I have heard that I should flush out my Yanmar 1gm10 inboard diesel engine every time I run it in saltwater. Is that true? Is there an easier way to flush it, because it currently takes me about 20 minutes after each time I motor which is a pain?
Flushing an Engine with Fresh Water?
- Thread starter SailorElliot
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- yanmar yanmar 1gm
I’ve heard that too but never found any evidence it is of any benefit. If it is an outboard to which you refer, it can’t hurt but again, I’d like to read something beyond hypothesis showing it matters.
Just maintain the engine as recommended.
Just maintain the engine as recommended.
Thank you for the idea! That's very true that there is no way that Pacific Seacraft expects you to flush the engine every day, so maybe I should not worry about it.
I flush my engines with fresh water at the end of the season before layup.
Saltwater in SoCal is filthy. I used to flush my universal on a C30 after every trip when I got back to my marina. I just had a 2nd pickup line off the raw water intake which I ran into a bucket after closing the raw water intake. Took about 5-10 min to have the motor idle while I was tidying things up and never had a problem. Others suffered more exhaust riser failures and things from lack of maintenance so even if physiological it worked for me and I used the boat often in the years I owned her. But that just my .02 cents.
Thanks! Do you think it would be possible to install a T-pipe and another valve so that I just can close the raw water valve and open the freshwater valve, which might be slightly easier?
That's what I had. The hose came up from the raw water intake into a T with the dog leg going to another ball valve with just an open ended hose on it. When I was sailing I closed the open hose and opened the raw water hose. Reverse when I got back to the dock and used a 5 gallon bucket to flush. The key thing to be aware of is never have both valves open or Blub Blub Blub as the raw water seacock will keep filling the boat. I also like using clear hose as I could confirm good flow through the engine upon startup incase the diver missed the through hole on the cleaning or a mussel tried to set up camp. The bucket would take longer on the flush if my impeller was getting worn out as well telling me it was time for more service if it had been a while. Still though this is what worked for me so your mileage may vary.
Our Seaward 25 has a 1gm10 in it. I installed a t in the sea water line with a ball valve and hose on it so I could flush it. I installed a hose spigot near the bottom of a 5 gal bucket so I could quickly hook up the hose end from the engine for flushing. I did this setup mainly for winterizing and running the engine on the trailer, as we kept the boat in fresh water. When we took it out for a trip in salt water, I flushed it when we got home.
Since the 1gm10 is a sea water cooled boat without a closed system, it may make some sense to flush it with fresh water periodically when you keep it in salt water and store it with fresh in the system from a corrosion point of view. Not sure how much effect it would really have on the longevity of the motor, though.
Since the 1gm10 is a sea water cooled boat without a closed system, it may make some sense to flush it with fresh water periodically when you keep it in salt water and store it with fresh in the system from a corrosion point of view. Not sure how much effect it would really have on the longevity of the motor, though.
I rigged this setup in my C310. I can flush periodically or use antifreeze to winterize. Also can be an emergency bilge pump.
You're welcome. BTW, the Flicka 20 is a beautiful little cruiser. I helped a sailor tie up his Flicka one day, and I was impressed at how seaworthy she looked!
I have the same Yanmar set up with a shunt for flushing the system and flush it after every use adding a tablespoon of
to the approx. 3 gallons of fresh water I run through.
to the approx. 3 gallons of fresh water I run through.
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