Tohatsu 9.8 2stroke thermostat dead

[joe merc]

Hi,
I have Tohatsu 9.8 2 stroke for 3 years with 20 hours working hours (sea water) and is serviced regularly by official dealer. It is used only as backup, so it does not run all year. My dealer says that thermostat is broken. Is that usual with this engines or my dealer did not serviced it properly so it was damaged by sea water?
Thank you.
Joe

 

[pvanv]

Re: Tohatsu 9.8 2stroke thermostat dead

No, it is not normal. We have many 10+ year-old stats still in service.

In North America, you would be covered by the 3-year (now 5-year) warranty if a part failed under normal use. That said, salt buildup is typically not covered, as it would be the owner's responsibility to keep the cooling system flushed. In salt, it's important to flush the cooling system with fresh water after every use.

Is the motor overheating, or is it running too cold? What are the symptoms? Most thermostats fail open (cold), and that can happen after a severe overheat (which could damage the thermostat).

At 3 years, the water pump probably should gave been serviced at least once, regardless of hours. Was that done?