Re: 1998 Honda BACL 12cid - 8hp flush question
April Sails<br /><br />If you are going to use your Honda 8hp outboard in the ocean, the Honda manual is not enough. They recommend to flush the engine after each use in salt water for 10 minutes. They should mention also "with fresh water and SaltAway or white vinager to remove the salt" I bought my 8 hp Honda in 1991 and I followed the manual to the "t" and I finish with a cracked block and a head completly clogged with salt. When I removed the head, I found a yellowish substance clogging every passage in the head and part of the cylinders. There was no cooling at all in that area!!. The design of the engine does not help either. There is a black hose from one side of the engine to the other side that bypasses the head. Water was always coming out of the hose in the back of the engine, but after taking the engine apart, in reality the water pump was cooling the exhaust muffler!!! <br /><br />I think the manual should say. "if you are going to use the engine in salt water, take the head apart every 5 years and clean and remove the salt out of every crevice and passage" The other thing I found removing the head is that the water jacket around the cylinders is very narrow, in a way, promoting salt deposits. That means Honda design an outboard that is not good? No! It is a good engine.... that needs special care in salt water that is highly corrosive and the manual does not mention it. If you are going to remove the head, do it very carefully. There are 6 bolts and five are different sizes!!!! mark them. To put them back, use a torque wrench and pay attention to what you are doing. I rememeber the recommended torque is around 22 lb/feet. My mechanic recommended 19 lb/feet. If you make a mistake, say goodby to a block ( around $ 515.00)<br /><br />Good luck and pray a lot<br /><br /><br />Enrique
<br />Enrique