earmuffs for Honda BF50

[DaveC426913]

I have yet to find a set of earmuffs for my BF50. I bought the round set and the rectangular set but neither come anywhere near to making a seal.

Instead, I fill a garbage pail and lower the motor into it. It works, but a set of earmuffs is definitely easier on storage space.

[NiceAft]

Thanks for asking Dave.

This is of interest to me also, so, I will be lurking in the shadows watching intently.

Ray

[frede]

I don't think they make earmuffs. If you search Honda's web site for Flush Kits you end up on this page:
http://marine.honda.com/parts/accessori ... flush-kits
You may need to "Filter by Model" to narrow it down to the "06190-ZV1-860"

Amazon will sell you this:
http://www.amazon.com/HONDA-MARINE-OUTB ... BF50+flush

[Tomfoolery]

I have yet to find a set of earmuffs for my BF50. I bought the round set and the rectangular set but neither come anywhere near to making a seal.

Instead, I fill a garbage pail and lower the motor into it. It works, but a set of earmuffs is definitely easier on storage space.

They don't have to make a seal; they just have to restrict the leakage enough that the intake doesn't pull a vacuum. Rectangular would presumably do a better job than round, and the rectangular with cross tube (to send water to the other side) even better still, but 60 psi city pressure to a 5/8" hose is going to supply a lot more water than the OB can possibly use, with the excess just leaking out around the edges. Mine round ones spray out around the sides, even with the engine at speed, which indicates there's enough pressure at the intakes that the excess is squirting out, and seems to keep the engine cool. But then, it's not under load, so it's not generating all that much heat. But still . . .

And don't forget to tape over the small suction under the anti-ventilation plate.

[seahouse]

So to confirm, there is no garden hose threaded fitting for flushing or running the motor out of the water? I have to say that is a very un-Honda - like design. Or maybe later models have the hose thread?

[seahouse]

I have yet to find a set of earmuffs for my BF50. I bought the round set and the rectangular set but neither come anywhere near to making a seal.

Instead, I fill a garbage pail and lower the motor into it. It works, but a set of earmuffs is definitely easier on storage space.

They don't have to make a seal; they just have to restrict the leakage enough that the intake doesn't pull a vacuum. Rectangular would presumably do a better job than round, and the rectangular with cross tube (to send water to the other side) even better still, but 60 psi city pressure to a 5/8" hose is going to supply a lot more water than the OB can possibly use, with the excess just leaking out around the edges. Mine round ones spray out around the sides, even with the engine at speed, which indicates there's enough pressure at the intakes that the excess is squirting out, and seems to keep the engine cool. But then, it's not under load, so it's not generating all that much heat. But still . . .

And don't forget to tape over the small suction under the anti-ventilation plate.

Yup. With some engine designs it is possible to hydro-lock (and destroy) the engine with too much water pressure. There just needs to be enough so that you see water coming out of the water bleed hole, or exhaust port, and no more. The ear muffs are "somewhat" able to limit and relieve the excessive pressure when the hose is turned on too high. I like to turn the water on first to make sure the impeller is cooled/ lubed as soon as possible on startup, but that is probably an unnecessary vestige on old engines from days gone by.

[Tomfoolery]

I have yet to find a set of earmuffs for my BF50. I bought the round set and the rectangular set but neither come anywhere near to making a seal.

Instead, I fill a garbage pail and lower the motor into it. It works, but a set of earmuffs is definitely easier on storage space.

They don't have to make a seal; they just have to restrict the leakage enough that the intake doesn't pull a vacuum. Rectangular would presumably do a better job than round, and the rectangular with cross tube (to send water to the other side) even better still, but 60 psi city pressure to a 5/8" hose is going to supply a lot more water than the OB can possibly use, with the excess just leaking out around the edges. Mine round ones spray out around the sides, even with the engine at speed, which indicates there's enough pressure at the intakes that the excess is squirting out, and seems to keep the engine cool. But then, it's not under load, so it's not generating all that much heat. But still . . .

And don't forget to tape over the small suction under the anti-ventilation plate.

