Outboard flushing time?
Submitted by r.gates on Wed, 2012-07-25 21:44
Hi all
Just come back from Darwin and after we came back from a fishing trip, the brother-in-law (or his nephew, depending on who's boat we fished from) would flush their outboards for at least 15 mins...sometimes longer. When I flush mine, it's for approx. 5 mins and when I asked them about why they flush theirs for so long, they told me that it takes that long to get all the salt out.
With that in mind, I was wondering how long you guys flush your outboards for? Am I short changing myself and doing damage if I only flush for 5 mins or is 15 mins just overkill??
regards
rusty...
____________________________________________________________________________
If life is boring, you must be doing it wrong!
axl100
Posts: 112
Date Joined: 06/11/10
I do mine for about 2mins
I do mine for about 2mins
joe amato
Posts: 731
Date Joined: 21/12/08
15 mins is good
15 mins is good to flush out the salt in the system,thats how long i do it,but if any outboard mechanics can advise on the best way to flush your outboard i would like to know aswell as every1 else..........
hayway marine
Posts: 40
Date Joined: 25/05/12
5 mins is fine
If at all you don't need to flush your motor out each time you use it only if your not using it again for a long time
Regards,
Shane McIntosh
Hayway Marine
7 Belgravia Street Belmont W.A. 6104
Ph: 08 9479 1966
Mobile: 0401786960
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
Bout 10 mins
Bout 10 mins
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
Jelle
Posts: 142
Date Joined: 21/12/11
I usually start up the engine
I usually start up the engine and then disconnect the fuel line at the tank. It will run for about 5min before it runs out of fuel and shuts down. I was told that was the way to go, so the fuel in the system doesn't degrade.
Mainey
Posts: 177
Date Joined: 17/09/10
times x 2
Yes,
I was advised to do it that way by a marine mechanic who serviced the engine too, it's sposed to eliminate any fuel in the carby and the fuel line, so it starts up with new freshly mixed fuel next time it is started
It only runs for about 5 mins till it empties all the fuel available, just as Jelle has stated
Maîneÿ . . .till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
And your 2st runs without
And your 2st runs without oil?
No fuel = no lube!
kmo
Posts: 127
Date Joined: 17/01/12
injected?
Is that just premix or oil injected? Genuine question.
Mainey
Posts: 177
Date Joined: 17/09/10
fuel
I run the water through the idling engine for a few minutes, then remove the fuel line to the carby
when the engine runs out of the "premixed" fuel/oil mix left in the carby the engine stops
Maîneÿ . . .till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
I would say that relates to
I would say that relates to premix only.
dodgy
Posts: 4578
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Not at all. The calcium in
Not at all. The calcium in the tap water in hedland is worse than the salt in the ocean.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Vander72
Posts: 433
Date Joined: 20/10/06
ive had mine for 3 yrs and its just coming
up to 100 hrs( servicing soon) but every time ive been out i flush it for as long as it takes me to empty my gear out of the car and boat... usually only 5min and it never misses a beat....... good old honda 4 stroke......still looks brand new under the engine cover.......
silly
Posts: 382
Date Joined: 02/01/09
Flush mine for a few mins
Flush mine for a few mins after each use as somethimes i dont know how long til i use it again.
What about idle speed when flushing? Was told that the water pump is throttle driven so to flush it with the Fast idle lever up?
crasny1
Posts: 7003
Date Joined: 16/10/08
I am with Dodgy
Next door neighbour runs a ComDive company and has heaps off boats. Told me from Exxy north the water is pretty crappy for engines, and to only flush it if it is going to sit idle for a month or 2. Since I use it at least 3 times a month, mostly 2 trips a weekend weather permitting he said dont bother because the engine gets "flushed" with new fresh seawater. Calcium build up is much more difficult to remove from the system and he advised me not to.
Also dont run the engine dry because it has more issues. When I was down south flushed for 2-3mins max. Save some precious H2O.
But its just my opinion, and I probably should give the babe a bit more love. I cant get it through my noggin that an Engine can get away with a 300hrs/3yr service period, so it gets love 100/1yearly minimum to have a look see.
