TCM Flush Adapters

[FROGMAN524]

How hard would it be to install engine flush adapters for hooking my garden hose up directly to the engines and bypassing the low water pickups on the sportmaster lowers?

I tried to flush my 600 SCI engines yesterday and the sea strainers would not fill, in fact, it seemed most of the water would just spray out around the low water pickups. Does anyone have pics of the install in a boat with strainers?

This is the Mercury racing adapter I use for flushing but having left the drives down for the last 4 months it’s been out of the water, the entire system drained dry, thus, no prime.

 

[HALLETT BOY]

If the system drained and it won’t pull water now , you may have fried the impeller .

 

[FROGMAN524]

If the system drained and it won’t pull water now , you may have fried the impeller .

Only ran for 30 seconds maybe. Impellers are being swapped out with annual service by BCM in April. The flush adapter pushed little to no water to the strainers that I could see and that doesn’t seem right to me.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Ok here’s the deal. Mount a garden hose adapter either above or below the rear swimstep. Hose from that goes direct to the strainer(s). Hook up the hose and it fills the strainers. What isn’t needed goes out the dump or down to the drives (in reverse) from the strainers but the pump will have all the water it needs.

When done disconnect the hose and cap the garden hose adapter.

Teague makes a kit for this. I’ve never bothered trying to shove water up the drive.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Ok here’s the deal. Mount a garden hose adapter either above or below the rear swimstep. Hose from that goes direct to the strainer(s). Hook up the hose and it fills the strainers. What isn’t needed goes out the dump or down to the drives (in reverse) from the strainers but the pump will have all the water it needs.

When done disconnect the hose and cap the garden hose adapter.

Teague makes a kit for this. I’ve never bothered trying to shove water up the drive.

Ok great. I’ll have them install this inside the engine compartment so I don’t have to see it outside the boat.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Ok great. I’ll have them install this inside the engine compartment so I don’t have to see it outside the boat.

Yeah BCM can totally handle that.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

I checked and I don’t have any photos of this setup handy.

 

[McKay]

For the once or twice a year I needed to do it I just stuck the hose in the strainer.

 

[FROGMAN524]

For the once or twice a year I needed to do it I just stuck the hose in the strainer.

Issue is, my strainers are so deep in the bilge, I have to remove the rear seat and contort myself to get in there. Plugging the hose in directly would be much easier.

 

[Ragged Edge]

How hard would it be to install engine flush adapters for hooking my garden hose up directly to the engines and bypassing the low water pickups on the sportmaster lowers?

I tried to flush my 600 SCI engines yesterday and the sea strainers would not fill, in fact, it seemed most of the water would just spray out around the low water pickups. Does anyone have pics of the install in a boat with strainers?

This is the Mercury racing adapter I use for flushing but having left the drives down for the last 4 months it’s been out of the water, the entire system drained dry, thus, no prime.

View attachment 1201057

I plumbed into the lower hose on the Fountain so I could back flush the strainers then fire the engine. Works perfect.

Here is the best pic I have, sorry, don't have a photo of the hoses I hook up to the t's I installed.

 

[Racey]

Ok here’s the deal. Mount a garden hose adapter either above or below the rear swimstep. Hose from that goes direct to the strainer(s). Hook up the hose and it fills the strainers. What isn’t needed goes out the dump or down to the drives (in reverse) from the strainers but the pump will have all the water it needs.

When done disconnect the hose and cap the garden hose adapter.

Teague makes a kit for this. I’ve never bothered trying to shove water up the drive.

Yep this is the way

 

[mjc]

This is how my fountain was done. Line up from outdrive to strainer. Close red valve open yellow and hose connection was on inside of bildge.

 

[FROGMAN524]

We’ll, I Found the problem. Went by the boat today to get pictures and see what the issue is which is clear in this picture.

Turns out in 2006, which is the year my boat is, Mercury Racing changed the lower water pickup and set it further back on the sportmaster lower for Bravo 1 and 3 drives. Of the two options I could have ordered, I got the wrong one.

Here is the newer version which I now need to order that is much longer.

 

[MK1MOD0]

Personally, I always use duct tape to seal up the flush fitting when I run the engines on a hose. Easy peazy.

 

[Orange Juice]

Those impellers are toast, and probably the impeller housings. 30 seconds without water.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Those impellers are toast, and probably the impeller housings. 30 seconds without water.

There was water in the system because it came out the exhaust and then I shut it off. Either way, new impellers and housing going in in April as I do every season. New flush cone on order. The old one is available for sale if you’ld like it OJ.

