Low water pickup

69fastback

i just had a new drive (Bravo 3) put on my boat. My previous drive did not have a low water pickup, but this one does. I find the mercruiser part for running the engine with muffs on the water hose quite ridiculous. Does anyone have an alternative? Maybe a home made part?

http://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Mercruiser-Quicksilver-843122T01-Attachment/dp/B00N9HOK5W

Glassguy54

What is that even supposed to do?  I run my B3 on muffs without any such device.

69fastback

Does yours have the low water pickup? If you don't block the low water pickup, it won't create a suction thought the standard pickups to get sufficient flow to the water pump. Some have it and some don't. 

rasbury

yes, be careful- I did not have my thru hull closed all the way and ran on muffs, burned that pump right up....

elarson5757

So how do you know if you have low water pickup on your B3?  Newer option or could that be on my 2007?  I've run mine with the std muffs before but never for long. 

69fastback

Look on the leading edge of the lower unit, directly in front of the prop. There will be holes (4 I believe) in the leading edge, and those are the low water pickups. 

69fastback

Turns out that duct tape works perfectly. I can buy a lot of duct tape for $102. 

jme097

How would you run it on a trailer and not put muffs on the drive?

youstolemybeer

what the heck is that thing? some sort of funnel and you pour water in? Aint never seen one of those

69fastback

jme097 said:

How would you run it on a trailer and not put muffs on the drive?

You still have to put the muffs on it. The low water pickup is a third water pickup (one on each side of the drive + low water pickup), so run the muffs in their normal position, and tape up the low water pickup, otherwise the water will just run out of it, and it'll never start pumping water. 

jme097

Where is the low water pick up?

69fastback

jme097 said:

Where is the low water pick up?

69fastback said:

Look on the leading edge of the lower unit, directly in front of the prop. There will be holes (4 I believe) in the leading edge, and those are the low water pickups. 

......

Glassguy54

Not sure when this (low water pick up) became a feature on B-3 outdrives. Mine is a 2007 and doesn't have it.

jme097

I know about the gills on the outdrive but is there something else as well? I have a 2007 B3 and same as @Glassguy54

69fastback

If it has a low water pickup, there will be holes in the leading edge of the outdrive, directly in front of the prop. If they aren't there, then it doesn't have it. 

Michael T

....right on the "bullet" front!

69fastback

Michael T said:

....right on the "bullet" front!

Exactly

rasbury

I am so confused, why did you tape off the low water pickup, can't run the muffs and block off the holes? Mine is an 05 and have both and closed cooling. I'm sure I have missed something...that pump does not run long dry!

elarson5757

rasbury said:

I am so confused, why did you tape off the low water pickup, can't run the muffs and block off the holes? Mine is an 05 and have both and closed cooling. I'm sure I have missed something...that pump does not run long dry!

If yours has the low water pickup holes on the front of the "bullet" at the bottom of the drive and you use the muffs without covering the low water holes then they will draw in air I assume.  The muffs do not cover the lower water pickup holes, just the normal water intake. 

69fastback

Yes, exactly. Just like if you were to use the muffs on one side of the outdrive, the water will just run out the other side. It can't develope any suction with a big vent hole in the system. 

69fastback

Lol..... It edits m-u-f-f on a boat site. Funny

raybo3

Fixed........lol

rasbury

I have run mine at home on the muffs and I did not tape off anything...not even sure what your talking about....where is this low water pickup? i will look again based on the above, perhaps since I have a raw water pump I don't have these additional holes in the foot?

69fastback

If you ran it on the muffs, and didn't have a problem, then you don't have a low water pickup...lol. It's really not that big of a deal. 

rasbury

well sure would have been a pretty big deal if they were there and I missed it! I hate running out of the water...burned up once and don't want to do that again, ever!

69fastback

Yeah, you're correct. That would be a big deal.