Test tank idea

[sly_karma]

There's only so much testing/troubleshooting/tuning you can do with a motor running on earmuffs. There's no exhaust back pressure so settings you make on the muffs aren't always right when the boat goes in the water. Municipal water pressure is force feeding the water pump and can hide a pump that is weak or near failure. Discussion in another thread about water barrels and other containers made me think about getting a good setup figured out so I can work inside this fall/winter instead of towing the boat outside my shop every time I want to test something.

Midsize and larger outboards have too large a gearcase for something easy like a garbage can or rubbermaid container. Even if you can find something that just fits, lots of water slops out due to exhaust pressure and you're quickly needing a top up.

I saw this online today: a poly tank made for livestock watering. 36" L x 24" W x 24" D. That will accommodate the XL leg of my etec 130. There's already a drain plug in place, would be easy to thread in a shutoff valve connected to a hose so the water drains outside. At 36" long it might even be possible to tilt the motor in and out of the tank. Stock and feed dealers should be able to get it.

 

[ab1752]

What about a wine barrel? Buy it full of red and kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

[sly_karma]

You tried to find an old barrel lately? Even ones that leak beyond repair fetch a hundred bucks these day.

 

[17 ft sea ranger]

link to the barrel?

 

[ab1752]

Only under the cover of darkness haha

 

[zurk]

rainwater barrels are $25 on craigslist new with a drain kit from home hardware for $10.

 

[AlK]

X 2 Craig's
https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/grd/d/burnaby-208-litre-barrels/7203431891.html

 

[noluck]

i have one left of 208 blue poly barrel like the one listed above, $20.00 abbotsford

 

[sly_karma]

I measured blue poly barrel at ag supply place. 21" diameter. My leg needs 23-24". I thought about heating it up and then squishing it out of round and holding it there as it cooled. Maybe.

 

[Sir Reel]

I have seen these flush bags before. Seems like a good idea

https://www.amazon.ca/Outboard-Motor-Flushing-Engines-Drives/dp/B00TTL61N6

https://www.burgees.com/FlushingBag/

 

[AlK]

I used one of the 208 litre barrel for a 200 HP Merc. I cut the top lip off which takes a lot of the rigidity out of the barrel and it then worked well for me.

 

[Hagar]

I use a 110 gal. Tub I got from Integrety sales in Brentwood, it works great.

 

[dance a jig]

i have been using a big rubbermaid stock tank which i think is 70 gallons, for 6 or 7 years and really like it. For the last 3 years my boat is on a buoy all summer and does not get flushed between uses, so at end of season I fill stock tank with fresh water and appropriate amount of salt-a-way, and run engine for typically 30-40 minutes to give a very good flush. I have it oriented so i fill it once and have motor pee into tank. the salt away will create a set of bubbles about 3' above the top of tank but not to worry, there is still water with salt-a-way in tank, although the mass amount of bubbles looks like things are out of control. After 30-40 minutes, the water is very, very warm and if i dont stop with my flushing at that time, the high temp alarm will soon sound. I have to think running in the appropriate salt-a-way solution for this long has to clean things up. I have put a pvc pipe fitting and valve to drain tank. Please note it is very hard to move once filled with water, so proper orientation with room to pee and lift engine up or down is key. Sometimes i put some 2x4's or 4x4's under stock tank to raise up abit. For my kicker, i do same thing with a very small rubbermaid i also prop up on a couple of 5 gallon buckets placed upside down.

For extra credit in putting the boat away for season, on my last boat i had fuel manifold rigged to racor fuel water separtor so i could a) turn off fuel from main tank, b) accept fuel from auxilary tank which was filled with fresh fuel plus witches brew of 2-stoke oil to coat parts on my 4-stroke engine. I would be running this witches brew while performing the above 30-40 minute salt-a-way flush. Never liked pulling plugs and spraying oil in to cylinders, or into carb, and learned of witches brew method from outboard mechanic.

Anyway, i highly recommend investing in a full size stock tank to flush right. good luck. DAJ