First engine mistake, how bad?

[bartoma]

I flush my HPDI's on the lift after I've done everything else - usually 3-5 min each...

That said, I am not religious about it - I know that missing a flush from time to time has practically no effect on a well-maintained engine... In fact, rather than winterizing, I usually run the boat year round (mid Chesapeake Bay) - fishing into early December, then I just run it enough to get warm maybe twice a month from Jan through March... They shut the water off from mid Nov through mid Apr, so the engines don't get flushed during those months... I am meticulous with maintenance, so I am replacing/checking thermostats every year, and I always check for corrosion...

Honestly, I think the engines are better off being run during the off season without a flush than being left unused for four months...

 

[SCW]

At my marina I bet 70% of people never flush them.

 

[bartoma]

Lucky:

If you are new to boating (or not), I would highly recommend a youtube channel called "Born Again Boating"...

The guy running this channel is a jack-of-all trades boat guy/mechanic, and he offers a wealth of great videos covering almost every imaginable subject related to operating and maintaining a boat, with an emphasis on DIY maintenance on engines...

I've had a boat for seventeen years now, but I only started doing almost all of my own maintenance since 2015... This has made ownership a lot more rewarding - and affordable... I have a good friend who is a master mechanic, so having his help is a true blessing...

My experience is this: if you take to time to understand how your boat is put together, and you perform - or at least watch/observe/learn basic maintenance procedures, you will gain a great deal of confidence in the boat, and you will worry about it a lot less...

Again, regarding flushing - a great habit, particularly if you plan to get 20+ years, 2000+ hours out of an engine (which is what I am doing - 1200 hours on 2001 HPDIs)... Like all good habits, its benefits come from general application over the long haul... Missing a flush from time to time has no significant impact...

 

[ScottyCee]

None. I make sure to fresh water flush every single one of my engines every single year as part of the annual winterize process. 45 years running this way and no problems yet...