What Happens If I Don’T Flush My Outboard Motor?

Author : Efrain E. Silva

The costly mistake of not flushing this very special boat motor is one that even the most careful boat owner can make, which is the reason I thought it was worth my time to create a special blog talking all about that, here, folks —- yes, this very one your eyes are looking at right now. And leave them here, by the way. I have much to cover that you might want to listen to — so pull a chair up close and listen up.

First off, you have been to the beach at some point in your life, right? Crystal clear, pellucid waters. Nice seagulls in the air or on the ground, passing you by. Babes in bikinis. Beautiful boardwalk cafes and restaurants nearby. You get the spiel. And maybe the only thing that can ruin it all is not being able to go, and take your marine boat out there, which you have invested a near fortune of your life savings on, simply because the darn thing will not start —- and you have tried again and again and again and again and again. Oh, dang it. Now what, you ask? Well, I say, have you flushed the outboard motor like you should have? It all starts there, many a time, a problem that is as easy to fix as 1 - 2 - 3 ( unless it is one that you have neglected and is now harder to deal with, at this very point ) .

What I mean is that, you have ridden on the boat so many times, and come back home just fine — without even flushing or ever doing any post - maintenance on the thing. Now it is not wanting to go. The problem with this, and with the beach, in general, is a little thing called salt water. Ever heard of it? Just like you’ve heard of the beach, I know that you know what I am talking about here, my friend. Salt water gets on the outboard motor, and needs to be flushed out — NOT OCCASIONALLY — but every every time you use the boat. If it stays there, it gets stuck and causes multiple motor issues. It then becomes VERY hard to flush out in bulk, since so much of it has been trapped in there. And not only that, but you will also have found that it has corroded through some of the motor itself, since this special outboard part is, 9.9 times out of 10 ( to give you a real picture ) made out of aluminum, not a salt - water - friendly substance at all. In fact, the two are terrible enemies and can not stand each other’s presence.

So prevent a ton of issues later down the road by simply flushing. Flush, flush, flush. Like as important as it is to flush your own bathroom toilet ( who would want to smell an unflushed toilet several hours later? I know no one in their right mind would ) , it’s vital to flush your outboard. Do it.