Funny thing though, know off a few people who flush their engines after fishing in perfect fresh water. Drinking water has extra chemicals in it (for our health??) and surely this has to be nastier, even at the low concentrations.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Lastchance
Posts: 1273
Date Joined: 02/02/09
Grab a piece of steel and cut
Grab a piece of steel and cut it in two. Grind any protective surfaces off the pieces so bare steel is exposed. Drop one in a bucket of sea water and the other in a bucket of tap water. Pull them out and see which one rusts quickest/worst. Same test with boiling sea water in a kettle against tap water in another kettle. How long do you reckon the element will last in the Sea Water kettle. Same goes for your outboard.
Our water will be markedly better once we are back on Harding Dam after the tank job is complete on the hill.
davidbland50
Posts: 392
Date Joined: 24/07/11
I have always
flushed the outboard every time I come back in. It gives me peace of mind knowing that all salt is out of the motor although I believe the Johnsons are fairly resistant to corrosion.
This idea of running the outboard out of fuel is that a good idea with the old VRO outboards. Mine has been changed to premix and I wondered if running it out of fuel was good for it. My father used to do that with his old 68 Mercury 125hp thirty years ago.
Wherever you go, there you are
Yewiefish85
Posts: 792
Date Joined: 02/01/11
at my work, we have boats
at my work, we have boats with outboards that stay in the water permanently (only taken out when the harbour closes due to cyclones) these motors have been here for nearly 2 years and have never been flushed and they havent missed a beat, as stated by others, the calcium in the water here in the north will do more damage than the salt will do, perth water should be fine tho
Brucesta
Posts: 1721
Date Joined: 29/05/09
flush it for 2 mins max,
flush it for 2 mins max, it's had water running trough it all day it isn't going to create deposits of crap, taste the tell tale used to be what i was told. as the NW boys have said sure our water is salty but NW tap water is pretty shit. put it in your washer bottle in the car and see how l,ong it takes to clog up....
Las Vegas - Rolling the dice and trying your luck. 1M+ Barra summer target. 100kg Black Marlin winter target
sea-kem
Posts: 15020
Date Joined: 30/11/09
x2 on that one.
x2 on that one.
Love the West!
pale ale
Posts: 1755
Date Joined: 02/01/10
I just stick the hose in the
I just stick the hose in the flushing port on the back of my suzi. This forces water throughout the engine without running it. After about 15 seconds, there is noticable change in pressure coming from the telltale. I assume this means the thermostat has closed
MOBIESDICK
Posts: 66
Date Joined: 25/11/11
My Yamaha Tech told me to run
My Yamaha Tech told me to run it until the thermostat opens and the water coming out is warm, but 3-5mins. i have a 2010 F200TXR.
2009 6.1 MARINELINE SEMI HARDTOP
vis22
Posts: 126
Date Joined: 23/02/12
Till the water is warm
As soon as the water coming out the tell tail is warm , and it will warm up quicker if you dont rev the engine just turn the key and let it run.
Shaun
Waterworldwa
Lavs
Posts: 174
Date Joined: 30/04/12
Flush port
Lads,
I have a Yamaha Saltwater Series II which has a flush port on it. Does flushing via the flsuh port reach all parts of the cooling system? ie as effective as using earmuffs? Sure makes a lot less noise!
Cheers
Piggy
Posts: 553
Date Joined: 24/08/12
Gents,There is no specific
Gents,
There is no specific time which you should be flushing your engine for. However to be able to flush the engine correctly the motor has to get to the temperature that the thermostat opens at. Without doing this then the whole system is not being flushed and thats when you can have dramas with thermostats clogging up with salt ect. General rule of thumb is feel the tell tale water... once the tell tale water is as warm as a hot bath it usually means the thermostats have opened. I have 2 x mercury 135 optimax on my boat and I use the smart craft to get it to 62 degrees which is the opening temp of the thermos, it doesnt get any hotter than that because the thermos are open.
I strongly recommend not flushing through the motor flush port as this does not flush the leg of the engine so therefore you are not flushing the pump which is right at the bottom of the leg. I am a mechanic but have only recently (past 2 years) been playing around with small marine engines.
Cheers
I go boating not fishing