ENGINE FLUSH

[Guest stephanb79]

HI GUYS

I have a question to ask what does everyone use to flush there engine after a day out ???

ive always used water to flush the engine and ive know alot of people use water is it OK or not ???

a few people have told me not to use water and use salt away but i don't know any one who uses it ,

thanks guys

[big Neil]

I use salt away after using my 15 hp Yamaha in the sea and I've had no trouble at all with my engine. It starts 1st time and runs very quietly. However I do most of my fishing in fresh water and don't use anything after that. Salt can build up very quickly especially if the flushing isn't getting rid of it after each use. I'm surprised nobody else uses anything other than water. As to whether it works or not it would probably be MORE beneficial to have another opinion from somebody who fishes in saltwater on a regular basis. Cheers, Neil.

[Sydneyfisher12]

i flush my motor every time i come back with fresh water but is\ should get this salt away every body speaks of i run the motor for 5 to 10 minutes with special ears i bought from the boat show the flush water in both sides rather than the one that just flushes one side. ive never had a problem with my motor and take it out in saltwater it least once a week sometimes even more

cheers sydneyfisher12

[cameldownunder]

I do use salt away. On my engine it looks like the water stream coming from the cooling system increases in strength after having flushed with salt away. I use it every 4 to 5 flushes.

[lillie]

I flush with freshwater for a while then turn motor and hose off. I then disconnect the hose at the tap and pour dishwashing liquid into hose end re attach hose to tap turn tap on and start motor again. The dishwashing liquid goes through the motor removing the salt. I was told this by a marine mechanic who said the dishwashing liquid removes the salt but plain water wont. The tell tail of the motor comes out frothy. I used to use straight water on my other motor and I had to have it repaired and I was really surprised at how much salt there was in the motor when it was pulled down, and the motor was flushed religiously. So I now do the dishwashing trick. Glenn

[BWV]

Vinegar, cheaper than anything offered on the marine market. 10L for $5.00 for home brand 2L bottles

Get a big drum, plastic 44 gal drum does the trick for me

Fill it up with fresh water the add 10-20l of vinegar and flush though for a total time of 30-60 minutes. Make sure the water level doesn't drop to much, have the tell tail feeding back into the drum, the water does get hot and will loose its cooling ability so be careful that you don't over heat your outboard, you should be able to put your hand in the water without burning it. If it does get to hot just stop and let it cool then go again. I had to remove the prop too.

Let it sit for 12- 24 hrs with the vinegar in the system

Start it up again for 20min or so in the vinegar solution

Then take the boat for a good hard run.

When finished running flush as normal.

First time I used this method I could not believe the amount of crap that was in the cooling system the bottom of the drum was covered in crap. Now when I do it get very minimal if any stuff sitting the the drum.

Never used salt away but everyone speaks highly of it.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Whaler 255

[stevefish]

Sheesh, how often do you do the vinigar?

I have been using fresh water for 10 years without problem. However ensure you flush until the thermostats open, say 5 minutes or so, there will be a change in the water coming out of the leg, watch closely or check with your mechanic regarding your outboard.

[NaClH2OK9]

However ensure you flush until the thermostats open, say 5 minutes or so, there will be a change in the water coming out of the leg, .

I'd never considered this. I'll be paying much more attention next time. ... Steve

[BWV]

I was doing every 12-18 months, but I'll am going to go to 2 years. I get not salt or calcium deposits in the bucket anymore so I am going to stretch it out and see how it goes.

[Guest Aussie007]

if u already have salt built up inside the engine the only way to get it out is with a drill u run the drill bit around the cylinder walls

ive tried salt away and vinegar on a submerged carby and can say it does jack shit

if u have a engine from new and use salt away than it'll come in handy but once the salt is built up its not going anywhere

[BWV]

if u already have salt built up inside the engine the only way to get it out is with a drill u run the drill bit around the cylinder walls

ive tried salt away and vinegar on a submerged carby and can say it does jack shit

if u have a engine from new and use salt away than it'll come in handy but once the salt is built up its not going anywhere

A submerged engine is a completely different subject. I disagree, I pulled the thermostat out before the first flush and if was covered is salt, calcium deposits and other stuff. Once the first flush went though we pulled the thermostat again and it was like looking at a different one! No deposits of anything on it.

