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"Running jetboat on the garden hose" question

18K views 30 replies 12 participants last post by  NiceGuyEddie 
#1 ·
Want to fire off the motor in the driveway for a maybe 5 minutes and check for fuel pressure/leaks. I have never really ran it on the hose and I don't know if you should turn the water on first and let it start to fill the block and then fire the motor or fire the motor first and then let the water in? I have wet logs if that matters. Thanks!
 
#3 ·
10-4. I was wondering if the motor needed to be running to keep the water out of the exhaust ports.
 
#5 ·
Yeah mine are the log style with the internal water jackets cast inside them.
 
#9 ·
I only plan on running it for 30 seconds max to just check fuel pressure and look for any fuel line leaks.
 
#12 ·
from Berkely's website

Q: Can I run my pump while the boat is on the trailer?
A: Running the Berkeley out of the water:

A Berkeley pump can be run out of the water as it has a greased thrust bearing and lubricated tailshaft bushings. The impeller does not touch the wear ring, but due to the fact that the bottom of the pump is open during trailering the boat, it is best to run water into the pump through the nozzle while running on the trailer. The only issues with running out of the water is that after about 15 to 20 minutes the bowl seal can get hot from lack of cooling and cause seal damage. The packing gland may have to be re-tightened when the boat is used the next time as well.
 
#15 ·
If they say so, it's their pump.
Two things I would question however is, " Due to the fact that the bottom of the pump is open during trailering the boat, it is best to run water into the pump through the nozzle while running on the trailer" and, "after about 15 to 20 minutes the bowl seal can get hot from lack of cooling and cause seal damage."
I don't know what the bottom of the pump has to do with anything while running it, and very few seals can run 15 to 20 minutes without lubrication of some sort.
My belief is, the problem with the bottom being open during trailering allows dust and debris into the pump which would be abrasive to the internal parts of the pump. Before running out the water, I would think at least a good rinse of the wear ring and seals would be a good idea.
It also says the packing gland may need to be re-tightened, so does that mean it should be loosened before running or does running it wears on it so that it needs re-tightened?
Is it true the impeller doesn't touch the wear ring in the real world?

I'm not a jet guy, so I'm just wondering.
 
#13 ·
Nice info. I still wouldn't do it for that long but it's good to know.
 
#16 ·
Back before i had a jetaway to disconnect the pump this is what i would do. I went to lowes and bought two 6ft garden hoses and one of those garden hose Y spliters with a control valve on each end. I would connect one of the lines to the engine and stick the other line into the intake section of the pump (making sure to not go too far!). By doing this I was able to turn the faucet on full while adjusting the amount of water that went into the engine and letting all the remaining water go into the pump. You dont really need much water flowing through the engine, especially if your just trying to heat cycle it.

Definitely flush out the pump (intake) as best as you can, all the rocks and grit and crap you picked up from trailing will end up between your wear ring and impeller.
 
#17 ·
Back in the day when I was racing I saw alot of guys that fabricated a cover over the intake for towing over the road. Yes you can pick-up ALOT of road crap that swirls up into the pump and gets into the intake. At a minimum you can duct tape the intake to stop the crap you pick up on a long haul. I always would rinse the intake with a back and forth to rinse the crap out in the water before a fire-up. As far as out of water fire up for test and tune JUST DISCONNECT THE DIVE SHAFT! MLAO. M
 
#25 ·
the adapter that centers the flexplate has 4 bolt holes to bolt the adapter and flexplate to the crank. that adapter has 4 more holes to bolt the driveshaft coupler to the adapter. the bolts used to bolt the driveshaft, or h-bar to the adapter don't go through the flexplate and into the crank. if you don't have an adapter between the driveshaft/flexplate and crankshaft, not sure how you center the flexplate...
 
#22 ·
Some good suggestions guys, thanks.

Whats the feeling on greasing the man thrust bearing? 10 pumps before every trip or what? Do you physically want to see the grease puking out around the bearing onto the housing to know it's packed sufficiently?
 
#24 ·
Awesome thanks.

FYI i meant MAIN thrust bearing... sounded pretty bad there when I re-read my sentence ha!
 
#27 ·
You guys are talking about the PTO (power take off)?

All I remember is there are 6 bolts that hold the PTO to the crank and the flex plate is sandwiched between the crank and the PTO. I remember because I bought brand new grade 8 socket cap screws to hold everything together. Do not want those bolts shearing...
 
#30 ·
How is the Impaler going to touch the wear ring unless your pump is that loose that it can move that much if it's going to hit the wear ring on the garden hose I hate to think what it would do when it's under a load as far as the packing goes you loosen it up iRun Montana garden hose when I come home from the lake because I live in Louisiana and it's really muddy water want to get all that dirt out of my block as far as the PTO- held on by 6 Allen bolts just my two cents worth have a great day

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