Flusher (earmuffs) question

[sidechoke67]

I would like to get a flusher for my boat, just so I can start it in my driveway before heading out for the day. Does anyone know if I need a special set, or can use a universal pair? My motor is an i/o Volvo Penta 3.0 L SX Drive.

Thanks for any info!

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

Nothing special there.

 

[cigar_stub]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

Most any set will do. Just be sure to start the water prior to starting the engine and look for the stream of water from the "pee" hole after starting the engine.

 

[Don S]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

look for the stream of water from the "pee" hole after starting the engine.

IO's don't have "pee" holes, that's an outboard thing.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

any set will do...Some things to know:start water BEFORE starting engine....Do not race engine,after start...run at idle....if theres not alot of water coming out of center of prop,or underneath gimble housing,keep a close eye on temp,the muffs don't always supply adequate water supply,so if temp rises or.. temp alert goes off...stop engine....best way to run on land is with a barrel full of water and drive submerged...

 

[joe_nj]

How do I know if Flusher (earmuffs) are working?

How do I know if Flusher (earmuffs) are working?

I used a Moeller dual rectangular eared flusher to run my I/O and V6 4.3L mercruiser engine with Alpha One drive in the yard for winterizing. I ran the engine at idle. I had the hose running full blast before starting with some water escaping under the muffs.

I don't trust those things. Is there any way to tell if they're working properly while the engine's running, especially to tell if I'm not burning up the impeller? I can tell if the engine's overheating (it always runs cool even when skiing.) but I don't know if the water is circulating. My son watching the drive said nothing was coming out of the prop area except the white smoke from the fogging fluid.

I know it wasn't feeding water into the engine because when I pulled the hoses to drain the water, I got what looked like lake water from my last outing and not fresh water from the hose. The hoses were cool - I'm hoping that water was getting far enough to keep from damaging the impeller. (I've used the boat once since having a new impeller installed.)

It seems to make more sense to me to use a barrel of water under the drive as that would more closely mimic having the boat in the water. It worked fine on my little 9.8 hp outboard when I was a kid. So many people use these earmuffs that I figure there must be something wrong with the barrel method. Why wouldn't I do that?

Am I burning up the outdrive using these things? Has anyone ever damaged the outdrive or engine using them?

My main question is, how do I know if the flusher is working or not? Are there any tips for using them properly?

 

[krakatoa]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

best way to run on land is with a barrel full of water and drive submerged...

I dont think so, that why people use "earmuff" for flusher.... on outboards, I dont know on I/O

 

[DavidW2009]

Re: How do I know if Flusher (earmuffs) are working?

Re: How do I know if Flusher (earmuffs) are working?

"I had the hose running full blast before starting with some water escaping under the muffs."

I also, have the MOELLER brand muffs. (Good muffs)

Read instruction #5. that came with the muffs:

"Turn water on to half pressure."

Too much pressure may cause the muffs to loose grip (excessive water pressure forcing muff away) on the sides of the lower end, and cause the muffs to slip off when you're not looking.

Using this brand on the Force 120 HP, I turned the rectangular shaped muffs 90 degrees so as to cover the holes better.

The steel clamping rod is not spring steel and can be slightly bent together (muffs off of the motor) for better clamping. Squeeze both sides of the rod, compressing the muffs together should result in a little better clamping.

 

[surge006]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

i bought some that were universal and they only covered half of the area so water was just pouring out everywhere. didnt work to good for me but im only one

 

[scbackpacker]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

I just started my motor up with the muffs for the first time. 1/2 pressure on the supply line and a lot of water came out from around the muffs. Started the engine and water was coming out from the front of the out drive. I'm guessing that water was flowing through the impeller since it was coming from the front of the out drive. Am I right? (hope this isn't consider a high jack if so I apologize).

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

I have a 5.7 Volvo and I don't use muffs at all. I disconnect the water intake hose at the drive and push the garden hose into the intake hose. I turn the water on only enough so it isn't dumping out the hose and into the bilge when running while still getting good flow out the drive. Watch your gauge AND feel the water exiting the drive to make sure it isn't getting hot. You can run it all day that way.

 

[CharlieZulu]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

I just bought a cheap muff thingie for $5 at an auto store the other day (haven't used it yet) and then I saw what looked like a better design somewhere else for $25.

The difference was, the cheap one had the water inlet only on one side, while the other one had the water feeding both sides of the muff. Presumably that one is the better setup -- I'm going to try both to see if there's any difference.

 

[joe_nj]

Re: How do I know if Flusher (earmuffs) are working?

Re: How do I know if Flusher (earmuffs) are working?

I did the half pressure first thing - just didn't bother to write that before.

Is anyone doing the water in a barrel method with an I/O? I'm going to try that next time if I can find the right size barrel.

I paid $25 for the Moeller flusher (twice after my son ran over the first one with the lawn mower) then I saw it at K-Mart for $17.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

I use muffs all the time and have never had any problems with it, I also squeeze the water cooling hoses and can feel the water flowing through. Works fine for me. The temp runs a little cooler (140*) on the muffs because water is cooler from the hose, and 150* on the lake since the impeller change.

 

[cribber]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

I use muffs all the time on my Volvo Penta 3.0l I/O setup to warm everything up before going to the ramp and when we get done at the end of the day to flush out the lake water. I adjust the water pressure so there's always water streaming out a bit between the lower unit water intakes and the muffs. I also trim the lower unit down as far as I can in the driveway when flushing the engine after a day out.

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: Flusher (earmuffs) question

It's normal for the muffs to leak. It's not a perfect seal.

Water in to the drive should equal water out from the drive. If it doesn't, something's wrong.

Never run the engine above 1,000 rpm. I know it says you can go to 1,500, but I've collapsed the garden hose.

A rubber impeller can be damaged in 20 seconds without water.