metal parts inside to get contaminated with fresh or salt water, Just a thought!

 

[fairpilot]

I was thinking installing these valves so I can flush while boat is sitting in salt water when I go to the keys.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Pop into your local DIY and have a look at the plastic valves they sell it's worth a visit and no corrosion of any kind, Save yourself some dollar.

 

[Jackew]

Would this mod allow me to close off the value - like in tow mode. Then connect to a fresh water hose and flush the motor with fresh water? I ask this because I rent a house from time to time in Flordia without a lift. At the end of the day in salt water I would like to flush motors with fresh water. Interested in any feedback. Thanks

 

[Andy S]

Would this mod allow me to close off the value - like in tow mode. Then connect to a fresh water hose and flush the motor with fresh water? I ask this because I rent a house from time to time in Flordia without a lift. T the end of the day I would,like flush with fresh water. Interested in any feedback. Thanks

That is what I use my valves for.

 

[aarons1k]

Great idea , I have 2 sets of hose pliers that I had w my seadoo , because the same thing could happen .... I like the valve better !

 

[Andy S]

For emergecny situation the pliers are a great easy idea. If during regular flushing you don't want the some of the flushing water to go out the jet intake, then to me the valves are the right solution.

 

[aarons1k]

For emergecny situation the pliers are a great easy idea. If during regular flushing you don't want the some of the flushing water to go out the jet intake, then to me the valves are the right solution.

The valve is on my list

 

[xoomer]

I installed the valves from Island Racing about a year ago and use them to flush the engines while still in salt water. The only modification I would suggest if you use these valves is to use larger clamps since the ones they send are barely able to get around the hose.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Would this mod allow me to close off the value - like in tow mode. Then connect to a fresh water hose and flush the motor with fresh water? I ask this because I rent a house from time to time in Flordia without a lift. At the end of the day in salt water I would like to flush motors with fresh water. Interested in any feedback. Thanks

Yes it would allow you to do this and a very easy mod to do also, Just connect your flushing pipe and close the valves and you will flush fresh water without taking any saltwater into the engines, I used plastic valves so there would never be any problem with contamination on the internals any DIY will have them in stock very cheap.

 

[Huskerjetboat]

View attachment 20578

I installed the valves from Island Racing about a year ago and use them to flush the engines while still in salt water. The only modification I would suggest if you use these valves is to use larger clamps since the ones they send are barely able to get around the hose.

Can you post a picture of where you put the island racing shutoff valves? Thank you.

 

[Scottintexas]

@Huskerjetboat check the first post of this thread for detailed instructions, the second picture in the post shows the cut,

 

[Andy S]

@Huskerjetboat check the first post of this thread for detailed instructions, the second picture in the post shows the cut,

Some of us put our valves on the other side of the bulkhead under the cleanout tray below the access port(s).

 

[MikeyL]

Some of us put our valves on the other side of the bulkhead under the cleanout tray below the access port(s).

@andy07sx230ho - Any chance we might be able to see a photo of this ? I am most interested. Many thanks, if possible, Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[Andy S]

@andy07sx230ho - Any chance we might be able to see a photo of this ? I am most interested. Many thanks, if possible, Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

I will look tonight to see what I have in the way of pictures, I currently don't have any at work.

 

[Scottintexas]

https://jetboaters.net/threads/adding-tow-valves-2004-sx230-questions.2314/page-2

look at page 2 of this topic, it has some good pictures of under the cleanout hatch locations and even a very good video of how the cooling water travels,

 

[xoomer]

Can you post a picture of where you put the island racing shutoff valves? Thank you.

I installed the tow valves in the engine compartment--at the very front. The hoses run around the engines and connect in the back. I found this spot more convenient than under the clean out tray, especially since it was almost impossible to get to the hoses in that area of my boat. The hardest time I had was to remove the clamps on the original hoses at the connections located at the back of the engine compartment.

Since I'm in salt water every time I go out, I have to flush the engine every time while sitting in the water since I don't want the local employees of the boat storage to do it for me.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

I think if you check, When fitted in the engine side of the bulkhead even with valves closed salt water can still get into the cylinder head via the rear ports, If fitted under the clean out tray it eliminates it completely, If plastic valves are used they are also acid resistant and saltwater doesn't touch them, Any valves that have any metal internals are likely to be affected sooner or later by saltwater, It takes a little while longer to fit them under the rear tray but hey this is boating enjoy the experience just take your time it's only pipework it's a pleasure to work on your boat, When you've finished the job you'll be pleased you did it yourself, If you get stuck just shout that's what we're here for.

 

[Andy S]

Where to put the valves to me is a personal preference, in the engine compartment or under the clean out tray are both good choices, it comes down to what is best for you both on installation and use.

For valves to be useful for both flushing and emergencies they must be installed between the jet intake and the wye fitting (see picture, left/aft of wye). For valves or clamps to be useful for only emergencies they must installed/used between the jet intake and the tee fitting for the oil cooler which is about 3" forward of the wye.

Here is a link to the video in the thread that @Scottintexas provided about, this is a great description of the MR-1 cooling system,

. Starting at about the 3 minute mark there is an explanation of how the engine could flood while being towed or operating on a single engine.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my valve installation and my boat is still in hibernation. Once I take my boat out of hibernation then I will try to get some pictures.

 

[xoomer]

I think if you check, When fitted in the engine side of the bulkhead even with valves closed salt water can still get into the cylinder head via the rear ports, If fitted under the clean out tray it eliminates it completely,

I don't understand--my tow valve in the engine compartment shuts off completely all the water coming into the engine except if coming from the flushing port. The only way salt water could enter would be if the valve was broken. (I basically pulled off the hose coming from behind the bulkhead connected to the "y", ran a new hose with the tow valve around the engine and connected it to the original hose from behind the bulkhead with a barb and then connected the other end back to the "y".)

[After thinking about it, I think we are talking about two different things. I think we agree that the valve must be placed at the end of the intake hose, before it connects to the "y", so it would seem that it should go under the clean out tray. However, by adding an extension to the intake hose I was able to loop the hose around to the front of the engine and still place the valve in the correct place.]

One reason I prefer the front of the engine setup is because I always open the engine compartment before starting the engine to check the oil so I can verify the valve positions at the the same time--don't have to go to the back of the boat to open the clean out tray. Also, when I am flushing the engines the intake flushing ports are next to the front of the engines, close to the tow valves, so I don't have to climb over the seats to open the clean out tray again to shut and open the valves. This probably doesn't matter much if you occasionally use the tow valves for flushing but if it is every time it could get tedious.

I don't think the location is too important, what is more important is how difficult it is to install in either place. In my case I couldn't even reach the hose on the starboard engine through the clean out tray so I had no choice but to install the tow valves in the engine compartment.