Clean the Flame Arrestor?

[JeffM]

How often do you need to clean the flame arrestor? The engine is a 2000 5.7L EFI. As far as I know it hasn't been cleaned in 3 years. The inside was clean but it had a pretty good coating of black crud on the outside and smelled like WD-40.

The outside after I wiped the crud off. You can still see some near the bracket for the hose connection:

The inside:

Could a clogged arrestor cause loss of power and top end performance? How clogged would it have to be to affect performance?

Thanks!
Jeff

 

[NateRW21]

Well yes... same as an air filter. When you have an air restriction, you won't run as well.

It really can't hurt to clean it; couldn't tell you from looking at the pictures if it's that packed with crud. But again... it can't hurt. I'd just use some simple green or something of the sorts and a scrub brush that will get between the plates. Rise well and be sure to let it dry.

 

[rondds]

i pulled both of mine off and soaked them in gumout carb cleaner. also scrubbed with an old toothbrush. AMAZING how much crud came out. the liquid cleaner turned BLACK. i blew out the excess liquid with compressed air and let it drip dry.

 

[fc3]

Yes, they need to be cleaned. Cleaning is more critical with a carb than EFI, but it's still something that must be done.

We have a golden retriever whose hair gets everywhere, especially the flame arrestor. It's difficult to remove from the arrestor, so I switched to some K&N air filters. Permanent, easy to clean, and better air filtration for the engine. If you go the K&N route, be sure to get the Coast Guard approved ones that provide back flame arrestor properties.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[JeffM]

Thanks, guys. I'll do a more thorough job of cleaning it and see if that helps. We don't bring the dog on the boat, so I think we'll stay with the stock one for now.

I'm curous about the WD-40 smell, though. Does fogging oil or carb cleaner smell similar? I'm not sure what our previous mechanic did to it, wonder if I'm smelling cleaner....in which case, where did all that crud come from in less than two hours of run time this season?

 

[techmitch]

your local auto parts store should have spray cans of brakekleen, works great,dries fast and leaves no residue. put it up to the light and look through the fins before and after, simply amazing!!!!

 

[DavHJ]

I make cleaning the spark arrestors part of my winterizing routine, after the engines and gen-set are winterized I take the spark arrestors off clean throughly and reinstall and I'm good to go for next season.
I got boarded by the coast guard once and part of there inspection was the spark arrestors.
I got a 100 on my inspection.
Dave

 

[Kurt]

Take it to a garage or shop and have them blow it out with an air-chuck.

 

[JeffM]

Well, I sprayed a whole can of CRC Carb Cleaner through it, then used Dawn detergent and an old paint brush to clean out the CRC, and finally used compressed air to blow it dry. Nice and clean now; hope it makes a difference...we're headed down to reinstall and try it out.

Thanks for your suggestions! I'll let you know how she runs now.

 

[JeffM]

Well, it helped a little. She still was slow to plane but got up faster than before. Of course, there was less weight on board -- just me and my 14 yo son. We'll see tomorrow when we head to BIH with a full load...

 

[mrsrobinson]

I wipe ours down with a dry towel every few months. Once a year I soak them in carburater cleaner/brake cleaner and then spray then out with carburater cleaner in a can. Let it air dry for 12+ hours.

 

[rondds]

the coasties are not necessarily grading the clenliness of your air cleaners - they are verifying that you indeed have flame arrestor type. that is mandatory on boats built after 1970something, as well as insanity to NOT have them!:thumbsup: