Flush Port

[03TritonBill]

I have an '03 225 Opti. Fish a lot in Delta tidal water.Does anyone use the flushing port on the back of the motor? I only trim the motor down to let the water run out. Will consistently using the flush port keep my thermostats from possibly having future problems??? Thanks in advance!

[EuropeanAM]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 03TritonBill &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have an '03 225 Opti. Fish a lot in Delta tidal water.Does anyone use the flushing port on the back of the motor? I only trim the motor down to let the water run out. Will consistently using the flush port keep my thermostats from possibly having future problems??? Thanks in advance! </TD></TR></TABLE>

In my opinion, that's it's "only remotely useful purpose".

Thermostats should STILL be tested or inspected AT LEAST once per year, or every 100 hours, whichever comes first.

[03TritonBill]

Thanks Don. I've had the boat for 2+ years, service regularly, use Merc oils/additives and I've never seen/heard anyone, even in my bass club, use the port. Is it worth my time? I don't have problems, just trying to do my part. If you do recommend using it, what's the procedure. I hear you're NOT supposed to run the motor. Thanks again...

[FlippinCrazy]

Not to hijack this post, but is it OK to run the engine with a hose hooked up to the flushing port instead of using muffs on the lower unit?

[EuropeanAM]

I've received conflicting answers on running the engine while connected to the flush port.

My opinion: DON'T. Certainly useful for washing out sand and debris, but the whole idea of pumping water backwards through the water pump "leaves a little to be desired" (at least for the purposes of running the engine).