470 seawater inlet hose, replace with clear?

[dccordell]

Hey guys, I had read on a few threads on here that it could be a good idea to replace the black seawater inlet hose (that goes from the inner transom assembly to the voltage regulator) with a clear hose so that water flow from outdrive can be visually inspected if ever needed. Anybody ever do this? Any objections? Is it silly?

I wonder how well you could really tell if water is flowing, if at all. Maybe you can tell because of the bubbles passing through that get mixed in with the water?

Anybody know off the top of their head what size hose this is? As far as I can tell from Mercruiser Service Bullet 83-11 it could be either a 5/8" hose, or a special hose with 5/8" on one end and 3/4" on the other.

Trying to do anything I need to do with this motor before it goes back in.. thanks!

 

[GLENN M]

Re: 470 seawater inlet hose, replace with clear?

yeah ive heard people put clear hose to see or confirm water flow to regulator,my opinon how often are you gonna be looking at it,how long would it take to go south with no coolant,pretty much i think it would smoke and then you would look and confirm no coolant.myself i would put a gm alt. on motor before it becomes a problem,but i put a gm alt. on everything.

 

[EddiePetty]

Re: 470 seawater inlet hose, replace with clear?

Several years ago I upgraded from the 3" exchanger to the 4", installed a one-wire alternator and removed all evidence of the former stator charging system. I installed the clear tubing all the way from the transom nipple (5/8") to the inlet of the 4" exchanger (3/4"). I made the transistion from 5/8 to 3/4 as the tube passed the former regulator area using a copper reducing coupling and hose clamps from Homer Depot.
The clear tube is especially nice to ensure adequate water flow on the muffs, to verfiy waterflow underway and to provide a quick trouble-shooting tool should over-heating occur.
I inspect my tubing several times a year as this is a direct opening to the sea. Todate the tubing has remained flexible and free of signs of deterioration.

 

[dccordell]

Re: 470 seawater inlet hose, replace with clear?

I got lucky and already have the 4" exchanger... guess the previous owner knew about this problem (or found out the hard way). I did take it off and apart to clean it... it was already pretty clean, no passages blocked or pieces of anything in there. Soaked the inside with muriatic acid which cleaned it up just a little bit more, sprayed out with water hose and put it back on.

I'm reluctant at this point to change the original charging system because it is still working very well. It might only last 10 minutes or a couple outings, but it should be easy enough to put an alternator on there while it is in the boat. For future reference, are the brackets for the alternators easy to find, or would I have to make one fit the motor?


I'm just wondering, is clear hose all the same? At the depot and lowes? Should I be looking for a heavy duty type?

 

[stonyloam]

Re: 470 seawater inlet hose, replace with clear?

....are the brackets for the alternators easy to find, or would I have to make one fit the motor?


I'm just wondering, is clear hose all the same? At the depot and lowes? Should I be looking for a heavy duty type?

I got my alternator kit from these guys:http://www.breezeworks.net/ took about 3 days to get it.

No! Make sure you get high quality thick walled tubing.

 

[dccordell]

Re: 470 seawater inlet hose, replace with clear?

Alright, will see what the depot has in stock.