 

[Orange Juice]

There was water in the system because it came out the exhaust and then I shut it off. Either way, new impellers and housing going in in April as I do every season. New flush cone on order. The old one is available for sale if you’ld like it OJ.

Post a picture up, when you remove them. I’d liked to what they look like.

I did this once for less than 30 seconds, on the boat ramp, after pulling it out. I was surprised at the damage it caused to the impeller / pumps housing. It was an Alpha Drive.

 

[bocco]

$170.00 for a piece of plastic with a stretchy strap?

 

[FROGMAN524]

$170.00 for a piece of plastic with a stretchy strap?

Inflation man! These used to be $20 probably.

 

[steamin rice]

$170.00 for a piece of plastic with a stretchy strap?

It's Mercury racing orange, so there's a premium for that..

Frogman, This is something that I've been thinking about doing to my boat for years, but just have never gotten around to it. I think that I even have a spare bung on my sea strainers, so it would be an easy install. I've never had a problem getting water into the system while flushing on the trailer and I have low water pickup drives, but it would be nice to switch from one engine to the other while staying inside the boat. I think that this could be done with some valves and a garden hose adapter mounted inside the engine compartment.

If you have this done at Barrett, take some pictures and I may have them copy it to my boat the next time it's in there for service.

 

[FROGMAN524]

It's Mercury racing orange, so there's a premium for that..

Frogman, This is something that I've been thinking about doing to my boat for years, but just have never gotten around to it. I think that I even have a spare bung on my sea strainers, so it would be an easy install. I've never had a problem getting water into the system while flushing on the trailer and I have low water pickup drives, but it would be nice to switch from one engine to the other while staying inside the boat. I think that this could be done with some valves and a garden hose adapter mounted inside the engine compartment.

If you have this done at Barrett, take some pictures and I may have them copy it to my boat the next time it's in there for service.

I’ll do the engine compartment flush setup if this new flush cone doesn’t work. I’ll update after I receive it in another week or two.

 

[Runs2rch]

Post a picture up, when you remove them. I’d liked to what they look like.

I did this once for less than 30 seconds, on the boat ramp, after pulling it out. I was surprised at the damage it caused to the impeller / pumps housing. It was an Alpha Drive.

That impeller was probably old to begin with. Alpha impellers are virtually indestructible.

This setup with Strainers keeps water in the pumps. So the quick run isn't hurting anything.

 

[HST4ME]

$170.00 for a piece of plastic with a stretchy strap?

Yeah, There is maybe five dollars in material there. But it is Mercree.

 

[Runs2rch]

Yeah, There is maybe five dollars in material there. But it is Mercree.

You mean MAO-CREE haha

 

[Jay Dub]

How hard would it be to install engine flush adapters for hooking my garden hose up directly to the engines and bypassing the low water pickups on the sportmaster lowers?

I tried to flush my 600 SCI engines yesterday and the sea strainers would not fill, in fact, it seemed most of the water would just spray out around the low water pickups. Does anyone have pics of the install in a boat with strainers?

This is the Mercury racing adapter I use for flushing but having left the drives down for the last 4 months it’s been out of the water, the entire system drained dry, thus, no prime.

View attachment 1201057

When Barrett Custom installed the sea strainer system on our 255 they installed this under the swim platform. You hook the hose to the capped fitting.

 

[FROGMAN524]

When Barrett Custom installed the sea strainer system on our 255 they installed this under the swim platform. You hook the hose to the capped fitting. View attachment 1204127

That’s pretty discreet.

 

[FROGMAN524]

That impeller was probably old to begin with. Alpha impellers are virtually indestructible.

This setup with Strainers keeps water in the pumps. So the quick run isn't hurting anything.

The impellers and housings in the boat currently were installed November of 2021.

The impellers and housings I installed in spring of 2021 are these ones.

These are the impellers I installed spring of 2020 after buying the boat.

 

[Runs2rch]

The impellers and housings in the boat currently were installed November of 2021.

The impellers and housings I installed in spring of 2021 are these ones.
View attachment 1204517
View attachment 1204518

These are the impellers I installed spring of 2020 after buying the boat.

View attachment 1204519
View attachment 1204520
View attachment 1204521

You keep them all? Hahaha

 

[FROGMAN524]

You keep them all? Hahaha

I tend to keep all parts shops remove and replace.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Got my new flush cone from Mercury/TCM. Looks much longer and much more appropriate for my newer style sportmaster lowers.

Also got new Livorsi rubber throttle/shifter grommets for my Livorsi throttles and shifters as the old ones were warm out and would bind up and interfere when shifting.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Amazing how well it works when you have the right flush adapter.