Flushing outboard motors

[aquarius]

Hi Folks.....Was just wondering how long and how we go about flushing the outboards after use?......Do we use flushing agents in the water?
Myself i flush my motor using muffs with fresh water only for a period of 5 minutes......is this enough time to clean away the salt deposits?
Also start and run my motor for 5 minutes every 2 weeks if i have not been out on the water.
Cheers #Brent :)

[charleville]

When I have asked the same question in the past, the experts have replied that the motor needs to be run long enough to open up the thermostat to ensure that fresh water actually does pass through the motor.

Various opinions have surfaced about how to judge this, such as tasting the water at the outlet to know when fresh water is getting through (which I don't understand) to feeling the temperature of the water to feel when it gets a little warmer.

Both of those ideas sound a little unreliable to me. Generally people say that five minutes should be quite ample and that is how long that I run mine.

However, something that I have noted over the past week is just how good the flow is out of my motor recently. At odd times over the past couple of years that I have owned it, the flow has been good but not firehose strength. Over the past few weeks that I have been on hols, I have done a number of trips from Manly boat harbour to the Four Beacons, Tangalooma etc, ie quite long runs. For much of the year my trips are quite short eg manly to Green Is, Jacob's Well to the Pin etc. So I am assuming that the recent series of long runs has been good for the donk. There is a very strong flow out of the motor at the moment.

Not answering your question, I know, as I am not an expert but I believe that the secret to any motor's longevity is to use it regularly.

[NQCairns]

Hi I am far from an expert and flushing seems to be a bit of a black art (if only motors were made of perspex) I usually taste the expelled water until there is no salt noticed any more, and dont care if I miss a few flushes sometimes, we humans are real good at detecting salt loads.
IMHO The motors i have pulled apart and knew their history well from new seemed to be thus. Offshore rig no problem with salt ever flushed or not, inshore rig slightly more, estuary which sees mud etc sucked up every now and then, biggest problems with salt. From my uni chem/biology subject days I can remember that salts (includes calcium etc)/mud/biological substances/humic type acids etc can form complexes. In outboards these can build and set very hard in the presence of heat and has to be scraped away or ran for a week in a freshwater lake. Most O/B corrosion is not caused by salt it is electrolosis the salt just kicks it along, make sure that any annode on the leg etc is not painted over or just bolted onto paint like almost all new o/bs as that will do real damage over time (manufacturers deliberate time bomb) As for additives buggered if i know, but would like to :-/.nq

[gruntahunter]

hey guys..another non except giving his opinon....me
I flush for 5 mins and notice that the thermostat has opened cause the water gets cooler and there is no tatse in the tell tale.
You should also have the motor in gear as running for this length of time is no good for the gear box as oil in the leg is not circulating......but keep kids and pets and wifes clear.
I use a product calles cooee, produced at Maroochydore, and it last for 6 months and actually gets into the alloy not just coats it.
It has been university tested with a1 results and actually reconditioned an old corroded outboard.I have my outboard checked by northside marine when it get servised each year and they cant find any signs of corrosion..it is 5 years old.

[NQCairns]

Hi Grunta, how do you apply this cooee? Do you know of where a person can see the test results? Sounds like a product that may do exactly what it says - finally. nq

Edit: Found their website also has what looks like an abridged version of some test results. http://www.cooeebiosciences.com/web_pages/products/our_products_flush.htm

[gruntahunter]

put the earmuffs on and motor to operating temp...ie thermostat open......I then empty out water from the tap end of the hose and pour the required amount of flush into this end of the hose
The reason being is that u must turn the tap on before starting outboard and one would lose the product before the engine has started.
Its just a matter of waiting til the telltale runs clear as the product is milky in cloour.
Too easy and it it quite cheap as it lasts a long time

[searaider]

You may be interested in a the resent Post by Webby regarding Yamaha Repairs .
He is trying to find out if it was additives he used in the water flushing his motor , that formed a gooie substance that blocked some of the galleys in his engine block .

Peter
Searaider 2

[gruntahunter]

Hopefully this stuff is fine as it has been university tested and i,ve been running it for 4 to 5 years witk no probs.But you can only go by ur experiences hey.

[goodoo]

brent take a hose and tap nut with you as most ramps have taps with no nuts to clip your hose on if its not to busy flush your motor once its on the trailer before it drains and has a chance to dry this helps save a lot af holes in the water jackets GOODOO

[aquarius]

Thanks Goodoo for the tip......tried that in the past a few times but like you said as long as the ramp is not busy.
Cheers Brent