Flushing Muffs, Shear Pins & Fuel Filters

'I never see engines that have issues through over-use, but I see 10 a week that have problems through lack of use'. That's what our local engine mechanic said to me the other day. As salt water evaporates, it leaves behind the salt itself. This builds up over time, slowly choking the cooling system of our engines. As the engine gets blocked with salt, parts of it don't cool as well, creating local hotspots and a general lack of efficiency. As the blockages worsen, the engine will be working harder and with less efficiency (think 'burning more fuel' here!) to keep itself cool, and eventually bad things will happen. Flushing the engine after each use should help to prevent this, in particular at the end of the season when the engine will be sitting idle for the longest period.

Trade Secret
Don't tilt the engine straight after flushing, leave it in the 'down' position for as long as possible to allow any water to run out and prevent damage from freezing.