Owners manual says flush engines after each use...do you?

N

nowakezone

New Member
Jul 2, 2012
311
Naples, Florida
Boat Info
2004 340 Sundancer
Engines
8.1 Horizons
The Owners Manual for the 2004 340 DA says the engines should be flushed after each use in saltwater, brackish water...etc. Details removing the proper hose and attaching an adaptor and so forth. I'm installing the Perko Flushpro valves this weekend finally but I'm curious how often other saltwater guys flush their engines.

Btw, I plan on using the Salt-Away product with the dispenser. It's claims are remarkable and my very low hour boat with fresh risers and manifolds are going to benefit.
 
Been using Salt away for the last year engine is flushed after every use I'm in indoor storage before storage boat is power washed and engine flushed with fresh water till it warms up then they run the salt away till it comes out exhaust water. Going to pull the risers in a couple months to see if it makes any difference.
 
How long do you run the motors on a flush with salt away? On a straight hose I currently, per the owners manual, run it for 10 mins. Is it faster with salt away? Should you flush them for the full time, or is that unnecessary?
 
I don't have to deal with flushing on the 450DA, but I have a 15 ft Whaler Dauntless/ 75 hp Merc outboard and I do flush it every time I use it. I use Salt-Away and crank the engine on the hose, disconnect the fuel line and whenever the engine dies, I quit.........it takes 8-10 minutes.
 
Also have mine flushed by the marina before it goes back on the rack.

I've parked across the street a couple times just to watch & make sure they actually do it...all good.
 
LawyerMan said:
How long do you run the motors on a flush with salt away? On a straight hose I currently, per the owners manual, run it for 10 mins. Is it faster with salt away? Should you flush them for the full time, or is that unnecessary?
Click to expand...
As I understand the product...for inboards at least...you flush with salt away until it's frothing out of the exhaust. That might be 20-30 seconds I've read but I have no actual experience yet. And, that's when using completely fresh water and closing the seawater inlet seacock. If choosing not to close the seawater inlet then the engines are supposed to be shut off to allow the salt away to sit in them. The website has all the info.

My boat is in a private dock so no marina guys to do it for me, that would be great though.
 
LawyerMan said:
How long do you run the motors on a flush with salt away? On a straight hose I currently, per the owners manual, run it for 10 mins. Is it faster with salt away? Should you flush them for the full time, or is that unnecessary?
Click to expand...
If you have the blue drain hoses on your motor you can shorten the flush time by first draining the engine and then running it on the muffs until water runs out the drive. If you have an older 3.0 I believe you could add them as an aftermarket kit. My 4.3 mpi has a single point drain I open after running in salt and then I run it on the muffs and flush it until water runs through for about a minute. People in line behind me seem th appreciate the time savings when I'm at the marina. The easy drain also makes winterizing a snap.
 
I have closed loop cooling on my mains and generator. Many years ago I installed the perko valves connected to a valved manifold from my pressurized fresh water system. The pressure and flow is adequate to close the flapper in the Perko valves one motor at a time. I flush anytime a motor has been started. Start the engine, open a water valve for 5 minutes, shutdown and immediately close the valve. No crawling in the bilge for the sea cocks or to hook up a garden hose.
 
Can someone point me in the right direction here, you're discussing flushing stern drive engines, in water?

How/can this be done for alpha one drive engines, in water?

What after market parts am I going to need?

I've read the mercruiser site and it says there is no kit for in water flushing of alpha ones.

Any tips here?

Cheers guys
 
I have been flushing the engines and Generator after every use since I bought the boat. I flush with Salt-Away until I see a steady stream of soap. The hardest part is getting to the valves.
 
Please excuse my ignorance, but what exactly do you put into the valves, and which valves would they be?

Complete newbie here :)
 
I run my 175 Sport in salt water and I keep it in my garage. I hose the entire boat down with Salt Terminator after every outing and also flush the engine with the same stuff, before I tuck it back into the garage . I use a mixing dispenser that came with the product that fits on the end of the garden hose. I know it works great on the outside of the boat. I often have dried salt residue all over the boat when I get back to the house and after I've hosed it down it sparkles like brand new. And then a quick wipe down with a towel and you'd think I just washed and waxed it. So I figure the engine cooling passages are getting good salt neutralized/removal as well.
 
Yes, the manual states to flush after every use in salt water. Easy to flush a saltwater boat out of the water on the muffs and garden hose but if you leave the boat in the water and plan on flushing without a kit, you are supposed to raise the outdrive all the way up, put on the muffs, lower and flush. Not the easiest thing to do. I flush both of mine after every use, even if it's just a 5 minute run into the bay and back. Added superflush kits so I don't have to run the engines. Takes 5 minutes. I only use saltaway at the end of the season and not sure if I really need to. I know people that flush only at the end of the season. Of course they are also the ones changing the risers and manifolds every 3 years. This is my third season with the kits and the risers and manifolds and everything seems fine but I'll be checking them in the spring.
 
rcon said:
Please excuse my ignorance, but what exactly do you put into the valves, and which valves would they be?

Complete newbie here :)
Click to expand...

I close the thru-hull valve, hook a hose to a custom made strainer cover, put 6 gallons of fresh water and salt-away in a bucket and run the engine until soap comes out the exhaust. I have the original oil cooler, heat exchanger, and transmission cooler, so it appears to have paid off. During a recent inspection, my manifolds and risers looked like new.
 
Ah. You guys have Bravo drives?

Alpha raw water intake forms part of the drive
 
Kingsfr those are the Perko Flushpro valves I'm installing this weekend. Glad to hear you like it.

dc380 your whole boat looks brand new. You didn't say if you have had the boat since new. If so way to go on the care!! If not that's great news too. How many hours on the boat when you bought it?

Edit: dc380 I went back to your earliest posts to see about your boat. Looks like you bought a freshwater boat in early 2007. So essentially you've been flushing the salt from your engines for 5 years, coincidently the same amount of time typically recommended to replace manifolds and risers. After inspection, you report yours look new. That's a heckuva testimony.

As I mentioned my boat has just 225 hours on it, 200 hours were lift kept over the first 8 years. The risers and manifolds have less than 50 hours on them. I know salt is a killer but I'm sure whatever I do from this point forward will significantly prolong the life of the present setup.
 
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