Yup. With some engine designs it is possible to hydro-lock (and destroy) the engine with too much water pressure. There just needs to be enough so that you see water coming out of the water bleed hole, or exhaust port, and no more. The ear muffs are "somewhat" able to limit and relieve the excessive pressure when the hose is turned on too high. I like to turn the water on first to make sure the impeller is cooled/ lubed as soon as possible on startup, but that is probably an unnecessary vestige on old engines from days gone by.

Being that the water pump is designed to pull water up to it from next to the prop, I would think all you have to do is keep that lower leg flooded so it can pull water. So I don't worry about it squirting out all over the place, as long as the intakes are filled. And squirting out all over means it's not seeing full pressure from city water. Not even close, in fact, as it would take over 550 lb of force to hold that 3-1/2" dia. cup against the leg at 60 psi. In fact, 5 lb of squeezing force on the cup would only hold about 0.5 psi (static pressure).

[DaveC426913]

I'm not talking about a good seal - they pretty much leave a half inch gap. The vents are too close to the fins. I'm not sure if there's much going in at all. I would call most of the water vent-adjacent.

[seahouse]

Is it possible to trim some of the rubber away to get a better seal?

[DaveC426913]

Is it possible to trim some of the rubber away to get a better seal?

Hm. Not a bad idea. In fact, it might be easier to build up a ring to fit.

Thanks. Hadn't thought of that.

But also thanks to everyone for pointing out that I don't really need a lot of water to get in.

[Wind Chime]

But also thanks to everyone for pointing out that I don't really need a lot of water to get in.

I think the best way to tell if you have enough water going through the flush system is the strength of the stream coming out the "Tell-Tale" pilot hole (pee-hole).

We have a 2001 Suzuki DF50 and the muffs we use spray water out the sides as well, but the stream out the tell-tale and front-ports is very strong so I know there plenty of water from the impeller throughout the entire cooling system and power head.

We just had the engine rebuild and all the water jacket areas inside were like new. No salt water corrosion at all, so fresh water flushes work, and I swear by using Salt Away (brand) product several times a year.
http://www.saltawayproducts.com/EngineFlushPage.htm

[DaveC426913]

I think the best way to tell if you have enough water going through the flush system is the strength of the stream coming out the "Tell-Tale" pilot hole (pee-hole).

You're right of course. That is the definitive test.

[seahouse]

I think the best way to tell if you have enough water going through the flush system is the strength of the stream coming out the "Tell-Tale" pilot hole (pee-hole).

You're right of course. That is the definitive test.

Note that in some older engines cooling water comes out mixed with the exhaust, instead of, or in addition to, a dedicated stream, as I mentioned above. It should be standard operating procedure for any marine engine that uses open loop cooling (any we will encounter here), whether in water or out of water, to check for this first thing on start up. Every time.... First thing....

[DaveC426913]

Note that in some older engines cooling water comes out mixed with the exhaust, instead of, or in addition to, a dedicated stream, as I mentioned above. It should be standard operating procedure for any marine engine that uses open loop cooling (any we will encounter here), whether in water or out of water, to check for this first thing on start up. Every time.... First thing....

I'm not actually sure what you're advising here.

When you start up your engine, make sure it's peeing, right?

[seahouse]

Note that in some older engines cooling water comes out mixed with the exhaust, instead of, or in addition to, a dedicated stream, as I mentioned above. It should be standard operating procedure for any marine engine that uses open loop cooling (any we will encounter here), whether in water or out of water, to check for this first thing on start up. Every time.... First thing....

I'm not actually sure what you're advising here.

When you start up your engine, make sure it's peeing, right?

Yup that's all Dave. Impeller failure and subsequent engine overheating/ damage is easy to detect and avoid by just checking that on startup. It's a simple habit, but I've seen this part skipped quite often… I'm just pointing out its importance (and that it should be done whether starting in the water or on dry land as it relates to the thread topic). In some older outboards you won't see a separate stream of water (that often shoots sideways so easy to see), but will instead need to look for water coming out with the exhaust (straight back), and so sometimes you need to lean over the transom a bit or turn the motor to see it.

It "feels" like it to me that impeller problems are less common in newer engines than they used to be though.