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How do you get stuck hoses off hose barbs?

schiker

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Pendleton, SC
Do you just pull the snot out of them. seems mostly only way. I had a couple on my boat that were stuck pretty hard so I crammed a small screw driver under hose and sprayed with a penetrant. Then wiggled a screw driver under and pried on it
Another squirt of lube then wiggle, twist yank, and jerk til it would spin on barb then they come off easily.

How do you get to that point easiest? Do they make "hose spoons" thingies???? Anyone ever smoothed a screw driver for this?
 
This is the one I keep in my "boat toolbox" that goes with me to every customer that I work on and I use it all the time on my own boat. It's got a pretty long tip so it gets in there quite far. Another trick is to use a slip-joint pliers and twist the hose to "crack" it free - a rag will help to protect the hose. Grip just hard enough to keep the pliers from twistig. Be careful with petroleum-based products as they're not good for the rubber. Wash it off real good, including the inside.

IMG_1745a.jpg
 
Hose pick as mentioned. Before putting hose back on I use a oring lube. A product called AquaLube is what I used for years then my supplier stop carrying it. I need to Google it and see if its still made. You could pull a hose off years later using that stuff. I also used like an antiseeze on Swimming pool motors with stainless bolts into alluminum housings, worked awesome for that also.
 
Not sure if it's the same thing, or not, but "plumber's grease" is silicone based and safe for rubber (it's meant for o-rings). You can get it at any hardware store.

Also be careful with certain types of anti-seize. The most commonly available has copper in it. In the marine industry (especially salt water) we are constantly fighting corrosion due to dissimilar metals. There's very little copper in the anti-seize, but it's best practice to avoid adding a different metal whenever possible. The use of an insulating washer can help in certain cases, or in the case of male/female threads "Tef-gel" is fantastic.
 
Thanks guys. I like the looks of that super oring lube but plumbers grease should be easy to get local.

Next time I'll spray with silicone instead of penetrating oil. Half thought of it today but wanted something that would be stronger to penetrate the corrosion and crusty stuff.

I have done the slip pliers thing before on older stiff hose but the boat has always been covered and engine has low hours and previous owner sprayed either silicone or the mercruiser engine Kote stuff and the hoses were soft and pliable just stuck from corrosion on inside. I did not want to chew up od. They almost seemed glued. I almost wondered if mercruiser might have put some sticky on them to insure they would seal.
 
Glued? Nah, they just get that way sometimes (actually quite often). Very normal.

I think I once saw one of these "pick" tools at Harbor Freight (same size/shape as mine). It was a WHOLE lot less than what I paid for the MAC tool (which, to be honest, is actually for some complete other purpose but I can't remember what). Probably not made out of the same metal, but for someone who is using on rare occasions I'm sure it would get the job done just fine.
 
Yeah, I didn't really believe that but still almost wondered if anything had changed. I have actually visited the Mercruiser (Mercury Marine) plant in Stillwater, OK. That was back 10 yrs or so ago. That was a pretty cool trip. I was an engineer for a company that made tooling to machine some outdrive and gimbal housing bores. The engineer I liasoned with took me on a quick tour. The dyno room was awesome. Nothing like a few 454's idling then full throttle runs kinda suspended in air on a production dyno line. I Saw a production line where they marinized some GM 350's and turned them into Mercruiser 350 Magnums. Mostly saw the sterndrive machining area though several rows of Mazak CNC mills iirc.

I would have liked to have seen some of the die casting but it was a big facility and that was the other side. Back then they were also assembling the 3.0L engine in house. Mine has Mexico cast into the block or head. I guess that is at least where the 3.0L were cast for Mecruiser but assembled in US circa ~ 2003 ????
 
Hose grip pliers, and hose push off pliers. (I seriously need to figure out adding pictures.). Python makes the best hose grips, harborfreight push off are ok.

Your Mac tool is general a pick hook, Dennis. I sold probably 100 a year of those in my yellow truck days...
 
That sounds like a really cool trip and experience at Merc. I would DEFINITELY enjoy that. Too bad I won't be able to see any 454's (or even 496's) any more.

Will - thanks. I always wondered because the tip has a concave feature to it, almost like a reverse dimple. I've since rounded it off to help avoid puncturing the hoses, though.
 
Usually when hose is that stiff its time to replace so I take a sharp blade and cut thru the hose reinforcing braid along the fitting but not enough to go into the barbs. then a little twisting rotation motion will bring it off.
 
I found a local supplier for the AquaShield. It looks to be the same stuff :thumbsup:
 
That sounds like a really cool trip and experience at Merc. I would DEFINITELY enjoy that. Too bad I won't be able to see any 454's (or even 496's) any more.

Will - thanks. I always wondered because the tip has a concave feature to it, almost like a reverse dimple. I've since rounded it off to help avoid puncturing the hoses, though.

I ws going to tell you that they still sell them for industrial use, but a visit to the website unfortunately says otherwise. You seem to be correct, no more Biggie blocks. :(

at least the legendary 350 lives on, along with my personal favorite small gas engine, the 4.3L v-6. http://gmpowertrain.com/Industrial/ProductPortfolio.aspx

here is our nearest GM powertrain dealer. link is their photo page, with GM engines in full dress for irrigation use. http://www.industrial-irrigation.com/gallery/photogallery/gm-gallery.htm
 
That's cool to see those engines in that type of configuration. 4.3? Been around a long, long time and very reliable. Yeah - that 350 is a killer engine. My personal favorite (in the marine industry) is the 350MAG 300HP. It's such a fantastic engine, but still cost effective (relatively speaking, of course!). They still have the 6.2L (377) but it's only 20HP more than the 350MAG and it's quite a bit more.

You know, I totally spaced on something... The government basically told GM you can't build the big blocks (which is why the 8.1L is no longer offered in our trucks) which meant that Merc can't source the block from GM. BUT, I forgot about the 502 - I don't know the whole story, but Merc did something where they built their own 502 or sourced the casting and reworked it... something like that. Either way, that one is still available (they reference it as the 8.2L) and apparently it no longer eats oil, either! http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/mercruiser/sterndrives/8.2/

And, of course, there's Mercury's racing division... :)
http://www.mercuryracing.com/
 
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