Flush port not working

[paratrooper39]

Hey all fellow boaters,

This weekend I tried to use my flush port for the first time ever with no good success. I referred to the owners manual which makes it seem very simple, however when hooking up I was not getting flow.

I had a small drip of water coming out under the boat but not much, and none out of the cooling pee hole. I doubled checked that I had plenty of water pressure and no kinks in the line. Any thoughts? It is going to the dealership this Friday for a checkup but I'm surprised that with only 50 hours on the boat I would be having an issue on something that seems so simple. Additionally I got an overheat alarm after only a few min of running with the minimal flow, which I then quickly shut her down.

 

[Bill D]

Trace the hose down to the engine and check for any kinked spots. I also remember reading about an owner having a stuck check valve that they had to free with a wire hanger.

On mine, it takes a good 30 seconds are so before water starts flowing out the indicators, but it takes less time for it to come out the bottom.

 

[Cwigg951]

You might also check the actually quick connect fittings at the flush ports. They have relatively small openings and being check valves, have the potential to catch small debris and get clogged. I had some pieces of white plastic get stuck in mine and I got an overheat alarm. I didn't realize it was the debris clogging the valve until after I confirmed pressure, checked for kinks, etc. I did learn that you need fairly good pressure to flush the engines when hot and not overheat them (I would estimate 50 PSI or more). I have a well and with 50 PSI at the house, by the time the water gets out to the end of the dock it was insufficient to supply the motors when flushing. Had to boost it.

 

[paratrooper39]

Thanks to both of you, I'll dig into it a bit further tonight and see if I can't run a coat hanger down the port.

Thanks,

 

[Scottintexas]

@paratrooper39 have you watched buckbuck's video in the FAQ on how the cooling water flows? Many don't have enough pressure to get the pee holes to work but water should be gravity feeding out the exhaust eventually,

I agree with the others, it could very easily be debris or a kinked hose (on our older models the flush hose is red).

You could easily take off the clamp at the y-fitting to see if the flush water is making it to that point, after that it mixes with the normal lake cooling water flow and you shouldn't have any issues (since your boat doesn't overheat on the lake)

 

[paratrooper39]

@Scottintexas your point about not over heating in the lake makes good sense. This will help me narrow down the issue!

 

[zipper]

@paratrooper39 You should not be able to run a coat hanger past the check valve. My port hose check valve recently started leaking, thinking I picked up something from my garden hose and it lodged in the valve seat. Have tried to clear it with no success. Just received the replacement hose from Yamaha and waiting for fair weather to replace. On my boat, I will not see water from the "pee" holes initially and not until I up the rpms from idle.

 

[paratrooper39]

I was a bit nervous to run up the rpm's since I had previously gotten a high temp alarm. I will look for the hose first and pull it off to check for any clogs there and work backwards tot he port. I think this will be the right strategy. The thing is, when I tried to use it the first time I did have a dribble of water coming out under the boat but certainly not the volume that the hose would be pushing, leading me to believe there must be some type of clog.

 

[Ilmmct]

Sorry to hijack @Cwigg951 what did you do to boost. I have the same issue the pressure at the end of my dock is weak.

I like the suggestion of flushing when the engines are cooler, to avoid the overheat condition, but interested in your boost option.

 

[Cwigg951]

I bought a Simer 3075SS 1-3/4hp booster pump. It is automated with some pretty good controls that sense pressure to turn it on and off. It boosts 30PSI, which took me from well pressure (35-55Psi start and stop set points) to 65-85psi. I've had it for 2 years now with no problems. My dock is 400' and the pressure at the end is great, but that is with 1" PEX all the way out. Check Amazon for the pump. I believe it was $350 or so.

 

[Ilmmct]

@Cwigg951 thanks for your reply. I have about 200' to work with. I am running down why my pressure at the dock has dropped since last summer.

 

[Cwigg951]

Are you on a well or city water? If city water, check your PRV in the house. They get weak as they get old and fail to maintain pressure. Also, make sure you don't have a shutoff valve at the start of the dock that is closed partially.

 

[Ilmmct]

Well on the lawn and dock.

 

[Cwigg951]

Yup. Same here. The booster pump really helped.

 

[chris oftedal]

Should you flush engine with a hose if only run in fresh water?

 

[Chuckbig]

Should you flush engine with a hose if only run in fresh water?

I don't, I rev the engine a time or two after I pull the boat out of the water.

 

[SX220Captain]

Team,

I have a 2023 SX220... First drive, I was unable to flush port side. No issues with starboard engine.

The post below is exactly what I'm experiencing.

I popped the hood to trace the hose back to the port, but I can only see about 18 inches before it disappears inside the stern/swim deck area.

I will unplug the hose at the junction and run water through and see.

Any other ideas before I head to the local dealer?

Thank you,
Ric

Hey all fellow boaters,

This weekend I tried to use my flush port for the first time ever with no good success. I referred to the owners manual which makes it seem very simple, however when hooking up I was not getting flow.

I had a small drip of water coming out under the boat but not much, and none out of the cooling pee hole. I doubled checked that I had plenty of water pressure and no kinks in the line. Any thoughts? It is going to the dealership this Friday for a checkup but I'm surprised that with only 50 hours on the boat I would be having an issue on something that seems so simple. Additionally I got an overheat alarm after only a few min of running with the minimal flow, which I then quickly shut her down.

 

[tdonoughue]

If it goes to the swim deck area, you can pull open the port in wet storage and/or pull the tray and continue the tracing...

 

[SX220Captain]

There is one access port in the center of the wet storage area, but it's not big enough to see the houses, since the seem to run closer to the sides of the boat.

This sucks for being a new boat.