HELP PLEASE . I have a 1989 Evinrude 88 Special. Great little motor. My fuel mileage is terrible. Pushing an 18' Predator, 24 Gal. Fuel, 4 people w/total people weight of approx 750 lbs and another 150 gear. 17 Pitch cupped prop, 5400 rpm WOT, 28-30 mph and distance measured with a GPS and I am burning 24 gal of fuel in 50 - 52 miles of running. I am 2nd owner of motor. Original owner removed the thermostats. "Pee" stream NEVER gets hot, always cold. I was told the engine is probably not getting up to proper temp and this is having adverse effect on fuel consumption. I fish in the bay 50% of the time so it sees lots of saltwater. I do rinse for approx. 10-15 minutes upon return with "Muffs" and hope it is getting flushed good enough. My major fear about putting thermostats back in the motor is them getting stuck from the saltwater and burning up the engine. I am very good with car, truck engines, overhauled several. I have a manual for boat motor but cannot understand somethings (I think too many models in one book and not enough pictures, I am a very visual person) and without a diagram or picture showing exactly how the thermostat components go together, I am in trouble. I purchased a thermostat kit from iboats which has the springs, thermostat, seals, etc. but I DO NOT KNOW how it all goes together or in any particular order or sequence. If the old ones were there, I would see how it came apart and put it back the same way, no can do. Any help from anyone would be deeply appreciated. I have promised a fishing trip to a couple of boys in a few days and I am at a loss. Mr. Dhadley, member # 685. Sir it would appear you have been around for a while and probably have lots of experience. If you are still out there somewhere and could respond along with others who have any experience I truly would appreciate it very much. One last thing. If there have not been any thermostats in this motor for a while (I have owned and operated it for 2 years now) I am concerned about corrosion or salt build up around ports (holes) were thermostat is installed. When I open her up, do I need to be real concerned or critical about cleaning up the passage/ports down to good metal to help eliminate the possibility of problems after I install the thermostats? Does anyone know of a product that will help remove the salt build up inside of the motor? An inspection reveals what I think is a salt build up. Also, if anyone knows where I can get a picture of the order of assembly for the thermostat parts, that would also be appreciated. I have looked all over the internet and I am not having any luck. Thank you in advance for your help. jrcsped.