flushing an outboard

[boater1234]

I have a question on flushing an outboard.I flush my engine everytime i go out in salt or freshwater with dove or dawn soap to sanitize the salt.By the way the dawn or dove works wonders for saltwater.The question i have is,if i go camping and leave the motor over night or even possibily 2 days on the island and it will be full of salt,will it do any damage to the motor or will it be ok for a day or 2 on the saltwater?

I'm asking because i have never left my motor for a day or 2 with salt in it so i'm curious,plus i don't know if it makes a difference the motor will be brand new and a portable 20hp.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: flushing an outboard

It will be OK for a year or two with saltwater in it. Don't give it a second thought. Your motor was made for it.

But I'm curious about your "sanitized salt" and how you know your soap works wonders inside the motor?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: flushing an outboard

Gee, I would think that detergent would tend to build up in the cooling passages, like it does in the kitchen drain....

How does dawn or dove sanitize the salt?

 

[boater1234]

Re: flushing an outboard

I learned that from a certifed yamaha mechanic that lives in my area.He works for a yamaha dealer im my area for over 35yrs and said save your money on the salt away stuff dawn or dove soap does exactly the same,he said use one drop of dawn or dove soap in the hose and then connect the muffs then run it through the outboard and it gets all of the salt out of there.

I have down that for every outboard i have ever owned and it has never had an issue so i will continue to do so whether it works or not,lol.If it ain't broke don't fix it,right.

I have heard that several times through the yrs also after i started doing it so there must be something to it.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: flushing an outboard

well I have no doubt soap is as effective as salt-away, and is cheaper, so your mechanic is right, which isn't saying much.

Salt-away works even better flushing dollar bills out of your wallet.

Seriously, a drop of soap in the hose followed by gallons of water? We now know you won't have to worry about build-up.

 

[kahuna123]

Re: flushing an outboard

Only if you have an ouboard that bypasses the thermostat for fresh water wash down or you able somehow or another to get the motor warm enough to open the stat and let water pass through the head. Other than that you do help the water pump.

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: flushing an outboard

You'll need to remove power head to check internal water passages to know if still in inmaculate clean condition, mo matter with which product you flush an OB used on salt water on the long run will form tiny microscopic salt layers one on top of the other due to heat, which will need to be removed mechanically by hand scrapping when in need to perform a preventive maintenance head gasket change.

Would you say that by drinking gallons of vinegar, olive oil, etc will wash your arteries to a inmaculate clean condition, arteriosclerosis is hard to overcome, same as OB's water passagesclerosis. Anyway, flushing is much better than no flushing at all.

Happy Boating

 

[dingbat]

Re: flushing an outboard

Would you say that by drinking gallons of vinegar, olive oil, etc will wash your arteries to a inmaculate clean condition, arteriosclerosis is hard to overcome, same as OB's water passagesclerosis. Anyway, flushing is much better than no flushing at all.

+1.....

 

[kahuna123]

Re: flushing an outboard

Still no response to the question. Maybe not on late models. But unless the thermostat opens there is no water going through the head. In the South we remove the stats on older models.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: flushing an outboard

Not exactly true! All thermostats have a tiny weep hole so that some hot water will continually pass over the expansion plug. It usually looks like a tiny vee notch in the body where the center plate seats. This keeps water from stagnating and delaying opening of the thermostat.

Open or closed, there is always at least a small amount of water passing through the head(s).