Yamaha - Clean out ports <handles missing>

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

My best guess is someone tried to cut off the entire top of the plug where the t handle and attached doge are, those are aluminum the housing is plastic and it looks to be melted as one would expect if a torch was put on the t handle etc. never have I seen anything as absurd as this.

 

[tdonoughue]

If you look above at @Julian 's photo, I think you may be talking about replacing that entire metal part above the grate (not the grate itself--the metal part at the top of the intake path). Better to drop the grate and pull from the bottom than to try to do anything from the top. But that a) is a big job, as mentioned and b) may risk damaging the fiberglass down there, in which case you have a bigger problem. But I would not try to drill out or cut out or anything. You will inevitably wind up messing up the hole. Better to leave it alone than to try any of that.

 

[Evil Sports]

clean up that boat and trade it, hopefully they wont look at the plugs when you trade.

 

[the MfM]

To me they don’t look totally melted. Some sort of sillicone or adhesive globbed on instead.
The port one looks like they tried heat and maybe melted the rubber grommet/seal around the handle.

 

[the MfM]

...They might come out without any other damage done.

Problem will be getting a good attachment to yank on them. Maybe try drilling a small hole straight down and dropping a rope through and tie a big knot. Then the normal methods of getting them out.


I know when I first got my boat they had not been out in years. I’m surprised I didn’t break the handles when I tied a rope to the handles and used a front end loader to lift the rear of the boat.

 

[Scottintexas]

researching this a little more, I can't find any part # or schematic that show the metal part that the cleanout tube clamp #6 attaches to ??



I really don't think this would have been damaged, but I agree with MFM, drill a couple holes, attach rope/wire, heat up the plug and start applying pressure with a jack from above, if you think the cleanout tube is shot just get a dremel and cut it off as low as you can to give you more work area,

///////// edited to add - this is under the assumption the cleanout plug "dogs" are not locked in. If they are locked you'd definitely want to drill/cut them before applying upward pressure ////////////////////////////////

very anxious to see how this turns out!

.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Remember the bottom of the plug is also the bottom of the boat in the intake tunnel. I believe there is an aluminum ring with indentations for the locking dogs to go in and secure the plug. The ring has a hose between it and the bottom ring attached with hose clamps see number 7 and the 2 clamps , so anything could be damaged and if any part of it fails you have a major issue. If it leaks you loose an engine or two from water ingestion.
Some of you may recall Johnny O many years ago on the other site . He had originally installed the purple plug fix and over tightened that to the point that it cracked the aluminum seat for the dogs everything needed to be replaced.
So If it were my boat I would be doing my homework and finding all the parts and fixing it correctly.
like I posted previously doing the reverse move will usually get the weeds out but if any part of the damaged plug ever releases during operation it could be really bad, before adding locks to the plugs , if they launched violently up in the air it was pretty dangerous, it broke the hatch and plug went in the air as a projectile often falling back in the boat and nearly striking people or going in the water and being lost forever. The force in that intake tunnel is nothing to fool with So it really needs to be fixed correctly in my opinion and the way to do that is to get the melted ones out clean the seats replace the hoses and clamps and know it is safe to use.

 

[JetBoatPenguin]

Maybe predrill holes and sink some (multiple) very large eye bolts through the plugs (very deep) use a jack and give it some pressure to pull across multiple points. In terms of trying to use a jack the attached pictures show a moral victory this weekend on my "stuck" plugs on my boat I picked up Saturday (Call it a little 3-ton pressure). I would switch from rope to chain in your situation hooked to the eye bolts.. Then try chisels around the edges (careful not to damage the tubes). Like chisel woodworking . . . taking a little off at a time is probably better. Rinse and repeat . . . over time little by little. My 2-cents.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

So after having a bit of time to view the enlarge the pictures I do see the silicon all over one of the plugs the other is still difficult to see clearly so I looked at the pictures closely and observed the outline of the top of the plug and all the castings, this leads me to believe the top is still in place and it is filled with a lot of silicon and who knows what else, if this is correct the screws that hold the tops on to the plugs to the bases should be accessible after doing some digging into the silicon, that being done the plug could be taken apart allowing the top half to be removed from the bottom making it easier to get the bottom half out of the hole . There are 8 Phillips head screws on top of the plug.

 

[Beachbummer]

Yes, the plug mechanism needs to be disengaged/opened so the normal mechanism that holds the plug in place is disengaged, If the plug is "closed" I could see how it could damage the "socket" casting on its way out.

1)Unlock plug
2)Force plug out

 

[buckbuck]

I am an optimist. I think they just used silicone to seal them in. The plug is nothing but plastic. I would pull the cover and rubber tubes and attack that with a Sawzall. Just be careful to not damage the aluminum tube that the plug sets in. The previous guy should have just bought some EZ-Locks to keep them from blowing out.

 

[Scottintexas]

Yes, the plug mechanism needs to be disengaged/opened so the normal mechanism that holds the plug in place is disengaged, If the plug is "closed" I could see how it could damage the "socket" casting on its way out.

1)Unlock plug
2)Force plug out

It seems I was a little to eager with my hammer and torch my previous post has been edited to agree with the others, I was assuming the cleanout plug "dogs" were not engaged with the housing, don't just heat and pull,

 

[the MfM]

I suppose anythis possible. But I’d suspect if someone yanked hard to break the handles they probably hit the release button first... would you even be able to renegage the dawgs with the handles broken off?

Regardless, it’s easy enough to take a punch and tap on what’s left of the release lever.

 

[Beachbummer]

90% chance you are right... But if different guy tried to pull the levers off, after it was all glued together.... Not 100% sure, but I hope you are right.

 

[tabbibus]

So what ended up happening?