Before Posting, Please Read Our Posting Guidelines Below.
1. Use the full 4 digit year for everything you are asking your question about. Example: 1962, 1988, 2000, 2011 2. Include the correct name of your Whaler model. Example: Montauk 17, Montauk 170, Outrage 26, Outrage 260 3. Include the length when necessary. Example: 16, 17, 18, 20, 22 4. Do not post your email address anywhere on this site as it is already in your user profile.
I just picked up a 2008 150 Sport with a 2008 60HP Merc. It was a lake boat but I'm using it on Cape Cod, so I intend to flush it after every use. The Merc manual says to connect a hose at 50% pressure to the threaded port where the "pisser" exits. It says the motor can be down or tilted up and run with the hose connected for 5 min. If it's tilted up, the water pump intake will be out of the water. It would seem that since the pisser gets its flow from the water pump, the hose connection would force water backwards to the pump so the motor could be run without ruining the impeller. Is this correct?
Makes no sense to have the engine down since it would pick up salt water.
I can't use muffs so the flush connection is my only option but I want to do it right and not damage the engine.
I hope others that flush this motor with the hose connection will please let me know how you do it.
It certainly won't hurt the motor to flush it after every use, but it's completely unnecessary - salt water is not going to make it dissolve. Flush it with Salt-Away when you haul at the end of the season, replace anodes as needed, and don't worry about it.
After seeing what the lack of flushing can do to a "marine" outboard motor, I'll flush my "new" 60 EFI after every use, probably with salt-away. I have twin Yamaha F225s on another boat and the original owner did not flush. Long story short, the block corroded at the thermostat due to salt build up and ate a hole through the block and squirted salt water into the air intake. New powerhead needed. Since I have owned the boat and flush it every time per Yamaha, no additional corrosion evident on the stbd engine - I inspect it every year. I use salt away every other time.
I hope Merc has better materials choices and anode design, but I'm not chancing it. From the Merc description, using their flush port allows the tstat to be flushed.
Does anyone flush this engine using the Merc flush port? If so, how do you do it?
