some salty motors

[dkonrai]

just wanted to post what happens when you dont flush your motor. the yamaha is a 6hp, 2011. from the outside it looked clean (guess they at least washed it) but had issues. the salt had failed the tstat, which i feel blew the head gasket. the butterfly broke and had wedged itself in the intake valve.




here is a merc, that was run in salt, but never flushed and the owner would leave the motor tilted up. check out the block. motor was seized.

 

[tazrig]

Re: some salty motors

Always has been about just a little preventative maintenance. Shame to see otherwise perfectly good motors go that route. :facepalm:

 

[kfa4303]

Re: some salty motors

Wow! That's literally only a couple years worth too. The sad part is that it's so preventable on these type motors which can use muffs and/or have a stock flushing port that hooks right up to a garden hose. Always flush your motors my fellow mariners!

 

[dkonrai]

Re: some salty motors

Wow! That's literally only a couple years worth too. The sad part is that it's so preventable on these type motors which can use muffs and/or have a stock flushing port that hooks right up to a garden hose. Always flush your motors my fellow mariners!

the yamaha i think has less than a couple of years. i think this was probably 18 months or so. the yamaha, my buddy bought two from a rental company in santa cruz. really sad to see. the merc was almost never serviced. lower unit had more water than sludge, err, oil
dino

 

[boobie]

Re: some salty motors

This is the kind of stuff that keeps us mechanics going. And I do love the smell of varnished fuel in a carb.

 

[phillyg]

Re: some salty motors

After seeing that I sure am glad I religiously flush my motor after each use.

 

[tazrig]

Re: some salty motors

This is the kind of stuff that keeps us mechanics going. And I do love the smell of varnished fuel in a carb.

I love the smell of a beautiful woman covered in suntan lotion lying on a hot beach but I wouldn't want to find her in carb either :lol:

 

[dkonrai]

Re: some salty motors

This is the kind of stuff that keeps us mechanics going. And I do love the smell of varnished fuel in a carb.

boobie,
so that merc can be saved?? lol the yamaha will probably come back fine. crappy design on the block as we have to split the case in order to replace a gasket that sits below the head, why would they design it that way?

boobie, is the salt any better down south, in warmer climates? i guess it is better to flush the motors when its nice and balmy vs freezing cold and windy.

dino

 

[dingbat]

Re: some salty motors

The motor was run in salt and allowed to sit, the scale is the result of not being run enough, bet it has a copper thermostat in it......

I don't know anyone that flushes their motors more than once or twice a year. It's a waste of time and effort if the boats is used on a regular basis.

Fwiw: saltwater is saltwater. the ocean's salinity is constant thru out the world.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: some salty motors

Fwiw: saltwater is saltwater. the ocean's salinity is constant thru out the world.


Not entirely true. Ocean salinity can and does vary quite a bit the world over. For instance, where I live in N.FL we have some of the saltiest water in the world (as does the SW region of the state). It is rough on all things marine, but that's the price you pay for living in Paradise. There are even "micro-climates" within the sea that allow for further biodiversity. Obviously, ocean water near the mouths of a rivers will stay brackish for many miles out to sea leading to unique biology. Even the rivers are influenced by the tides where I live. As a result, you can find saltwater species several miles upriver, particularly in winter, and freshwater species several miles out to sea. The opposite is true as well. Those areas with little to any freshwater input get and stay much more salty. It can be good an bad. On the one hand, more salt is usually bad for boats and motors, but lots of critters like it. There's a small town near where I live that is uniquely situated to farm certain clam varieties due to its the particularly high salinity. Mike Rowe did and episode of Dirty Jobs about it as a matter of fact (Alligator Point clam farmers). Conversely, the oyster beds rely heavily on new infusions of fresh, nutrient laden water for their survival. It's a huge issue here in N.FL where state like Ga. and AL. siphon off the river water before it hits the coast, thus reducing fresh water levels causing increased salinity followed by oyster bed die offs. As a result, we are constantly engaged in "Water Wars" with our neighbors to the North (Ga/Al). Anyone familiar with biochemistry can tell you, it only takes very slight changes in concentrations for dramatic changes to occur in a living organism or system.

 

[chrome dome]

Re: some salty motors

the merc is a blueband?
not really all that surprising to find that much corrosion on a motor from the 70's,
l have a early 70's 7.5 that would probably look like that under the jacket and it rarely sees salt water

 

[boobie]

Re: some salty motors

Dkon, did you ever run a compression and spark test on the Merc ?? We have the same salt water probs but the good boaters always flush after every use. I know there are plenty of chemicals out there to clean up that Merc . One marina I worked at used muriatic acid and it worked good.

