Flush the engines

B

bridma

New member
I want to keep my boat in my marina slip over winter so I can go out at a moments notice when the sun makes an appearance. Also since selling my big house I have downsized and have no where to keep my boat at home. I do not trust local storage yards in my area as security seems non existent, anyone seems to walk in and out at will. My marina shuts off the fresh water from mid-Nov to mid-March. So I would not be able to do a fresh water flush on the twin Yamahas after use. How important is this?
Before I had a C-Dory I had other outboards and never did a fresh water flush, because I had never heard of such a thing. Never had a problem.

Martin.
 
I had a 50 Suzuki on a Flats Boat in Texas. I ran the boat 4 to 5 times a week for 5 months a year. The motor got flushed twice each 5 months, Christmas I went home for 2 weeks and pulled the boat out of the water, and in April when I pulled the boat until the next November. I had the boat for 8 years and at the end before I sold it, I had it serviced and the cooling passages inspected. No sign of obstructions or salt build up. The only problem I ever had was gas building up in the oil. This occurred because I ran such short distances, that the motor had a problem, not getting up to temperature.

On the two Honda 135's on Discovery, I flush the motors every time I launch or load from saltwater. If at all possible. Over 1000 hrs and still going strong.

I guess you do the best you can, and hope it's OK.
 
I had a 90 hp Yamaha, which had serious salting problems. It had to be torn down and cleaned with acid. I don't know the history before I got the boat. The problem of overheating arose about a year after I got the boat. I ran it in salt water, and then came back to my house which was in brackish water. I assumed that was enough. After the cleaning, I religiously washed out the motors. Currently my home is on fresh water due to about 8 million gallons a day outward fresh water from the bayou., so the engine runs in fresh water for at least 10 minutes.

What I have done is to flush motors with "Salt Away" or white vinegar, with a pressure garden sprayer, and garden hose attachment. The pressure container was about 3 gallons, and would do several flushes. You just have to fill the passages with the solution.
 
I think it is important to flush every now and then. How often? Beats me.....there are a ton of boats with outboards that don't get flushed at all. I flush mine 4-5 times a year and certainly before winter storage. It guess it's working as my Hondas are 22 years old and still going strong. I think flushing and good maintenance extends how many hours you get out of them. I think the Yamaha engine have the best corrosion protection, so it is probably less critical.
 
I have my boat moored in salt water. The Everett Suzuki dealer told me flushing was important. We do have fresh water year around so it is not difficult.
 
Remind me not to buy Nomad when she comes on the market. :?

I have a good friend who has been an oyster farmer for two decades. He literally runs his 2005 yamaha in the bay to fill orders 365 days a year. Swears hes never flushed his motor once, and that with the constant use, salt never has a chance to build up. Every time i see him i wait for him to tell me his motor finally went tits-up....Still hasnt happened.
 
I'd suggest not worrying about it until Spring, then run some Salt-away through the motors and leave it in the motors for at least a few days. I think the more often you run the boat (up to full temp. as others have suggested) the better off you'll be. I would only worry if you're running it in saltwater then letting it languish for months on end. With the motors cold you might want to take the cowlings off and spray off the surface with a mist from a pump bottle to prevent salt/air surface corrosion? Of course pampering and indoor heated storage is ideal, but that's not the reality sometimes, and even then there's no guarantee of longevity. These motors (and batteries, and fuel systems) love to be run regularly. Commercial operators get thousands of hours out of their motors by running them every day. Enjoy your sunny days!
 
Agree with Westward, Just run and have fun and do a good flushing in the spring. If you want a little project, build a tank sprayer to flush connection to do it at the dock. Might only keep you out of trouble for an hour.

Greg
 
Yes, running eery day will keep the motors well flushed out. I know some commercial operators who do flush, but if you are running like CG or some commercial fishermen the motors are rarely shut down for more than a few hours.

Not just corrosion, but salt build up in the passages. Thermostats are often a place where this starts. Thermostats need to be checked periodically.
 
I have the same issue, 2003 honda BF90 though.

My dealer advised that when I keep my boat in the harbor during winter when the water is off, and don't flush it, that I should consider not tilting up my engines. He indicated that I would drain parts of the cooling system allowing salt to deposit, whereas if it stays down in the water, the salt will just stay dissolved and not deposit as much.

But I also got scolded for not flushing it enough this season (I deserved it, I should have done it more).

Anyway, for winter I have a 5 gallon bucket that I fill with fresh water, and a threaded fitting in the bottom of it, and a section of garden hose with a little shutoff valve attached. I set the bucket on my engine cowling (I secure it on there with some bungees, it'll slide off half the time), and hook the hose up to the flushing adapter and let her drain. I don't really do this enough, but it does seem to work well.
 
You have to be realistic: for those who have done any cruising with their boat, you know it simply isn't possible to flush after every use. You may be able to flush after each home use (we have water at our dock at home), but that isn't going to happen when you are out, possibly for several months at a time. So, you use Salt-Away when you can flush, and flush thoroughly.

Best thing you can do for your boat/motor is give it regular use.
 
Kushtaka,
Don't you worry about freezing in the engine block? We even concern ourselves with that in NW Florida, when the tempo rarely gets down to 18 degrees at night.
 
I agree with Jim, flush every chance you get. Is there a way you can use a flush bag on your motor while moored in the water? I think it would be difficult but not impossible, especially if you don't have a big permatrim or fin mounted on top the skeg.

Peter
 
thataway":1odl7n2x said:
Kushtaka,
Don't you worry about freezing in the engine block? We even concern ourselves with that in NW Florida, when the tempo rarely gets down to 18 degrees at night.
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We leave the engine tilted down and the fresh water drains. It's also not very cold here in Cordova. We haven't seen winter in some time. I probably wouldn't do this in cold weather, and can't really think of a time that I have, but most days its above freezing, and below at night. If you do it early enough there's plenty of time for gravity to do it's thing. With the motor tilted down we risk a little bit of growth. But really the days are so short that there is very little growth on the lower unit during winter.

But I guess the real substance of the discussion I have with our dealer is that it's kind of a catch 22. Each approach has issues. Either not flushing and risking salt deposits or flushing and risking freezing. The one thing that is for certain, is no flushing and tilting up.

I don't run the engine to flush it, I simply run water through the flush port. It should drain if left tilted down. So far so good.
 
Mike, your right, there are no guarantees... But, a stitch in time could save 9! I've replaced all my internal anodes even tho the df70 wasn't one that was effected with the corrosion problems but, as a worrier, I paid a lot of attention to that concern as well.
 
capt. meares":t36z459u said:
Remind me not to buy Nomad when she comes on the market. :?

I have a good friend who has been an oyster farmer for two decades. He literally runs his 2005 yamaha in the bay to fill orders 365 days a year. Swears hes never flushed his motor once, and that with the constant use, salt never has a chance to build up. Every time i see him i wait for him to tell me his motor finally went tits-up....Still hasnt happened.
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That is a strange comment in the first sentence! Luckily for you Nomad will not be on the market for sale anytime soon.
Do you think every C-Brat flushes their engines every time when they turn them off? I don't.

Martin.
 
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