follow up on fouling INSIDE my outboard

[john churchill]

i just got my engine put back together and reinstalled. fortunately, my worst fears were unfounded. i had lost the water check stream (piss hole) after cleaning all the barnacles off my heavily fouled screens. i had imaginings of monster barnacles in my pump chamber and fouling inside the engine cooling passages. i took the lower unit off and checked the pump. pristine. then off came the themostat and intake manifold. there, wedged in the outflow hole was a baby barnacle chunk. no other signs of fouling in the passages that were visible. a few small barnacles (1/8" or less) stuck on the inside of the lower unit housing where they would do no harm. i worried about any other chunks that might have been trapped in the engine cooling passages, but the dealer reassured me that if the engine was running fine and not overheating, that it would not be a problem.
lessons learned: 1) i put clear tributyl tin aerosol spray on the screens, then cleaned the small holes to make sure they were not clogged.
2) the tear down and reassembly were surprisingly easy. the honda shop manual ($15) is great, all pictures and not too complex.
3) i will check the screens periodically through the year to make sure they are not fouling.
4) the Dana Arenius flush system works well. the inflow is right into the pump chamber, the flow from the garden hose probably exceeds the pump capacity, any excess goes out backwards thru the intake screens. on my engine, i do not have continued flow thru the piss hole after the engine is shut down, but i believe the engine flush continues for a little bit. certainly the engine is flushed with nearly fresh water rather than brackish given the flow rate at least at my marina.

so, all is well that ends well. my motor is back aboard, oil changed, checked and all adjusted. the easy removability of the outboard is a tremendous advantage at times like these, i was able to do all the work in the comfort of my garage. and yes, it did rain on me the day i took it out as well as the day i reinstalled it. at least that aspect was true to boat form.

[M. R. the shaft Bober]

Sounds like good news.

We haven't had any trouble with our Honda 2HP. In fact we almost never have any touble at all.

Have you considered raising baby barnacles as a food stuff for extended cruising? Hope to see you and your bride at the Ground Hog Day Extravaganza.
Shaft



thebobers@erols.com

[Ron Fitzpatrick]

Hi John,
I have an older (70's vintage) Mercury with a similar problem, no telltale stream. I took it to a Merc dealer who tore it apart and after $200+ reported that they couldn't find out why, but that it was cooling ok. I wasn't comfortable with the result so now I use the Mercury on an inflatable. It works good there, and since it see's little use, it's ok.

Now I have a 5 hp Honda 4 stroke on my Typhoon, and it's really too much motor for the boat... too heavy, too much power for the mounting.
I'm curious to know the type of boat where you're using your 2hp Honda and are you happy with the performance. I sail on Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire and I really like the quiet and clean of a 4 stroke.

Ron Fitzpatrick



rjfitz@worldpath.net