Well I am glad to say that after 10 days without electricity we are finally back into the 21st century. I have a lot of catching up to do, I am behind on my surveying book a little and there are a ton of other jobs that need attention but I have spent the day in the workshop prepping my 2hp outboard for the winter ahead.
This is a picture of new one, mine is much more ratty than this but it is the same model, a Yamaha 2CMHS. Yamaha do still make this 2 hp two stroke engine but sadly they are no longer available to the US market, however spares are fairly easy to come by which enables me to keep the old girl purring.
All too often outboards. irrespective of the size are forgotten about at the end of the season, they just get left on the back of a boat or put away in a shed somewhere and then are expected to start some months later when the weather gets warmer. Even if you do your boating in warmer waters where there is no off season a bit of TLC will do wonders for your engine and your temper. Much of this entails putting the engine to bed properly in the winter or storing it sensibly when it is likely to go unused for a period of time.
Step one is to flush the engine through with fresh water, warm water and aluminum do not sit well together and salt water left in any outboard will lead to corrosion.
A small engine like my diminutive 20 lb Yamaha will easily run in a trash can full of water but a larger engine can be run on a stand with a set of fresh water muffs feed from a hose pipe. Run the engine until hot then remove it from the water give it a good wipe down and then take it into the garage or whatever to take care of the other tasks. I was especially keen to get indoors because when I took this photo it was 20 degrees with snow on the ground.
You can continue reading by downloading my handy guide here Download PDF outboard
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