www.iFourWinns.com

Forgive me for a dumb question here, but this is my first I/O engine. Actually, it is my second, but my first was a heap and I took it back. (long story, see the Funship section). In both cases, the previous boat and the current 234, the blower hose ran from the blower into the area where the water tank resides. Here's the question:

Shouldn't the blower hose be running up to one of the vent holes to exhaust air? My understanding is that the blower sucks fresh air into the engine compartment and should then exhaust it out. If I'm right, and the exhaust hose should be attached to the exhaust vent (There are three vent holes under a cover on the rear deck), then how do you attach it to the vent? It doesn't make sense to me that the hose is lying there, even though there is somewhat of a divider between the engine compartment and the area where the water tank sits. Maybe I'm wrong and it just needs to stir the air up, but I'd be feeling better if it moved the air, and potentially gas fumes, directly to the outside of the engine compartment, thus causing fresh air to be sucked in the other two vents.

Any help or advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

The second question is much more simple, but maybe equally dumb due to lack of experience. I'm wiring up my GPS and VHF radio and have found the fuse block behind the instrument panel. On the left side of it, there is a bank of male tabs for female wire connectors. Is that positive, or negative? I'm not sure which is which, so I need a little help.

Thanks!

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1999 234 Funship
5.7 GSi

The blower hose should be fitted to one of the vents; it may well have fallen off. On mine, the hose is pushed on and retained by screws through the hose into the vent. The vent is also meant to be screwed onto the hull, or rather it has screws but the hole in the hull is too big and the screws do nothing ( now retained by silicone!).

The bank of male termnals ae almost certainly the ground busbar; the positive outputs from the fusebox all are via individual fuses.

Graham

Thanks so much! I went out and looked at it again and saw the connections for the bilge, and that confirmed the position of the positive and negative connections.

Thanks again!

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1999 234 Funship
5.7 GSi

Yeah I've got to take another close look at the blower hose connections myself. When I was wiring a transom mount trim switch this past week, I saw a blower hose that appeared to be connected at one of the vents, but not connected to anything in the engine room. I do know that I have 4 vents, two to starboard two to port, and the two on the starboard side are open with no hose connections.

I did find some old pics of the engine compartment, and they are even more confusing. take a look.







From the pics, it appears that the blower pulls in air from the outside, and then blows it outside.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

Mine also has 4 vents; the two on the starboard side are not connected to anything. One on the port side is connected to the blower (4" hose), the other (3" hose) just lets fresh air in, virtually to the same point as the blower hose extracts from. I would have thought it would make more sense and be safer to bring in air to the bottom of one side of the engine compartment and extract it from the the other. Probably easier and cheaper to build it the way it is though!

Graham

I found it best to use the blowers to exhaust the air. Air coming in will either be pulled in when still, or forced in by the vents when underway. The job is to exit any fumes of build up so you don't blow up. By controlling the exit, you control the flow.

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1992 Baja 38 Special Twin 502 Mags

03 Stingray 3.0
88 261 Liberator 460 King Cobras
95 Bayliner 1850 3.0
77 Fiber Form 20ft 350/385hp
70 Wescraft 1800 SS 455 Jet

Lead, Follow, or get the Hell out of the Way!

I fully understand the blower removes air and any fumes (an extractor fan would be a better description!) and that air needs to get in to replace the air removed, to prevent the formation of a partial vacuum (which would really reduce the efficiency of the blower). It just seems strange to have the inlet (air in) and outlet (air/ fumes to blower)right next to each other; the blower is going to find it easier to suck air from the direction of the inlet hose, rather than from within the bilge. If the inlet was the opposite side of the bilge, air would have to travel across the bilge to the blower and extraction of air and fumes would be more efficient.

Graham

Graham,
My boat is set up the same as yours. I was looking at the hoses and thought the exact same thing. I may move my hoses around to do just this.

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Terry
Current: 07 Crownline 255 CCR cuddy - 350 Mag MPI/B3 "Casi Cielo"

Previous:97 245 Sundowner 5.7GI/SX

Tow vehicle: 1986 GMC 2500 Camper Special 454/TH400

I changed the blower last winter; the old one had gotten very noisy and the motor body was very rusty due to water coming down the outlet hose and onto it (the vent covers were not sealed to the hull properly, so rain water easily got in, now rectified). The installation position of the blower meant the hoses were quite stretched with some small tears in them ( I suppose they saved a few inches of hose on every boat by having them that short !!). I moved the location slightly, it needed a bracket making up but as I couldn't find any replacement black hose. I replaced it with a white ( fire resistant grade) hose; it makes the engine compartment look a lot smarter !

Graham