Outboard Flushing

[Syd]

Hi all
The only other outboard I've owned before (and still have) is a little two horse Johnson which I use on my tender. After use the routine was to hook it on the side of a large barrel full of fresh water and run it for a while to flush out the salt.
My rib will be on a salt water swinging mooring almost permanently. Could anyone please advise me on how I go about looking after the engine in this respect?
Cheers for now

Syd

[Alan]

Simple answer Syd is you can't! Not easily anyhow. Traditional method for flushing a larger outboard is to use "flush muffs" connected to a fresh water supply when the boat is on a trailer. Some larger engines have flushing points where a hose can be connected to the engine so you can flush it through. I would doubt your Merc 50 would have this.

So if you RIB is lying on a mooring there is no easy way to flush it I'm afraid. Unless some else has any bright ideas!

[Robert1]

Is it OK to flush the engine in the 'up' posistion, i.e not the normal operating posistion?

[Rich L]

If your engine has the flushing connection on the head then you could get along to a marina with a hose every once in a while, otherwise you'd need to recover and flush the normal route.

http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread....light=flushing

[Pete7]

I would be surprised if the engine would you in the tilted position, unless its a "happymax" with fuel injection. The risk is getting water into the cylinders through the exhaust ports or valves which would cause a hydraulic lock and serious damage.

Whilst you can't flush an outboard kept on a mooring at least the water pump will be emersed so salt crystals won't build up in it. Worth regularly checking the anodes though to make sure they are disolving nicely, because if they are not then something else is

Pete

[ADS]

I don't really know what I am talking about here, but would this work:

You could flush the engine using a large jerry can of fresh water and a short bit of hose running to flush muffs on the engine?
Obviously you would only be able to give it a short flush unless it was a big jerry can.
This may knacker the impeller because the engine would have to pump the water from the jerry can down the hose before cooling could begin whereas with a normal hose there is water pressure.