Flame Arrestor repair

[wgander]

Was going to clean the flame arrestor of my 1998 3 liter Mercruiser and noticed the discs are no longer parallel and evenly spaced.
Is it still effective? Can it be repaired? I couldn't tell how the discs are supposed to be held in place.

[Nauti_Mike]

No it can allow a backfire to escape the large gaps without dissipating enough heat. Not sure if it can be repaired by the picture.

[Pcpete]

That one is shot. Replacement it with a K&N Marine air filter is my recommendation. Kinda pricey, but keeps more junk out that a normal flame arrestor. https://www.knfilters.com/marine/boats.htm

[sketch96]

Replace it. The mesh style barbron high flow are nice. They have the valve cover breather fittings attached and in my case i needed the fuel pump fitting also. Found this on ebay for my 7.4l rochester 4bbl. Lots of different size options.

[builderdude]

That's a decent looking flame arrestor sketch, I've been wanting to upgrade mine to increase air flow also. What size 8" diameter? Is it zinc coated steel, SS, or aluminum? Also, is there any type of filter eliment included? I've also been looking at KnN

[sketch96]

That's a decent looking flame arrestor sketch, I've been wanting to upgrade mine to increase air flow also. What size 8" diameter? Is it zinc coated steel, SS, or aluminum? Also, is there any type of filter eliment included? I've also been looking at KnN

Its an 8 inch aluminum mesh style. I was looking at the k&n also. They did not have the fittings attached. The oem was approx 1 1/8 air opening and this one is 3 inch. I cant go any taller to clear the hatch. Barbron makes many different sizes

[Norton_Rider]

The nice thing about K&N is that they are not only a flame arrestor, but a very good air filter as well. Most, if not all the other units on the market are arrestors only. One could argue that there's not enough dust in the air on the water to make a difference but this is not the case in all areas, especially Southern California during the Santa Ana Winds season.

BTW, do not use an automotive K&N filter. While they are just as effective at arresting flames, they do not have the approval required by the Coast Guard.

[TerryW]

I use a K&N flame arrester on my 2452. I had no problems with it at all. The filter rarely needs cleaning and it is easy to clean. NB I don't work for K&N. . Tee Hee.

[sketch96]

K&N are great filters. Its all i use on my race cars. I was going to buy the k&n arrestor also but when i found this barbron with all the right fittings already attached it was just much easier and cheaper than the k&n. I would have to buy the fittings as an extra through k&n and if you do require the fuel pump fitting it will not be plumbed correctly. The fitting needs to pass through the media and be able to dump into the carburetor.

[88fourwinns]

Definitely do not try to repair that, replace it!

[sketch96]

From oem to barbron high flow with crankcase and fuel pump fitting.

[wgander]

Follow up:
I didn't get around to replacing it because I wasn't sure of the part number. I cleaned it and all of the discs are now properly aligned I can't tell how they are held in place.