Flushing tee for King Cobra

[sam60]

I want to put a tee in the water inlet and I have a spare impeller housing without an impeller that I can install when starting at home. I need to make a 1" flushing tee which will be easy.

I hate using muffs and would like to know if this will work without any issues.

Thanks

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

I have that setup on my OMC 800 and my Mercruiser Alpha powered boats. I suspect it would work equally well on a Cobra.
It's just a $5 rad flushing kit from auto parts store

Not only can I use it for trailer running, but I can crack the threads anytime in the lake at idle and check that my impeller is making good flow/pressure.

I've also thought about connecting a garden hose end to a pressure gauge for a screw in pressure tester but haven't got around to it yet.

 

[sam60]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Just concerned that with the impeller left in will it harm the impeller or should I put the impeller-less housing on when using tee? It appears that it should work either way.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Just concerned that with the impeller left in will it harm the impeller or should I put the impeller-less housing on when using tee? It appears that it should work either way.

Mike,


There might be a problem doing it that way.

If it puts enough water into the Impeller and keeps it "wet" enough to keep it "lubricated" it may survive.......

Unless the "T" will put water into the actual impeller (which is pushing water in the "wrong" direction), you'll burn it up every time you do it that way.

It's fine though, as long as you do not start the engine......I was going to do something similar on my Mercruiser.

 

[sam60]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Mike,


There might be a problem doing it that way.

If it puts enough water into the Impeller and keeps it "wet" enough to keep it "lubricated" it may survive.......

Unless the "T" will put water into the actual impeller (which is pushing water in the "wrong" direction), you'll burn it up every time you do it that way.

It's fine though, as long as you do not start the engine......I was going to do something similar on my Mercruiser.

Thanks, Rick.

I will put on the old impeller housing without the impeller when running out of water and it should just flow out of the inlets. I was worried about the way the impeller creates pressure using the liner shape and didn't want to trust the reverse flow with only a few impellers in the inventory.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Thanks, Rick.

I will put on the old impeller housing without the impeller when running out of water and it should just flow out of the inlets. I was worried about the way the impeller creates pressure using the liner shape and didn't want to trust the reverse flow with only a few impellers in the inventory.

One other thing to consider though, If the old housing/plumbing doesn't present enough of a restriction, you might not get enough actual flow to keeps the manifolds, risers and ESPECIALLY the rubber parts after the risers (couplings, flappers etc) cool.

If I was going to do that I would put a ball valve so that water couldn't flow towards the drive at all. (JUST REMEMBER TO OPEN IT WHEN YOU USE IT IN THE LAKE!!!!)

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

my impellers do fine. Only thing is, I don't have power steering - so no p/s cooler on either of my boats. I'm not sure how much restriction that provides. Hose water makes a solid stream out the water hole on the lower unit of the 800 telling me good volume is flowing back to the impeller. I think Cobras have that same hole starboard side of the lower to check for wet impeller before starting. I'd say it's about 50/50 between impeller direction and thermo housing direction. I'm on a well here with only 65 psi too.
OMC put water in that way from the factory for 25 years with those water director cover flush adapters on the stringers.
I don't like muffs. I have had them fall off and fall apart but a big pipe clamp around them adds some insurance.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

why not simply buy a superflush kit. just hook up the hose and wash away. come back in 5 minutes and flushing is done.

 

[sam60]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

why not simply buy a superflush kit. just hook up the hose and wash away. come back in 5 minutes and flushing is done.

Not looking to flush, just an alternative to muffs.

 

[sam60]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

One other thing to consider though, If the old housing/plumbing doesn't present enough of a restriction, you might not get enough actual flow to keeps the manifolds, risers and ESPECIALLY the rubber parts after the risers (couplings, flappers etc) cool.

If I was going to do that I would put a ball valve so that water couldn't flow towards the drive at all. (JUST REMEMBER TO OPEN IT WHEN YOU USE IT IN THE LAKE!!!!)

Sitting here watching cup race and decided I'll make a restrictor plate for my old impeller housing. I am yet to get the fittings to make the 1" tee, but I'll get a round to it.

 

[bigike]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Perfect! This is what i will do! I have a hard time getting the muffs to seat on the out drive, taking the impeller off a KC OMC is a breeze! So that is what i will do from now on. No more burned up impellers and with the extra 2 i have on hand out drive should last forever!

 

[bigike]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Update for my Big Daddy KC peers, I connected a flushing kit to the Four Winns, took off the impeller (5 min job) and she runs great in the drive way now. More water out the exhaust than when i had the muffs on. I just left the cover off on the OD, most of the water was sucked into the engine by the engine water pump.

Perfect solution! The KC does not respond well to muffs... I'm in Indonesia now, a little home/boat sick.
Jay

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Update for my Big Daddy KC peers, I connected a flushing kit to the Four Winns, took off the impeller (5 min job) and she runs great in the drive way now. More water out the exhaust than when i had the muffs on. I just left the cover off on the OD, most of the water was sucked into the engine by the engine water pump.

Perfect solution! The KC does not respond well to muffs... I'm in Indonesia now, a little home/boat sick.
Jay

Jay,


That will definitely save your impeller! Understand though that the circulating pump doesn't really "suck" water into the engine.

It only "circulates" it.

The "pressure" from the raw water pump (or pressurized water supply from the hose) allows *some* cool water to mix with "block" water, depending on whether and how much the t-stat is open..............the vast majority of which bypasses the engine entirely on its way to the manifolds and overboard through the risers.............


Just saying.......

 

[bigike]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Temp gun said everything was fine. Now that there are impellers and cages again i might sacrifice one of my 3 sets to see if water on the outlet side of the impeller is enough to keep it lubricated.

No mater what style of muffs i used (used them all) i could never get water to the lift pump without clamping or strapping the muffs to the lower unit.

Really digging this modification.

On a MC OD how do they run the flushing port? on the inlet hose before the lift pump or at the T-stat housing as pictured above. If it's like the picture than I don't see any issues with running the KC like that.

Indonesia is boring...................

 

[sam60]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

I'm a bigger fan of the plate method at the impeller intake than a tee, especially for a 1" hose.

Impeller is NEVER at risk in the driveway and you can make the part for low bucks.



Of course it takes 1-2 minutes with a 3/8" socket on your ratchet to bolt on but the hose stays low outside. This works on easy access impellers as with the late King Cobra, not sure what if any others it will work for. Doesn't everyone have some 1/4" plate, cork gasket material and a 1/2" pipe tap laying around the garage?

 

[sam60]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

In the long run, I will need to install the crank pulley driven water pump, hull intake and strainer as Rick has been telling me. Just want to make the impellers that I have last for awhile longer..........

 

[bigike]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Dude bigger pics!!!

I don't know, the impellers are available now, there are cages and housings out there too. I'm going to keep mine until i have to change. The engine pump will always be available, but i'm gonna wait as i don't like squeezing in there to swap a impeller. IMO the OMC really nailed the impeller placement in these things.
To bad they didn't take off... Said it once i'll scream it again, this bad boy makes the bravo 3 look like a paper weight, be we all know who won that war! haha.

Jay

 

[sam60]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Dude bigger pics!!!

I don't know, the impellers are available now
Jay

Where are you finding all of these impellers....wait,... don't tell me here, PM me.....

 

[bigike]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

Found full rebuilt kits for 265$!

 

[Idlespeedonly]

Re: Flushing tee for King Cobra

When you go with the engine pump and sea strainer, how much hotter if any does the upper gearset run with no waterflow going through it?