Cummins Marine Diesel Repower Specialists › Forums › General Discussion › Thru hulls
james.
I was going to lube up all my thru hulls while the boat was out..the engine thru hulls need an extension handle to get going .i usually use white lithium grease but was wondering if someone had a good way of freeing them up that last over time.
My starboard main closed with an extension for engine flushing, then stuck solid afterwards. I finally was able to get it opened by putting a wrench on and working it pretty hard. I picked up a zerc fitting, but it on the drain, pumped in some grease and exercised it about 20 times and can now move it by hand with out the extension.
When time permits, I’m going to pull the hose off, close the valve and pour barnacle buster in it to help clean the crap off. Then rotate the valve 180 and do the same thing on the other side of the ball.
Mine are 25 year old Buck Algonquin valves, and I’d really like to get another 25 out of them….
Boats, do the issues ever end?
Glad it worked out Bill. Grease is good. Thanks for posting the results and making this thread full circle.
Just to let you know how I made out with thru hulls I tried to exercise mains with extension handle but could not get them to work without the handle.after installing grease fitting on both sides I was able to free them up so I no longer need extension handle.thx to all..Bill
Understood Phil. Sounds good. Some guys stay in year round here as well but our winter nasty is really nasty and our winter beautiful is not so beautiful as to make it all worth the effort…
Rob…
Iām in California, so we get the full year in the water. Of course the winter can be nasty or beautiful but getting that to line up with my schedule can sometimes be a struggle
I wouldn’t bother with any of them that work freely. The balls and seats are designed to be self lubricating, but need regular exercise to keep them clean and moving. I move mine numerous times per season and thats includes in water and out of water in the winter. My air cond. seacock was out of reach from my center access hatch where I do my routine checks so last winter I went through the trouble of relocating it to a more accessible location and glassing in the original hole. That was for both safety in case it needed to be shut in emergency situation and also so it could be regularly exercised..
Thx to all.going to get that zerk and grease the mains that way.not sure if the smaller thru hulls have plugs but will Ck.most all of those are loose anyhow.Bill
Bill’s boat is on the hard. Yes, the plug can be removed from seacock when the boat is in the water with the valve closed, then it drains the water that is left in the space of the ball.
Phil, BTW, never caught your location – are you in a 12-month boating area or do you have a haul-out season?
Can that plug be removed with the boat in the water?
Further to Michaelās post – that should be a 1/8ā npt drain plug. You can remove it, screw in a steel zerk, hit her with some high quality waterproof marine grease and then pull the zerk and put the bronze plug back in (with a tad of pipe dope like Rectorseal 5) Then get in a routine of exercising them more often..
by the picture you posted, there is a bolt in the side of the sea cock, remove it, while out of the water and get the right size zerk and you should be good to go.
Good luck
No fittings so I usually in past have used lithium spray grease top and bottom to ball then exercise the fitting.did find this picture of thru hull with a fitting on side .doesnt look like a grease fitting but perhaps could be useful.
Hey Bil,
Do they have grease fittings? How are you applying the grease?
Exercising them regularly is always a big help, especially the bigger ones like engine intake and head discharge..
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