Flushing outboards with vinegar

[poengine33]

Any one ever flush there outboards with vinegar to help remove salt deposits

[ken52]

I've used white vinegar in coffee pots and on ceramic tile floors but never thought about an OB. Not sure of the reaction the salt & vinegar would have but I'll bet it's gonna foam like he**.

[kingfish]

Dunno - vinegar will certainly react (and foam) on lime and calcium deposits, but I'm just not too sure it will do anything on salt...

[Tucker]

Ok PO, looks like you're elected to be the first one to try this. I cring everytime I replace the stats and see all that salt crap in there and would sure like to try something that disolved it. I flush all the time and still get it. Be sure to let us know how you make out.

[Junior]

Salt-Away Home Page

My friends Dad used something like this and said it works wonders. Which ever product he used, it "allegedly" stopped further deposits from forming (according to him)??? I only flush after each use.

[robert graham]

The product is called Salt-Away and it is an inhibited acid that can be circulated through the motor to remove salt deposits. Of course vinegar is an acid and may work also. If I were doing this myself I would run my motor in a 55 gallon plastic drum and add my acidic product with the motor running until I saw some foam or signs of deposit removal, then flush with fresh water and a mild base to neutralize the acid. I used to acid clean boilers like this but of course they were heavy iron and steel and not near as delicate and sensitive as the non-ferrous metal/aluminum outboard motor. The whole trick is to get the salt without attacking the motor. Probably the Salt-Away has been developed and proven to work without damage. Good Luck!

[poengine33]

Well i chickened out on useing vinegar to flush my outboard ...the bigest reason was i was not sure how the vinegar would act on the aluminum outboard parts how ever i have read a lot of good things on Saltaway and after shopping around got a fair price on it and will give it a try...if there are any stories out there with the use of saltaway please post