Starting motor out of water
- Thread starter PhilR
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Flushing muffs. I have the type that feeds both pick-ups. If you have other pickups that muffs don't cover just those tape close. You need good water hose pressure , too. Other options are a tub from farm supply store or flushing bag. I would buy a tub.
Jbrooks242
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warthog5
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A word of caution......NEVER......Ever walk away from a engine you are flushing while the engine is running....Those muffs tend to slip and slide.....Many a owner has done it and at the very least bun a waterpump up.......At the worst......Burn the engine up.
SBH2OMan
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Another note - not all engines require those muffs for flushing. For example, Honda outboards have a flushing tee built in that takes a regular garden hose thread...
I'm sure that this is generally speaking common knowledge, but for anyone new reading this NEVER NEVER NEVER run the motor using only the garden hose flushing port. Flushing it with the motor off is fine, but if you attempt to run the motor with just the flushing port you will burn up your water pump in well under a minute and possibly do extensive damage to the motor.
The only way I would even consider doing it is if the manufacturer explicitly states that it can be done (and none do, to my knowledge), and even then I'd be leery of doing so.
warthog5
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What pelagic2530 said 
Clarkbateman
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In my experiences...... newer motors don’t need to run , to completely flush the motor. Many motors will over heat if you try running them with lower unit ear muffs. Also .... newer motors have connections for water hose directing to motor
warthog5
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Especially Yamaha's
Not quite true, atleast on yamahas and merc/vvo inboards. This is a never ending debate for consumers and techs alike. If your running through the flush port on the engine you can idle it as long as you'd like. The water pump is still getting fed water from back flow. Its enough to cool and lubricate the impeller. You shouldn't ever raise the RPM's while on the flush port. Using muffs you can increase engine speed. Even at yamaha school the instructors are back and forth. But in the end, the engine doesn't need to be running to flush, trim down and water on.
12lbpug
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I have said this before and a Yamaha dealer recommended. I run in spring and fall with the hose with no issues at all. I winterize it at idle and run it in Spring before launching. Someone said you will mess it up. Sorry but you are wrong. The bottom gushes and the highest point in the cylinder head pisses Cool water. Yes the manual says not to. That is because some would run it at 4500 in their driveway. Been doing my 150 with no issue.
my two cents
12lbpug
Active member
If you are looking for a flush after running I use the port engine off motor up. Two minutes and the pee water has no salty taste. For running I could not get the muffs to seal and got inconsistent pee. Hose fitting= no issue. 2011 150 Yamaha
I have spoken to two Yamaha techs locally about this. They both said with the engine running & the muffs on obviously the engine runs hotter than just using the hose fitting. The heat generated by the engine running plus the fresh water, in theory, is supposed to do a better job of cleaning any salt deposits that may be left behind. However, they both also said it was too many opportunities for human error flushing the engine with muffs and they recommended just using the hose flush feature already built in. They said just keep the water flowing and use your finger to “taste” to see if any salt water was still coming out of the engine while flushing. Once the water has no salt coming out, let it keep flushing for another 5 minutes with fresh water and you’ll be good to go.
knotflying
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Straight from the owners maintenance manual. "Connect garden hose to the inlet side of your non-running outboard, turn on spigot full force and let the water pressure do the work. If your boat is on the trailer fresh water will also trickle down and adequately clean the water pump and lower units cooling water passages".
Clarkbateman
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I know of several outboard motors , running at idle speeds that ran hot , and had to replace impeller and housing. These motors where at different locations , so it wasn’t a water pressure issue at the source.
