Outboard flushing solutions

[kingie chaser]

3 hours ago, zmk1962 said:

I always flush for 15-30min on fresh water. There's a lot of unpacking/cleanup that can be done in that period so I overlap flushing time with other activities.

If the motor is still warm its a 15min flush, if I have had to leave it overnight then it gets a good 30min the next day. 

I ran a Merc 200HP EFI 2st from new 1999 for 21 years and a Mariner 15HP 4st from 1998 for 22yrs. Thermostats were changed every 2-3yrs, impellers 18months, poppet valve on 200HP 5-7yrs. There was only minor build up of scale/salt around the thermostats. Both motors were in excellent condition and after inspection sold at about half of their original purchase price.

The 200 was always flushed with double-sided muffs and the 15HP with its proprietary attachment (underside of ventilation plate). 

I am not a fan of flushing in a bucket or container unless there is a constant feed of fresh water to the lower leg... not just toping up the bucket.

Salts and minerals dissolve into water until the water reaches a saturation level (the max amount of dissolved material it can hold)....as the water becomes  progressively saltier it takes longer and longer for any remaining salt to dissolve into it. So you best bet is to always have fresh water contacting any remaining salt. If you arr re-using the same water from a bucket you will ALWAYS leave some salt behind.

I have not used any aftermarket flushing solutions or vinegar mix on any of my outboards. While compounds like sulfamic acid are great for removing hard water scale (usually a calcium deposit) from metal (ie its used to remove scale in hot water jugs, steam irons etc) I just don't know what effect the sulfamic acid or other compounds have on the rubber seals and other components inside the engine. The manufacturers recommend a clean water flush. That's what I do and its worked for me.

The 200HP was very loud and I was VERY self conscious of the noise when I flushed it for 15+minutes so I made this silencer/muffler which reduced it to the same level as an idling car. Noisy long flush problem solved. It fed water to the double muffs and also into the muffler to act as a sound baffle.

Video link is in the old post.

The 4strokes are quieter than a lawnmower so don't have this issue. 

Salt flushing - copious fresh water is your best friend.

Cheers Zoran

Just out of curiosity Zoran, have you actually timed how long it takes your thermostat to open??

If people do choose to use a product like saltaway then there is no point pumping it through until the thermostat is open.

 

I know the 1st time I started to use the product for my 25hp Sea pro Merc that I noticed all this black deposits on the garage floor, thought I had broken a seal or had an oil leak but nope, seems to me it was where the SA had taken any material in the cooling system & neutralized it & dropped it on the floor?

Never seen it happen before that 1st use or even after!

Again I was flushing straight away when I get home from the ramp which is only 15mins from my house.

 

I would like to see some internal before & after shots when using it.

I guess its a bit like the Vitamin & supplement market, some people say you r just pissing yellow money away without any real proof it is doing you any good but people are spending billions of dollars a year thinking its doing you good 🤔

Edited June 14, 2021 by kingie chaser

[Fab1]

I flushed my outboard when brand new in a barrel of mould release (liquid silicon) after removing the prop.

  I flush with water for a few minutes straight out of the water at ramp while packing up.

Sometimes I don't flush for 6 months or more because last time I checked there was no salt in my garage where the boats been sitting since I last used it.🤣🤣😂

[zmk1962]

5 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

Just out of curiosity Zoran, have you actually timed how long it takes your thermostat to open??

Just depends Adrian. It's not time driven. More driven by the conditions: ambient temperature, temperature of the engine block, temperature of the cooling water (at present less than 15C), condition of thermostats ... etc  When the tell tail is warm, they are open.

5 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

If people do choose to use a product like saltaway then there is no point pumping it through until the thermostat is open.

Agree !

5 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

I know the 1st time I started to use the product for my 25hp Sea pro Merc that I noticed all this black deposits on the garage floor, thought I had broken a seal or had an oil leak but nope, seems to me it was where the SA had taken any material in the cooling system & neutralized it & dropped it on the floor?

Never seen it happen before that 1st use or even after!

Again I was flushing straight away when I get home from the ramp which is only 15mins from my house.

Once I had bits of shell come out of mine after flushing  ...  never had it again... must have skimmed a sand bar on that trip or sucked some in driving on / off trailer at ramp. It's hard to make conclusions from once off observations.  I'm sure sulfamic acid would have dislodged some deposits off the metal ... that's what its designed to do ... I'm just not sure if the motors internals gaskets, grommets, plugs etc were designed to have sulfamic acid exposure. When I asked the motor dealer - blank look - and a restatement that the manufacturer recommendation was to use fresh water.

5 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

I would like to see some internal before & after shots when using it.

I guess its a bit like the Vitamin & supplement market, some people say you r just pissing yellow money away without any real proof it is doing you any good but people are spending billions of dollars a year thinking its doing you good 🤔

Agree 100%. Only use what you need is my motto.

Cheers Z

[kingie chaser]

3 hours ago, Fab1 said:

Sometimes I don't flush for 6 months or more because last time I checked there was no salt in my garage where the boats been sitting since I last used it.🤣🤣😂

At that stage I think its just called an ornament 😅😅

[Fab1]

10 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

At that stage I think its just called an ornament 😅😅

An expensive ornament but an ornament never the less.I need something in the garage otherwise I'll get a ping pong table again to give family/friends a flogging.😂😂

[Fab1]

6 hours ago, motiondave said:

heheee...leave it too long and the seals can harden up, then once you get back to it, there might be leaks.

I was kidding mate.I fire her up every fortnight.

[antonywardle]

I'm also in the "Run it as soon as I get home, then go inside and make a coffee then come out and watch it until I finish it" camp. I like to feel that the water from the telltail has warmed up a bit. I probably do a good 10 minutes at a minimum, please if I'm not going out for a while then I run it again every few weeks. I also have the double ear muffs.