Washing Out Your Outboard Motor

[hoges1974]

Hi guys

I always wash my motor out as soon as i get home but lately i have been doing a few night trips and have nowhere to wash the boat out untill i get home. At midnight i wouldn't like to start the motor to wash it out so i leave it till the morning.

My question is what is the longest you should leave it to wash your motor out and how long till it starts to do damage to your motor.

Edited May 4, 2008 by hoges1974

[IWANNABROCK]

So long as you wash motor out the next morning you should be sweet,I washed mine out every trip,except when I was using boat every day or so over xmas I only flushed engine every second trip,Its when the salt dry's and crystalise's in the water jacket's that damage start's due to blocked gallerie's and corosion.

[reefa]

I have been told that to get the salt out of your motor you sholud run it for at about 15 minutes till it gets to running temperature , that way the salt will be loosened and flushed out of the motor. Otherwise it doesn't do much at all

[hoges1974]

I have been told that to get the salt out of your motor you sholud run it for at about 15 minutes till it gets to running temperature , that way the salt will be loosened and flushed out of the motor. Otherwise it doesn't do much at all

I usually run mine for about 10 mins while i give the boat a wash. The water gets warm after about 5 or 10 mins.

[choad]

I have been told that to get the salt out of your motor you sholud run it for at about 15 minutes till it gets to running temperature , that way the salt will be loosened and flushed out of the motor. Otherwise it doesn't do much at all

interesting.

before they closed off the taps at roseville ramp the signs said maximum 3 minutes per engine flush. pretty dodgy, eh?

[dangles]

interesting.

before they closed off the taps at roseville ramp the signs said maximum 3 minutes per engine flush. pretty dodgy, eh?

but after a day on the water your motor would still be warm?

[a boat]

Hi Guys, running an outboard with operating thermostats more than 5 minutes on a flusher is a waste of water. If the thermostat is functionly correctly then the engine will reach operating temp in that time and the fresh water will have gone thru the whole powerhead.

If you are getting home at midnight and flush the engine early the next morning than that will not be a problem. Modern engines have a fresh water flusing port that allows you to flush the powerhead without needing to run the engine so if you have an outboard with one of these I would give a quick flush when you get home and then fire it up the next moring for no more than 3-5 minutes if running as designed.

Cheers,

Huey.

[pelican]

Considering when you go fishing you run your motor to the grounds and then drift or anchor for a few hours and you don't flush it then assumably salt crystals or scale could form then?

A lot of the corrosion issues are on motors are the metal they are made of and scaled seems to be increased with really small water galleries ( smaller lighter weight blocks) with low flow rates in some sections. Some brands are better than others after a few years. With new casting methods it is really hard without access ports to descale components. Small portable outboards have tiny water galleries and any sand or weed debris seems to be the death of them.

If salt is truely crystalised or formed a scale on the inside of a block flushing won't remove it as salt doesn't seem to dissolve again easily but flushing will get rid of sand and debris and stop salt water pools in the motor.

Be interested on Hueys comments as he sees a lot of motors in pieces and probably knows which clients flush and which don't and see if he sees any difference in the internal corrosion or scale levels on modern motors or components like thermostats and water pumps.

Even when we were in dams in fresh we used to flush - don't know the logic in that one when the dam water was probably better than the clhlorinated tap water.

Still amazes me the people I see who run motors in the sand , mud, weed and shallows or reverse of beaches stirring up clouds of muck not realizing it is going through their motor cooling system when a simple push off , not being there in the first place or running the electric would suffice. After seeeing lifesaving motors pulled down and finding shells bigger than the water intake grills I'll believe anything can be sucked up or muscles / oysters on moored boats growing up on the inside of intake grills and inside legs.

[Dreamtime]

Unfortunately my engines only ever come out of my boats for a service or when somethings broke. That is the only time they get a flush. I would imagine that is the same for all that have their boats permanently moored, whether outboards or legs. What's the general consensus about the condition of these "moored" engines. Do they have a shorter life owing to less TLC?

[hoges1974]

To save a on water a bit lately i have let the boat motor run for a min or so then put a bucket under the water spray and use this to wash the boat. Doesn't save much but makes me feel less guilty

[deek]

I also squirt a small amount of Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid in behind the ear muffs. I'm told it's suppose to help keep the impellor lubed. Don't know if that's true or not.

Cheers

Deek

Edited May 9, 2008 by deek

[pelican]

A lot of detergents are very alkaline to enable them to remove grease. Many detergents can contain agents that deteriorate rubber. No idea on morning fresh specifically but it is quite a harsh detergent. Impellers are a very resistant rubber compound and use their shape and a water film so they don't wear much. Your impellor is fine as long as it is underwater before you start your motor. Biggest damage to impellers is to run them dry as they quickly get damaged by friction and heat = - you wonder why mechanics smile at boat ramps when they see people dry start their motors just to see if they will start!!!.

[Dreamtime]

I also squirt a small amount of Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid in behind the ear muffs. I'm told it's suppose to help keep the impellor lubed. Don't know if that's true or not.

Cheers

Deek

Try BP Comprox - great for washing the car and boat also

[a boat]

I also squirt a small amount of Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid in behind the ear muffs. I'm told it's suppose to help keep the impellor lubed. Don't know if that's true or not.

