First engine mistake, how bad?

[luckydude]

Mr Idiot strikes again, sigh.

The 250hp Yamaha has sat in my driveway for 48 hours without a flush. Flushing it now. It runs fine, any way to know how much damage I did?
I'd ask on THT but that forum thinks laughing at newbies is a national past time, not gonna give them the satisfaction.

Edit: added "engine" to the title, this is far from my first mistake :-(

 

[Flot]

You have done approximately zero damage to the motor. Make sure you are flushing it the right way for that motor (IE read the manual) now.

 

[luckydude]

You have done approximately zero damage to the motor. Make sure you are flushing it the right way for that motor (IE read the manual) now.

There are 3 ways to flush it, hose connector in the boat (for when you are in a slip), hose connector on the engine, and stick the engine in a trough. Both engines are in 50 gallon horse troughs full of fresh water, been running for the last 15-20 minutes. My dealer, who I sometimes trust and sometimes don't, told me the trough was best. Do you concur?

And thanks for the reply, people seem pretty religious about flushing so I took it seriously. Can't believe I forgot that, I was more tired than I thought. Rookie mistake.

 

[Sdfish]

Nothing to worry about. I flush my new F 150 with earmuffs on a hose.

 

[Flot]

There's no reason to flush for 15-20 mins unless you're running in the dead sea. Flush for 3-5 mins and stay there while the motors are running. The trough is the best way to do it because at least in theory, the engine will reach operating temp, the thermostats will open etc.

You're much more likely to damage the motors by walking away and not realizing one of the troughs started leaking than you are not flushing at all.

There are plenty of 10 year old motors out there that get flushed once a season, if that. You'll extend the life by taking care of them, but you don't have to lose sleep over it.

 

[luckydude]

There's no reason to flush for 15-20 mins unless you're running in the dead sea. Flush for 3-5 mins and stay there while the motors are running. The trough is the best way to do it because at least in theory, the engine will reach operating temp, the thermostats will open etc.

You're much more likely to damage the motors by walking away and not realizing one of the troughs started leaking than you are not flushing at all.

There are plenty of 10 year old motors out there that get flushed once a season, if that. You'll extend the life by taking care of them, but you don't have to lose sleep over it.

You know, I was thinking about it when I was starting dinner (blackened Vermillion tonight!), it can't hurt the engine. Plenty of engines go out to sea for days or weeks or months on end. Unless there is something horrible about not being in the sea water, and maybe there is, a 2 day thing can't be that bad.

The dealer told me 10 minutes, I figured more is better. I've been running the boat for 3 months, only have 22 hours on the main engine, so it's not like I'm racking up crazy hours on her. If you wanted to baby the engine and have as few problems as possible, is 10 minutes the right answer?

Thanks again, I love the people on this forum, you guys are great.

 

[Bloodweiser]

Some launches have no available wash or flush stations at all.
I also error on the side of caution and flush the hell out of it as well.
the only flush I do at the launch is the hose port on the engine , I keep the water running (engine off) while I wash the boat. When ever I get home might be a few days away,then I’ll run it in the trough for 10-15 minutes or more .

 

[Bloodweiser]

My worry is that on my 3+ hour tow home without a flush the salt drys and starts to crust in the engine internals . ??

 

[luckydude]

My worry is that on my 3+ hour tow home without a flush the salt drys and starts to crust in the engine internals . ??

Yeah, so you can imagine my worry with 48 hours of that. It is what it is, I suspect I'm fine but don't want to repeat that.

 

[Bloodweiser]

Lucky
It happens your all good brother .

 

[grady23]

Probably zero. I use a product called Salt Away that has n inline flush unit that hooks to your hose. If your really concerned, make a couple of passes with it until the cup is empty both times. I'm running a pair of 1997 2-stroke that get flushed out religiously and they still run great.

 

[seasick]

If forgetting to flush is your worst motor goof up so fay, you are way ahead of the crowd!
There is good reason to flush while the motor is hot/warm. If possible flushing soon after an outing is best. I suspect that there is little difference flushing after 3 hours or 48 hours. In three hours the internals have pretty much dried out and any salt that was going to crystallize has already. If you flush immediately after motor use, flushing using the flush port and with the motor off is fine but if the flush is later, like after towing home, it is best to flush with muffs or in a tub and with the engine running until warmed up.
When yo do your routine maintenance and are changing the t-stats, take a good look not only at the t-stat bu the housing and inner cooling chambers, That will tell you how your flushing is performing and if a more thorough flush with something like salt away or vinegar is needed.

 

[Capt Bill]

As Grady23, I flush the engines with Salt Away (get the hose adapter kit). That stuff will keep the inside (and even the outside) of your engines clean, and free of any salt.

 

[Pighunter]

Mr Idiot strikes again, sigh.

The 250hp Yamaha has sat in my driveway for 48 hours without a flush. Flushing it now. It runs fine, any way to know how much damage I did?

I think you ruined it, I'll do you a favor and come take it off your hands.

 

[luckydude]

I think you ruined it, I'll do you a favor and come take it off your hands.

Perfect. I've been meaning to repower anyway so I can match that pretty Suzuki.

 

[Pighunter]

Perfect. I've been meaning to repower anyway so I can match that pretty Suzuki.
View attachment 15814

Where did you get the bracket? I ordered a Panther swim step mount in June and still haven't got it.

 

[luckydude]

Where did you get the bracket? I ordered a Panther swim step mount in June and still haven't got it.

Central Valley Marine in Campbell

 

[Pighunter]

Central Valley Marine in Campbell

Do you know what brand name?

 

[luckydude]

Do you know what brand name?

I don't. All I know is some small shop in Oregon makes them. If you could tease that info out of CVM you might get it cheaper if you ordered direct. I don't even know what I paid for it, I knew I needed it so it went on the credit card, I never looked. Mainly because I bet it was expensive and I really didn't want to know.

 

[Captain TJ]

I use salt away and when I bought this boat I finally read the instrtuctions and they very clearly state not to flush until the supply cup goes clear. I saved the instructions so I can reference back each time for how long. It stated you want to leave salt away in the engine because it adds protection after the fact as well. If you flush till clear water runs you rinse out the salt away. The instructions suggested using remaining mixing cup to rinse boat off with which I also do. That stuff is amazing at just rinsing away salt spray residue. Been using it for that on my big boat for years. The hose adaptor / mixer is also a great sprayer option.

Don't worry about the occasional forgot to rinse moment, especially if you came back to rinse later. Keep in mind the salt away will dissolve the salt even after it's dried on so that's another benefit. I'm typically 2 to 3 hour drive from home and I have only found one launch here that has a wash down and it's one I almost never use because it's not a fishery I like most of the time. Salt away isn't very expensive and gives me added peace of m ind since I know the salt is dried inside by the time I get home almost always.

Have fun and keep on learning with the rest of us.