Rigging tube won't stay on 2000 Ficht 200HP

[fireman_bob]

Hi,
I've got a 2000 200 HP Ficht that the rigging tube won't stay on the gland coming out of the motor and it's letting water into the tube. I've tried pushing the tube back up onto the gland but it won't stay. The hoses and cables want to pull the tube down away from the motor due to their weight. There's no way to attach a ty wrap around the tube since the gland coming out of the motor is just made of rubber and compresses down, deforming the tube.
There doesn't seem to be any way to attach the tube other than sliding it over the rubber gland coming out of the motor housing. What am I missing here?
Thank you.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Rigging tube won't stay on 2000 Ficht 200HP

Had the same issue with Merc rigging tubes on my 175 HP E-Tecs. I used 3M 5200 at both ends to glue the tubes in place. Make sure to allow a week for the 5200 to cure. Never a problem since 2007. Only issue is the tubes will need debonder to ever remove them. I used tape to hold the tubes in place during the cure time.

 

[fireman_bob]

Re: Rigging tube won't stay on 2000 Ficht 200HP

That's a great idea. Thank you.
There must be a "proper" way to do this, but I just can't seem to figure it out. It's almost like I'm missing a part to hold the tube somehow. I guess I'll go this route if I don't come up with anything else.
Another idea I have is to try to find a piece of PVC tubing that will fit inside the gland to allow a clamp to be tightened down on the tube once it's over the gland.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Rigging tube won't stay on 2000 Ficht 200HP

I had all the 'proper' parts ... the tube ends just wouldn't stay put, so brute force seemed the way to go, and it has worked perfectly.

 

[fireman_bob]

Re: Rigging tube won't stay on 2000 Ficht 200HP

Ok, so I got the 5200 and glued the tube to the rubber grommet on the engine side. That part works great, thank you for the tip. I installed the tube today, but now the tube practically pulls the grommet out of the engine housing when I turn hard to port. On the starboard side it's ok. My question is, how long do I make the tube? It seems my tube may be too long, causing the excess strain when the engine is hard over on one side due to the inability for the tube to flex with all the cables/hoses in it.
FYI Home Depot has 5200 for $6.99, a lot cheaper than any marine supply store.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Rigging tube won't stay on 2000 Ficht 200HP

Without seeing what you've got, it sounds like the tube is too short to pull like you describe. Ideally, the tube entrance thru the transom should line up with the motor tube entrance, so the tube moves equally port and starboard when motor is steered. My deal was twin 175 HP E-Tecs and never had a moment's problem.

 

[fireman_bob]

Re: Rigging tube won't stay on 2000 Ficht 200HP

Here's a couple of pictures of my setup. When hard over to the starboard side, it's just about pulling the gasket out of the engine (I had the description reversed in my earlier post). Thank you for your help.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Rigging tube won't stay on 2000 Ficht 200HP

It looks like the transom entry is centered on the engine. I would have made the entry point to stbd and had the tube a little longer. About the only thing to do now is fit a longer tube. BTW, you will need debonder to free up the 5200.

 

[fireman_bob]

Re: Rigging tube won't stay on 2000 Ficht 200HP

I'll need more than that. All of my hoses are just about at their limit from the way they were originally rigged from the dealer (That's what makes me think the tube is too long). If I make the tube longer, I'll need to add to the fuel and oil lines.