www.iFourWinns.com

I'm on my fourth boat which is my first Four Winns, a 2011 H180, Volvo Penta 4.3. With my previous boats (all of which were either Mercruiser or Johnson outboards), I flush the engine after each use by plugging a garden hose into a set of "ear muffs", placing the muffs over the intakes on the lower unit, lower the unit almost all the way down with trim/tilt, opening the water faucet all the way and running the engine at idle speed for five to ten minutes. I've done this same procedure for the FW all six times I've taken it out.
Today I looked through the owner/operator manuals to see if there are any additional task to incorporate in my flush/after use maintenance routine, particularly since it doesn't seem like a lot of water comes out through the exhaust port above the prop (the exhausted water does get warm, though). The manual doesn't reference the ear muff approach at all, says instead that there is a inlet tube mounted directly on the engine, under the engine cover, capped with a blue cap, and that I should connect the garden hose directly to that in order to flush the engine. I've looked under the engine cover but don't see any such tube with a blue cap.
The manual makes it sound as though all VP engines come with this feature, but I'm starting to suspect it is an option that did not come with my set up. Anyone know anything about this, or know of any problem with the ear muff approach for the Volvo Penta 4.3? thanks

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2010 H180
VP 4.3 190

Not sure if the flush kit is standard or an option but regardless, there should be no issue with flushing your system using the standard ear muffs on the outdrive.....

The flush kit doesn't flush the outdrive, and I only ever use mine if I'm keeping the boat in a slip for any period of time (impractical to get ear muff s on the outdrive in that situation...).

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

Ours is on the starboard side of the boat and can be clearly seen without removing the engine cover. Its just a hose sticking up with a blue cap on it.

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2007 Four Winns H180
4.3GL-G Volvo Penta SX

The later flush kit has a "Y" piece fitted to the water pump inlet hose, so you should be able to trace it backwards (upwards) from that to the where the hose attaches. With the post 2003 flush kit set up, water from the hose does actually flush the outdrive; when the engine is not running, the water from the hose can go to the outdrive via the power steering oil cooler at the rear of the engine, there's no check valve preventing it from doing so, unless they have recently started fitting one ( that would seem an unnecessary complication).

Graham

Flush the motor with the ear muffs... as stated above if you use the blue capped hose you will not flush the drive or the power steering fluid cooler. Also if you don't tighten the blue cap properly or cross thread it you will allow air to get into the cooling system and cause yourself an over heating issue. There will not be a lot of water coming out over the prop at an idle. You will notice that most of the water comes out near the transom plate housing.

You're doing nothing wrong. Stick with it

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Bryan Mutter

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Wrong, I'm afraid; assuming of course the garden hose is still switched on, where do you think the water from the garden hose goes when you stop the engine ? It goes back towards the transom, through the oil cooler and then out through the outdrive and out of the water inlets on the lower unit. It can't go anywhere else as the impeller is not turning.

I've put an in line ball valve on mine, plus a quick release coupling/ blanking plug to get round the potential leakage issue completely.

Graham

I have a 2007 h200 with 5.0gxi.... I think its funny that in my sterndrive manual it says that its ok to run the engine with a garden hose on the flush port, but in the Volvo Workshop service manual it says not to, and that the impeller can be damaged... The flush port enters at a T connector upstream of the raw water pump, so I can't see how the impeller could be run dry if water was turned on at the flush port... I trust the sterndrive manual...

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2007 FW Horizon 200 5.0GXi/SX-A

I have a 2008 H200 with a 5.0GXi and I have always used the raw water inlet inside the engine compartment to run mine while at home to flush. No issues, never had any sort of impeller damage....in fact, this is how I test my boat AFTER I have replaced the impeller to make sure there are no issues when I get to the ramp.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

I have used the muffs for over 20 years on outdrives -- volvo and mercruiser -- no issues.

I have also used the garden hose flush connection on the stern on my 240H boat -- also no issues ---- There are lots of OK to run/not OK to run thoughts on the garden hose connection.

The conclusion is -- watch the gauges -- make sure the engine is getting good water flow, and watever method you are using should work.

Everything else is overthinking the issue.

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DaleG -- West Palm Beach FL
2003 240Horizon -- 5.7Gi -Duoprop

My dealer told me to always use muffs, which I have done since new.

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Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

.........and the FW UK price list for 2004 and 2005 given to me by FW dealers included an on cost option of an engine flush kit; when it was already standard! So don't always believe what the dealer tells you !

Graham

Maybe the engine flush kit they were offering was a set of muffs...?

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Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

£130 indicated at the time !

Graham