clean out plug fail

[Tom Gibson]

Is it possible for the clean out plug to not seat completely allowing water to pass through. I have had two occasions while leaving the launch that I looked back to see water pouring out of the clean out port platform. I immediatelly shut off the engine, open the platform deck and pull the plug out and re-insert it. I feel like I am careful to set the plug and pull hard to make sure it is sealed. Could one side of the plug be locking into place but the other side not? Do I need a new plug or should I rebuild it? Thank you for your comments.

 

[Beachbummer]

Hi! Welcome! What year is your boat?

This can be an issue on some older models. Hastened to me on my sx230, and I installed EZ-locks to stop the problem from even happening again.

There is another suggested fix I saw recently about adjusting the internals of the plug to make sure the dogs are fully deployed. Haven't done that yet.

The EZ locks add about 10 seconds of fidgeting with the plug before they go on, but once on the plug is held with no chance of backing out.

The plug rebuild usually helps with getting the plug on and off easily, but may not fix the potential blow out.

Let us know the model and year of the boat to make sure I'm on the right track!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Actually if you have the early style clean out plugs used from 2000 to 2016 you put the EZ lock on the plug BEFORE you place the plug back in the hole. Then when you press down on the T handle to set the plug dogs in place the EZ lock will close in it's locked position, if it does not instantly close you simply move the top of the EZ lock a bit and it will close. you can actually see from above the clean out plug that the lock is seated. Some people try to install the EZ locks after the plug is in place but this is actually the incorrect way to install them . Also to remove the clean out plug you simply remove the EZ lock then push the button to release the plug. If your plug actually tried to blow during use the EZ lock will tell you as the lock will resist releasing due to the ends being tightly pressed between the housing and the moving parts connected to the locking dogs . You then push down hard on the T handle to release the pressure on the EZ lock ends to remove it.

 

[Beachbummer]

That's what I meant. plug open outside, in your hand, put ez lock on it, then push it in. It clicks. You can see the metal went through the plug, done. I'm clumsy and my hands are big, so it takes me a moment to put the ez lock on. 1000% worth it. No blow outs.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Yes I just wanted to clarify the proper way to install them as I have learned some people try to install them after the plug is in place.
I even read where people were enlarging the hole to make it easier to do that , so I just wanted to be sure everyone knows the correct way to install the lock and also give a reminder that if the lock does not come off the plug easily , do not force it just release the pressure being placed on the ends by pushing down hard on the T handle .
And NEVER make the hole larger as you are giving the dogs more room to travel if the plug does release during operation.
Be aware that there is a huge amount of force being placed on the bottom of those clean out plugs as the bottom of the plug is actually the bottom of the boat and it is located in the intake tunnel right in front of the pump so you can imagine the pressure being placed on those locking dogs with all that force pushing up on the bottom of your clean out plug.

 

[biffdotorg]

Thanks for the video Jeff. I was not the original installer of the EZ Locks on our 242. So I never thought that you could put the EZ Lock on prior to dropping the plug back in the hole. This will make it much easier. Although I have gotten better at reaching down in there to put them on.

This will save me quite a bit of time. Thanks again!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Thank you that was why I posted it just a F Y I and a trick , if you really want the locks to snap shut instantly, take a small fingernail type file and lightly go around the ends where the lock goes in the plug and file off any tiny burs on the edges that may be there from the machine that forms them before they are tempered, I have found smoothing off any tiny burs makes it a shut instantly when the T handle is pushed down.