A basic guide to the common problems seen with small outboard motors and how to avoid them
It seems there are two types of boaters. Those who have nothing but problems, and those that have nothing but fun. So how do you make sure that you’re one of those who have nothing but fun? It’s all about being proactive and knowing what the common problems are on a small outboard motors and how to avoid them. This guide should help shed some light on common issues that owners have with their portable outboard motors.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR FUEL
The Achilles heel of any small outboard motor is bad fuel. Inevitably each spring our service department fills up with portable outboards suffering from similar complaints: “it won’t start” “it won’t run without pulling out the choke” “it stumbles and bogs down when you try to accelerate.” Every one of these issues is a sign of a dirty carburetor. Unfortunately fuel is terrible these days and breaks down quickly. With the modern EPA regulations, carb tolerances are so precise that the smallest contaminant can cause a running issue. The 87 octane fuel that you pump into your tank will break down to 85 octane within a month and as the fuel degrades it actually evaporates and leaves behind a varnish type substance which will inevitably clog one or more of the small circuits within the carburetor.
The carb on any small outboard (these day’s anything less than 25hp is likely carbureted) holds a small amount of gas in what is called the float bowl. The float bowl should have a drain plug at the bottom and loosening or removing that drain screw is the only 100% way to remove the fuel and thus avoid bad gas clogging up your carb when it’s going to be stored for the winter months. Many people will “run the motor dry” by disconnecting the fuel line which gets most of the fuel, though not all. The last step before storing your outboard should always to loosen the drain screw to let last bit of fuel out. If you don’t know when the next time you’ll be running your outboard, take the 10 seconds it requires and drain the carb. You will save yourself a ton of hassles if you add this to your boating routine.
SALT ALWAYS WINS
If you are a salt water boater an extra ounce of prevention should be taken. Every time your outboard is shut off the cooling water drains out via gravity, however some droplets will always remain on the internal surfaces. These water droplets then evaporate leaving behind a salt crystal or two. Over time these crystals accumulate and will start to clog the inner cooling passages. Restricted passages reduce flow and can lead to overheating problems. With the better outboards the internal water passages are coated to prevent corrosion plus they also often have internal sacrificial anodes to further prevent corrosion. So the main concern is of shear accumulation of salt crystals over time. Sort of like a cheeseburger aficionado may suffer clogged arteries over time.
Many outboards now have a convenient hose fitting to attach a garden hose to flush the motor with fresh water, some require you purchase an inexpensive flush attachment and the smallest motors may require you to simply run them in a bucket of fresh water. As often as you can, flush the motor with fresh water after salt water use. I like to compare flushing your outboard to brushing your teeth - regular is good, and if you fall asleep on the couch without brushing your teeth it doesn’t mean your teeth will fall out in the morning, but if you do not regularly brush your teeth you have to know that you will be spending more money at the dentist.
OIL CHANGES
Small outboards generally get more running hours on them than the big engines, especially in a fishing application where the small outboard is used as a kicker motor. Most manufacturers of 4-strokes all say the same service interval for recommended oil changes: after break- in, once a year OR every 100 hours, whichever comes first. Do your oil changes regularly and remember that the gear oil has the same interval as the engine oil. If you still have a 2 stroke, its irreplaceable so to maximize its life make sure to use a quality oil. $5-10 more spent on good oils each year is a cheap investment compared to engine replacement.
WATER PUMPS
Generally ignored and assumed to be in good working order, the water pump is as important to an outboard as your heart is to your body. Don’t take care of it, and you’ll spend a lot of time at the doctor. Check your water pump each year. Manufactures will state a 3 year or 300 hour service interval for a water pump impeller, but for the time it takes, check yours prior to the start of each season. At very least this practice will give you an opportunity to grease the gear case mounting bolts as well as your drive shaft ensuring that when you do have a failure, the gear case won’t be difficult to remove. Google how to do it, you’d be surprised how simple it is.
WINTERIZE YOUR MOTORS
Back to our first point, the fuel WILL go bad. Stabilize the fuel in your tank with a reputable fuel stabilizer. Yamaha and Mercury Marine both make very good stabilizers as well as an aftermarket product called SeaFoam works quite well. Adding these products to your fuel tank prior to the final run of the season will ensure that the fuel lines and filters are all full of treated fuel when the motor is put away for the winter. If you have a small portable fuel tank it may make more sense to simply dump that fuel tank into your car and start with fresh fuel in the spring. We believe in servicing the motor at the end of the season, if you put your motor away for winter storage after being properly serviced then it will wake up in the spring ready for another season of fun.
If you take care of these basic points you will have care free boating each and every year. The modern portable motor is so well built that they will generally outlast the boats and the owners as long as they are properly taken care of. If you have any questions or would like more clarification on these points please feel free to call us any time at 604-273-7544.
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