[Guest Aussie007]

A submerged engine is a completely different subject. I disagree, I pulled the thermostat out before the first flush and if was covered is salt, calcium deposits and other stuff. Once the first flush went though we pulled the thermostat again and it was like looking at a different one! No deposits of anything on it.

the carby is what im talking about it had salt left inside it just like salt build up inside any engine ive rebuilt, salt away doesnt remove it i actually took it to a shop and the guy said hydrochloric acid would just remove the salt

[Nolongeramember]

A submerged engine is a completely different subject. I disagree, I pulled the thermostat out before the first flush and if was covered is salt, calcium deposits and other stuff. Once the first flush went though we pulled the thermostat again and it was like looking at a different one! No deposits of anything on it.

Just want to share my recent experience with Salt Away.

I have a one year old four stroke 60. Always rinsed thoroughly since new. It has 2 removable anodes on the side of the block and when removed you can see into the cooling water section. I noticed a few minor salt deposits inside recently so I thought I would give it a run through with Salt Away.

I mixed the Salt Away at 3% which is double the strength they recommend. I removed the thermostat, hooked up a strong bilge pump in a tub with the Salt Away and cycled it through the engine both directions for about 10 minutes (Salt Away recommend 30 seconds). This is a much thorough method than running the engine with the thermostat installed and the deposits were still there after I was done!

This is just my personal experience but it didn't work for me at all.

[BWV]

Salt will come away with vinegar, scale most probably won't. I have thought of hydrochloric acid it should remove scale and salt. One major problem I can see with hydrochloric acid is you will need to stop at chemical reaction quickly otherwise you could get some very expensive repair bills. Vinegar is more forgiving.

Gazza I read that you had salt on the inside of the cylinder walls, my mistake. To get salt on the inside of the bore it had to be submerged or back flooding though exhaust valves?

[Guest stephanb79]

ok guys

i have a new engine 75 etec evinrude i have just got off the phone from a evinrude dealer and i went through it with him and he told me to just flush the engine with water for about 15min that is all is required from evinrude

and not to spend money on all for the other products like salt away , he told me

with salt away it doesnt remove the salt it neutralizes it ,

so i guess ill just flush it with water

[Juggs]

i had a 50hp yamaha with lots of hours on and a build up inside the head and thermostat housing etc

i ran saltaway through it 5 times over a month and most of the build up had gone

detergents will bugger alloy parts, go leave some on bare aluminium and see how much it etchs it

[Guest Aussie007]

whaler nah mate i was using that as an example what happen was the whole engine was dunked than recovered and left to sit so the carby was filled with salt water it eventually dried over time and when i got it inside the carby was built up salt as u would find on inside a engine when u remove the head, i tried vinegar and salt away it wouldnt remove it but i did try salt away on the prop witch only had specs of light salt and it removed that, so i wouldnt bother to use salt away on a engine thats a few years old or older which will have salt already built up inside the cooling channels

Edited June 12, 2014 by gazza

[BWV]

Gazza yeah I agree with you, I don't think vinegar would cut it for cleaning up a submerged motor, maybe go for the hydrochloric acid but neutralise it before it's starts to etch the alloy. For flushing though vinegar works quite well. The heat generated by the outboard and the vinegar cleans the cooling system quite well and it's cheap. I have sat props in it too for a couple of days and they looked brand new. Each to their own it worked great for me and I'll continue to use it.

[NaClH2OK9]

Hi whaler. I like your approach. So I'm clear. You did this by dropping the leg in a 50 gal drum of vinegar solution?

I've only flushed with muffs

... Steve

Edited June 12, 2014 by NaClH2OK9

[BWV]

Yeah, I big plastic one. No ear muffs! Took the prop off because it didn't fit. Watch the water temp doesn't get to hot, but also the heat helps move the salt, calcium and scale.

[VViCKiD]

Hi whaler,

This sounds like a great idea. But how do u get the tell tail feeding back into the drum?

Cheers

[BWV]

I disconnected it from inside the cowling then duct tape it to a section of garden hose and run it into the drum.

[Twinfisher 4.9]

A good mate of mine, and this is going back 15 years, was for a time a professional fisho and his Evinrude had never been flushed with anything in the 12 years he owned it. In later years, no it wasn't used from one month to another and it never failed. We used to go out to Browns Mountain and it just kept on going. I think at times, we underestimate the resilience of the outboard.

Steve

[NaClH2OK9]

I'm guessing with vinegar mix????? What were the results Stew? Any crud rinsed out. How old is the engine?

... Steve