Cleaning inside of outboard engine ?

[Stevo25]

Hi Guys,

A quick question. I like to keep my boat and motor in the best possible condition i can.
After a couple of outings i lift the cowling for a general check up and, lanox etc.

There are always salt crystals forming to the rear of the engine block, near the spark plugs,
bolts etc.

Is it safe to wash around these areas with a light spray of water? or just a damp rag?

What is the best method & what do you guys do?

Thanks
Steve ;D

[NQCairns]

I always spray/run water over the outside of the engine block lightly before flushing and being carefull around the carbs and under the flywheel. No problems yet over a fair few years. Just works for me.nq

[banshee]

Same precautions as NQ but instead of a hose try using one of those plastic watering cans with the big rose and fill it with warm to hot water,disolves the salt away instantly,then run on muffs for five to ten minutes.

[stunnedmullet]

Just jumping into this topic, is Lanox fine for a light coverage under the cowling? I have also sprayed the battery terminals as well. Also the trailer plug end and the cable end for the sounder. Yes I have gone Lanox crazy. Is this the wrong thing to do? From what I can gather you can pretty much use the stuff everywhere.
The mullet

[Big_unit]

Stunnedmullet,
I agree with you about Lanox, I too have a tendency to spray it everywhere. It just feels like the right thing to do. Hey its your boat and you are doing it, so spray away I say. If and when something stuffs up then I guess the lesson will be learned. My mechanic has seen me do it and has said to me that it cant hurt applying corrosion protection. I havent had any problems, touch wood.

Cheers
James

[perko]

Some rust preventers do swell rubber (inox) but lanosol is ok.

[Stevo25]

Thanks for all your replies.

It's exactly the information i needed.

Stevo ;)