Cheers

Deek

Hi Deek, I would not be listening to whoever told you that about the dishwasher liquid. Not much point doing it and could as Pel pointed out be worse for the impeller. Big thing again as Pel pointed out is to not start the outboard without any water running thru the impeller. Yes I see this all the time at ramps and even for a short time like 30 seconds damage will have occured with the impeller.

I have not heard of the stuff Mariner suggested so can not comment on that, but at the end of the day just run the outboard for about 3 minutes with fresh water, give the powerhead a light wash down with water (requires removing the cowl) and than leave engine in the trimmed down position(to drain any water left in the powerhead and leg) and you will be doing the best you can to prevent corrosion with your outboard.

Cheers,

Huey.

[Dreamtime]

I have not heard of the stuff Mariner suggested so can not comment on that,

Cheers,

Huey.

G'day Huey,

I used to buy Comprox from BP service stations to wash my car and boat - never flushed the engine with it though. They had it in a 200 litre drum and you paid for it by the litre. Was very "soft" and left no residue on either boat or car. I bought some here last month in a 5 litre container but it was of a consistency similar to water. The original was thick like a heavy oil and gave excellent results.

[Andy Loops]

Hi Guys, running an outboard with operating thermostats more than 5 minutes on a flusher is a waste of water. If the thermostat is functionly correctly then the engine will reach operating temp in that time and the fresh water will have gone thru the whole powerhead.

If you are getting home at midnight and flush the engine early the next morning than that will not be a problem. Modern engines have a fresh water flusing port that allows you to flush the powerhead without needing to run the engine so if you have an outboard with one of these I would give a quick flush when you get home and then fire it up the next moring for no more than 3-5 minutes if running as designed.

Cheers,

Huey.

Hi Huey,

Why run the engines to flush the motor the next morning if you are running these more modern outboards? Is it to generate the heat needed to make the salt dissolve as the scenario above means the boat has been sitting there cooling overnight?

These taps allow you to flush water through the powerhead without the engine on and (provided you flush while motors still warm - having returned to berth) I would have thought this would be sufficient?

Thanks for the help,

Andrew

[hoges1974]

Hi Deek, I would not be listening to whoever told you that about the dishwasher liquid. Not much point doing it and could as Pel pointed out be worse for the impeller. Big thing again as Pel pointed out is to not start the outboard without any water running thru the impeller. Yes I see this all the time at ramps and even for a short time like 30 seconds damage will have occured with the impeller.

I have not heard of the stuff Mariner suggested so can not comment on that, but at the end of the day just run the outboard for about 3 minutes with fresh water, give the powerhead a light wash down with water (requires removing the cowl) and than leave engine in the trimmed down position(to drain any water left in the powerhead and leg) and you will be doing the best you can to prevent corrosion with your outboard.

Cheers,

Huey.

Huey thanks for your comments always good to hear from the pros

For some reason i have always had this thing in my head just to start the motor at home before i go out to make sure it starts. When i do this i let the motor run for no more then a second or 2 (as soon as it fires i turn it off). I figured this would not hurt the engine as when you start it in the water there has to be a few seconds before the water reaches the impeller(i may be wrong i am sure you will tell me lol).

I have a new optimax and i figure it will start every time but i have just alsways done this.

your thoughts please

cheers

Hoges

[johnno]

when i flush mine i taste the water You can tell the difference which changes after about a minute.

[a boat]

Hi Huey,

Why run the engines to flush the motor the next morning if you are running these more modern outboards? Is it to generate the heat needed to make the salt dissolve as the scenario above means the boat has been sitting there cooling overnight?

These taps allow you to flush water through the powerhead without the engine on and (provided you flush while motors still warm - having returned to berth) I would have thought this would be sufficient?

Thanks for the help,

Andrew

Hi Andy, if you have a moored boat, then yes the newer engines with fresh water flushing ports are great to connect the hose to once back at the marina and run fresh water thru the block. If the engine is still hot or at least warm the thermostat should be still open and you can give it a good flush. Any chance you get to run the engine on the flusher with fresh water is good to flush of any salt also.

Cheers,

Huey.

Huey thanks for your comments always good to hear from the pros

For some reason i have always had this thing in my head just to start the motor at home before i go out to make sure it starts. When i do this i let the motor run for no more then a second or 2 (as soon as it fires i turn it off). I figured this would not hurt the engine as when you start it in the water there has to be a few seconds before the water reaches the impeller(i may be wrong i am sure you will tell me lol).

I have a new optimax and i figure it will start every time but i have just alsways done this.

your thoughts please

cheers

Hoges

Hi Hoges, cranking the engine before you leave to make sure the battery is good is all I do before I water test a boat or run my own. Yes modern engins like your OPTI should not have a problem starting and if it makes you feel better to run for a second or two without water you will not be doing any real damage to your impeller, just get in the habit of replacing the impeller once a year or every 50 hours if you do this.

Cheers,

Huey.

[hoges1974]

Hi Hoges, cranking the engine before you leave to make sure the battery is good is all I do before I water test a boat or run my own. Yes modern engins like your OPTI should not have a problem starting and if it makes you feel better to run for a second or two without water you will not be doing any real damage to your impeller, just get in the habit of replacing the impeller once a year or every 50 hours if you do this.

Cheers,

Huey.

Thanks mate

Edited May 10, 2008 by hoges1974