 

[dkonrai]

Re: some salty motors

Dkon, did you ever run a compression and spark test on the Merc ?? We have the same salt water probs but the good boaters always flush after every use. I know there are plenty of chemicals out there to clean up that Merc . One marina I worked at used muriatic acid and it worked good.

boobie,
we worked on that merc in sept. we did a compression test, and at that time 130-135 for 5 of the 6 cylinders (compression gauge didnt fit on #6) . boat came in for new shift cables and a ton of wiring issues. the impeller was changed, timing was set, and motor was hose run. at that time it seemed to run pretty good. then the owner took the boat out, ran fine the few trips. then his last outing for crabbing it just died and he had to get towed in. my buddy let it sit in the yard for about 4 weeks til he had time to look into the motor.

well it was seized tight, soaked with tranny and brake fluid for a few days. still was seized. so off with the water cover and inspection plates. i can see that the block is rotten at the #6. strange that most of the water intrusion occured on 3 and 4.
dino

 

[boobie]

Re: some salty motors

Sounds like bone yard time. By the way Merc made a compression gauge for that motor, a short stubby one. I've got two of them and you always get higher readings on them. Wonder why ?? LOL.

 

[V153]

Re: some salty motors

Wonder what these are gonna look like inside? Couple Merc test boats housed at Stump Pass Marina:

 

[dingbat]

Re: some salty motors

Fwiw: saltwater is saltwater. the ocean's salinity is constant thru out the world.


Not entirely true. Ocean salinity can and does vary quite a bit the world over. For instance, where I live in N.FL we have some of the saltiest water in the world (as does the SW region of the state). It is rough on all things marine, but that's the price you pay for living in Paradise. There are even "micro-climates" within the sea that allow for further biodiversity. Obviously, ocean water near the mouths of a rivers will stay brackish for many miles out to sea leading to unique biology. Even the rivers are influenced by the tides where I live. As a result, you can find saltwater species several miles upriver, particularly in winter, and freshwater species several miles out to sea. The opposite is true as well. Those areas with little to any freshwater input get and stay much more salty. It can be good an bad. On the one hand, more salt is usually bad for boats and motors, but lots of critters like it. There's a small town near where I live that is uniquely situated to farm certain clam varieties due to its the particularly high salinity. Mike Rowe did and episode of Dirty Jobs about it as a matter of fact (Alligator Point clam farmers). Conversely, the oyster beds rely heavily on new infusions of fresh, nutrient laden water for their survival. It's a huge issue here in N.FL where state like Ga. and AL. siphon off the river water before it hits the coast, thus reducing fresh water levels causing increased salinity followed by oyster bed die offs. As a result, we are constantly engaged in "Water Wars" with our neighbors to the North (Ga/Al). Anyone familiar with biochemistry can tell you, it only takes very slight changes in concentrations for dramatic changes to occur in a living organism or system.

Thanks for the dissertation, but I know a few things about estuarial environments myself having lived and work on the Chesapeake Bay most of my life.
We have 3 district salinity zones. The oligohaline zone (0.5- 10 ppm) The mesohaline zone (10.7 - 18 ppm) and the polyhalide zone (18- 36 ppm). Better know where each ends and the other begins or your crabbing or fishing success will be limited.

0 to 0.5 ppm = fresh water
0.5 to 30 ppm = brackish water
33 to 37 ppm = sea water
34.7 ppm = average sea water

 

[dkonrai]

Re: some salty motors

Sounds like bone yard time. By the way Merc made a compression gauge for that motor, a short stubby one. I've got two of them and you always get higher readings on them. Wonder why ?? LOL.

hahaha good one!

Wonder what these are gonna look like inside? Couple Merc test boats housed at Stump Pass Marina:

??? DO NOT FLUSH really??? how can they do this, or why would you do this?

Thanks for the dissertation, but I know a few things about estuarial environments myself having lived and work on the Chesapeake Bay most of my life.
We have 3 district salinity zones. The oligohaline zone (0.5- 10 ppmonon). The mesohaline zone (10.7 - 18 ppm) and the polyhalide zone (18- 36 ppm). Better know where each ends and the other begins or your crabbing or fishing success will be limited.

0 to 0.5 ppm = fresh water
0.5 to 30 ppm = brackish water
33 to 37 ppm = sea water
34.7 ppm = average sea water

good reads. closest my boats get to salt is in brackish water (delta) and i will flush the motor at the wash down area as well as wash down the boat. i bring a bucket, brush, and some dawn to clean off the boat. there are these snails that live in the delta that will stick to anything, and create havoc. so.. yes i always flush after use. lol

dino

 

[V153]

Re: some salty motors

Fwiw the salinity content in Lemon Bay is one of the highest in the state. Averages round 30 PPT. Note not PPM. Has spiked as high as 63.1 ppt.

Good place to test motors against corrosion I reckon.

 

[dkonrai]

Re: some salty motors

Fwiw the salinity content in Lemon Bay is one of the highest in the state. Averages round 30 PPT. Note not PPM. Has spiked as high as 63.1 ppt.

Good place to test motors against corrosion I reckon.

i so want to see the head/stat/cooling passageways on those merc's, in your part of town.
dino

 

[kfa4303]

Re: some salty motors

Fwiw the salinity content in Lemon Bay is one of the highest in the state. Averages round 30 PPT. Note not PPM. Has spiked as high as 63.1 ppt.

Good place to test motors against corrosion I reckon.

+1 V153. Y'all have some of the saltiest water around down there. I guess it's because it's shallow with relatively few rivers emptying into the sea. The good news is that flushing works. I just replaced the head gasket on my old '66 2-stroke which spent its whole life here in FL in salt, fresh and brackish water. Thankfully, whoever had it before me took the time to flush it as all of the passages were still nice and clear after 50 years. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure