Salt water motors

[1946zephyr]

Im thinking soaking the outboard in vinegar and baking soda will work better that salt water.

[Rob]

To be clear, my idea was to get a 55 gallon drum of penetrating oil and submerging the ENTIRE motor for an extended period of time, like a year maybe. In my opinion, that’s the only way of having any chance of getting a lubricant to the threads. I was really just curious if anyone had ever tried that. Curious if anyone was successful with that approach.

The point is well taken. I do understand that once corrosion reaches a certain point, heat may be the only answer.

Also, to say that I have ‘almost’ given up on this salt water motor is like saying water is almost moist. About six months ago, I abandoned it and started in on a freshwater Sea King 5 that had a rod knock. I am having a blast with this thing!! I am going through a full scale restoration–my first. Every single screw, nut and bolt came out with absolutely no problem. It was so much more enjoyable restoring this motor without having to work on one bolt for hours and hours before moving on to the next one. Thanks again for all the help!

Thanks for the replies!
Rob

Rob

[wiscoboater]

quote FrankR:

quote fleetwin:

Showering the engine in WD40/penetrating oil won’t do much, except create a big fire hazard when you eventually have to resort to the torch.
I would look for a fresh water engine to get started with. You might also find a salt water carcass that is beyond repair, you can practice heating on the carcass, who cares if you break the bolts.

That’s an excellent suggestion. Just don’t get so mad and frustrated at it that you give up altogether. On the flip side, you may get so mad and frustrated that a nice clean fresh water motor will be a joy to work on. I even considered going up North to get a truckload of them a couple of times.

Swing by my place Frank, I’ll set you up with a load of nice clean fresh water gems!!

[Author]

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