Flushing out saltwater after day of use

[knotflying2dy]

Hi,
I use ear muffs on my Volvo Penta outdrive once the boat is back on the lift after a day of boating in the Gulf of Mexico. Any recommendations as to how long I should run the engine while flushing (Chevy 350, 5.7L) and at what rpm? Should I adjust the rpm a few times during the flush to move the fresh water around more? I also have a built in side-flush system but a mechanic once told me never to run the engine while using this method. It also does not flush any salt out of the risers, (this is why I use the muffs instead). Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Flushing out saltwater after day of use

Welcome to iBoats . . .

run it for 5 minutes at idle should be fine. The muffs/hose can only dish out so much water, so you do not want to run the engine too fast

 

[rickryder]

Re: Flushing out saltwater after day of use

I run mine till it reaches operating temperature and the t-stat opens so I know the entire system is flushed.

 

[knotflying2dy]

Re: Flushing out saltwater after day of use

I run mine till it reaches operating temperature and the t-stat opens so I know the entire system is flushed.

Thanks for the input. Follow-up question: Engine is already at operating temp when I lift it out of the water. How do you tell when the t-stat has opened during a flush?

 

[knotflying2dy]

Re: Flushing out saltwater after day of use

Welcome to iBoats . . .

run it for 5 minutes at idle should be fine. The muffs/hose can only dish out so much water, so you do not want to run the engine too fast

Okay, thank you.