Flushing motors with Vinegar

[bksah2]

Any one ever flush there outboards with vinegar to help remove salt deposits

[Monkey Butler]

Keep in mind that if it is a Yamaha or a Suzuki you must use rice vinegar.

It is not salt deposits that you are dealing with but a build up of aluminum oxide instead. When I tore apart my motor I had many bolts frozen in their bores by A/O corrosion. Other than heat and brute force nothing loosened them. I heard about and tried things like CLR, Orange Power, Vinegar, PB Blaster, Cascade DW detergent and nothing really works unless you can get some mechanical abrasion on the corrosion.

[bksah2]

The reason I ask is because with my end of year layup and fogging I pulled the t-stats and founf them about 20% cover in salt deposits I soaked them in some vinegar and they came pretty clean put them in a pot of hot water and they open fully at 140degrees ...so i think as part of my winter layup mantance why not clean out the waterways with a good flush of vinegar

[Monkey Butler]

The T-Stats are are a copper/brass/bronze alloy of some sort just like a penny. There are plenty of tricks to make an old penny shine.

Your engine block is aluminum.

[kamikaze]

There is a company that sells a acid based flush that removes the buildup, but I always worried what else it would "eat" while working on the salt (e.g. head gaskets). The product was shown on ship shape several years ago. Maybe you can find a reference for it there

Kamikaze

[THEFERMANATOR]

SALT-AWAY is one that is meant to be used to remove salt build-ups slowly and to be left in the powerhead to reduce future corrosion and to act as a lubricant like substance. It washes out quickly once you run it with regular water.