Salt build up in Outboard Head?

[turbomack]

i use salt away for rinsing my trailer and brakes after i launch and retrieve my boat , but if you really want to clean deposits out of your engine cooling circuit rydlime is the stuff. i removed the zincs from my cooling system before using the product as recommended by the manufacturer.

 

[TheBigGuy]

Sounds completely safe for inboards. With aluminum powerheads, I'd dilute at least 50% just to be on the safe side. Thanks for the post of the info on rydlime. I've never heard of that product before. Think I'll stick to Salt Away though.

 

[casper5280]

I too had never heard of it before and like you I will continue with the Salt Away routine.

 

[Discus]

I m a marine mechanic technician. All motors can get corrosion from salt when you did not wash off with fresh water after you used it in saltwater.

FYI the thermostat is very expensive part .

When the engines are hot the salt dries and becomes so solid so hard. The water cannot go through into the Engine.

 

[Wondermur]

We had a yamaha kicker that was completely blocked with salt. Tell tale not working and overheating if ran. Mechanic pulled the head off and scrapped out the salt for an hour. Put it back together and then we ran it in a garbage can full of Vinegar. Bought 6 x 5litre bottles at costco for about $30?. Although we thought we had got most of the salt out there was a 1/4 inch of salt/sediment left in the bottom of can after running it for 40 mins. Rince with water. Ran great after that.
Put the vinegar back in bottles and ran again after a year. Came out clean.

 

[Aridhol]

Maybe this is a stupid question but how much and how often do you guys use salt-away?
It seems like it's $40-50 a bottle so how long does one last?

Right now I run my motor with muffs for 10 minutes fresh water from the garden hose.
It's a brand new 90HP Suzuki and under warranty for another 5+ years but I want to take good care of it.

 

[KV1]

Flush main and kicker every outing with fresh water. Main without muffs kicker with muffs. 5-7 minutes each. Never had a problem. No salt away or vinegar.

 

[TheBigGuy]

Flush main and kicker every outing with fresh water. Main without muffs kicker with muffs. 5-7 minutes each. Never had a problem. No salt away or vinegar.

Totally agree, if you've done that each and every time since your motor was new then salt away or other methods won't probably be necessary. However, if you bought your boat used, or you miss giving it a flush even once, salt builds up. So that is why I don't necessarily use it every time, but I do use it regularly. I just returned from a trip where the boat was in the water for a week, so it got the salt away treatment as soon as I got back. Just good preventative maintenance.

 

[Aridhol]

Flush main and kicker every outing with fresh water. Main without muffs kicker with muffs. 5-7 minutes each. Never had a problem. No salt away or vinegar.

I assume you and everyone here is using some kind of tub full of fresh water to flush the main if you're not using muffs?

 

[CIVANO]

99 gallon Stock tank

 

[trophywife]

salty thermostat.

 

[KV1]

Nope a lot of newer engines come with hose hookup direct to power head.

 

[KV1]

Put the muffs on once in a while.

 

[TheBigGuy]

I use a plastic barrel cut down to just above the height of the cavitation plate. Light and works perfectly. Sometimes I just flush the kicker with the hose attachment to the powerhead. If I use salt away on the main engine, the water tank is light enough to slide over and run the kicker on the same tank with salt away.

 

[Tips Up]

My boat is kept on a trailer in my carport. Never moored.
Both motors get run with the muffs after every trip. Entire boat gets wash down.
My dad taught me well. LOL.

Picking the boat up this afternoon from shop. Apparently all fixed up.
Almost disappointed. I had mentally prepared myself to buck up for a new one.

Once I read the invoice and talk to mechanic I will report if there is anything of interest.

Back on the water this weekend.

 

[rockdog]

i bought a kicker that had salt packed into it so bad that it actually cracked the water passage. I got it for cheap, took it all apart, dug all the salt out, had the piece tig welded back on by a buddy, and then I reassembled it and I've been using it ever since (4 years ago?)
The salt was packed in there so tight, that I don't think any chemicals would have worked in breaking up the salt. It was difficult to scrape all the salt out.

 

[bones]

What kind of tub do people use to use the salt away product for the main? I plug mine in if the ramp has water. But was thinking of the salt away product just because of some cooling issues I've had lately. Just curious thanks

 

[CIVANO]

salt away mixer. It would take an outrageous amount if you added it to lots of gallons of water in a tub.

 

[Fixit]

my current yami 9.9 had salt issues. take the valve cover off,drill out a 1/2" plug, then use a smaller drill bit to clean the deposits out of the head. using a piece of wire or heavy mono didnt help, too much debris packed too tight