Run Vinegar through cooling sytem?

jjzepplin

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Apr 26, 2010
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I read on here once that a fella uses vinegar instead of Salt-Away in his flush system to remove salt deposits and flush his motor. I have been having some issues with crud plugging my thermostats and believe the crud is older salt deposits. Can I pull the t-stats and run a solution high in vinegar through the engine to try to remove the deposits? I always use Salt-Away but my boat has sat for about a year while I re-powered my truck. I was going to remove one of the t-stat housings today and put some straight vinegar in it to see how it fairs. If it comes clean after a day in the vinegar I may try this. I have a new impeller waiting so I thought I would try this with no t-stats and the old impeller. Any help or experience with this? Oh yeah-1985 Yamaha 200hp V6
 
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robert graham

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Apr 16, 2009
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If you really have a lot of salt/mineral deposits on motor internals then it's very doubtful that vinegar will remove it. The Saltaway flush in a drum of water might help some, but removal/inspection/cleaning/replacement of the thermostats would be my first choice to start. Remember that any chemical strong enough to remove a heavy mineral deposit is also very capable of attacking aluminum motor parts and specifically the threads for the nuts/bolts/fasteners, so after any chemical flush it would be a good idea to flush/neutralize the system with a chemical base like bicarbonate of soda or similar. An acid type flush could also produce a pin-hole leak internally that could be difficult to find and repair. So take care with what you're thinking about doing....especially if your motor is running fine now. Good Luck!
 

jjzepplin

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Apr 26, 2010
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Just overheated recently and has a habit of doing it now and then. I did pull and inpect therms and they were cluttered with debris. Started the motor with them out and covers off for a minute or two til water came out and a digital thermometer handy to prevent overheating and a bunch of crud came out. Reinstalled therms and double check with meter and seemed ok. I did pull a cover this morning and set vinegar inside to see if it would get any damage and how clean it would get.
So I will report back with findings.
I get what you are saying. But if I cannot go out without overheating then what good is the motor. I could pull it apart and clean it but I also run the risk of broken bolt in the block or cracking a head that I cannot find to replace.
Thought I would try this first and then go for rebuild if necessary.
 

jjzepplin

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Apr 26, 2010
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Looks like that stuff is the ticket I'm looking for. Thank You!. Do you know where they might sell it?
 

jjzepplin

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BTW anyone know how to get emails when someone or post something on here. Maybe an email address for the site added to my contacts list? Anyone have the address?
 

jjzepplin

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Apr 26, 2010
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I emailed them and am awaiting a response. Thank You again. I am surprised this isn't sold everywhere. Looks amazing.
 

jjzepplin

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Apr 26, 2010
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I went and checked on my experiment with vinegar and it looks to have had no effect at all. No cleaning, no erosion of metal somewhat useless after 24 hours. I use vinegar to clean old rusty bolts so I am surprised there was no results on the thermostat housing innards. Stinky note my fingers now smell.
 

robert graham

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It's all about the type and quantity of the deposits(calcium, salt,etc.), the type, concentration and temperature of the acid used, length of circulation time, and the flushing/neutralizing afterwards....I have 13 years experience in acid/chemical cleaning/de-scaling of heat exchangers, boilers and air conditioning units(chillers), and it can be done but study up a good bit especially as it relates to outboard motors and it may increase your odds for a successful/happy outcome.....good luck!...
 

jjzepplin

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Apr 26, 2010
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Got some Rydlyme today from a fella in Bradenton and will flush engine tomorrow using a bilge pump. Will post results.
 

jjzepplin

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The fella (RICK) that I purchased from works routinely on Diesel powered boats and says this stuff is just fantastic. He said he had never used it an outboard but that's because they are not his specialty. So he wants me to report back to him my findings. If this product works- I would think it would be all over this site and the internet. $35 a gallon but think of how much it would cost to tear apart the engine and have a go at cleaning things up. He did say that I should do a final flush with a neutralizer for a half hour or so. And said it would be just fine for boat motors made of aluminum cuz it's no more corrosive than the salty water. The container does say that the used fluids can be flushed down regular sewer systems. I wonder if it will clean my pipes when I flush it. HAHA!
 

robert graham

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Most of those Diesel engines are cast iron and most of your outboard is aluminum, which is much more receptive to acid attack....so take it easy here.....good luck!
 

jjzepplin

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Apr 26, 2010
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Yeah I spoke to the distributor (APEX) and they said it would be fine just to dilute it a bit more. And WOW the crud that came out of that motor. I took the lower end off to do the impeller. The replaced the bilge pump in the boat and used the old one for the flush. I took a short length of hose and connected it to the water intake on the bottom of the engine, Plugged the pisser, And removed the thermostats. I was about a 50/50 mix when the engine sucked up almost all 2 gallons so I added water to the bucket - about anther gallon- until I got a full flow coming out of the engine and enough to pump back up. Worked surprisingly well for and old used bilge pump. I flushed for 3 hours this way. Had a small 12 volt battery and a charger running at the same time. I saved the used flush and poured it into some chlorine jugs I had from the pool. When I got to the last bit I stated to notice the crud. At least a couple pints of this sandy shellish type junk. I then flushed with a mixture of baking soda for a half hour.
I reinstalled the therms and when I pulled the covers- Dang was it clean in there!
I then reinstalled the lower end and pisser and flushed with regular water. Pulled out the digital thermometer and both side were within 3 degrees of each other.
Peculiar- I did notice my Idle went up a couple hundred rpms. Kinda weird. Backed it off all the way and still seems high. New plugs so maybe just running better.
Upon recirculating the soda- junk was still coming out.
Ran it about 15-20 mins on the muffs to check for overheating and to make sure the therms were opening.
Seems all good and can't wait to get it on the water and test it out.
Oh yeah all this went on while in a huge thunderstorm! I wouldn't quit though. I WILL FIX MY BOAT!
 

jjzepplin

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Apr 26, 2010
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Oh and I fixed the problem with not getting e-mails. I went into my profile and then to notifications and it was turned off. So I just turned it back on and saved changes.
 
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