Engine Care top tips

Fuel is one of the three fundamentals that your engine needs to run. It is important that you give the engine the best chance possible, by taking care of that fuel, and choosing the right fuel for your engine.

Tip 1: Whenever you are not using your engine, you should keep the fuel tank breather closed, this will help stop moisture from getting into the fuel tank. If you have a built in fuel tank it is best to keep the fuel tank full, this way there is less room for moisture to get into the fuel from condensation build up.

Tip 2: Avoid letting your fuel drop below a quarter of a tank. Over time, you end up getting rubbish build up in the bottom of your tank, by keeping your tank above a quater of a tank, you are reducing the chance of picking up that rubbish and forcing it round your engine. 

Petrol Outboards - E5 or E10?

In your petrol outboard, when deciding if you should put E5 or E10 in your fuel tank, the first step is to have a look in your owners manual, or contact the manufacturer and find out what fuel you should be using. Some engines shouldn't be used with E10, as E10 has a higher Ethanol content. Ethanol attracts moisture, which can cause problems with your engine. If you do use E10 in your outboard, it is good insurance to have an onboard water separator fitted if you don't have one already, and is good practice to have no matter which fuel you are using. This water separator sits normally on the transom of the boat and fits to the fuel line in between the fuel tank and the engine. This works by water being collected in the bowl at the bottom of the unit, which can be drained regularly, as and when the water levels in the separator gets high. (It is important to tighten the drain plug back up when you have finished draining the water, otherwise fuel will leak out)

In addition to the moisture that is in fuel, modern fuels don't have the same levels of lead in them, which acts as a stabiliser. Without this stabiliser the fuels "shelf life" is massively reduced, therefore it is important to put a stabiliser in with your fuel if you have a built in tank and don't plan on using the fuel for a while. If you have a removable tank or an easy way of draining your tank it is best to dispose of any fuel that you are not going to be using appropriately. (If 4 stroke without any additional additives in the fuel you can just put it in your car if it is petrol) 

Why drain the fuel from your 4 stroke outboard?

When fuel is left in the carburettor of your outboard for extended periods of time (Winter season for example) the fuel will go off, which will end up blocking jets, reducing the flow of fuel, causing the engine to run rough, and even cut out or not start. Modern fuels are "Bio fuels" which basically means that there is living bacteria within the fuel, which when left can grow, leaving growth within your engine, which can be difficult to clean out of your carburettor. 

Pre-start checks:

Before you start your engine, it is important to make sure that your engine is ready to be started. To do this there is a few things you can do.

Oil level: Before you start your engine, make sure to check your oil level (if you have a 4 stroke outboard, or a 2-stroke outboard with a built in oil tank.)

Cooling: Make sure that the water intake for your engine is under the water, this is normally below the plate that is above the propellor, so you should make sure that that plate above the propellor is under the water, however check on your engine to make sure that you have enough water - Once you have started your engine, make sure to check that you have a working tell tale, this is a stream of water that normally comes out the side or back of your engine, this should be a fairly strong flow, if you are in doubt, switch the engine off and get in contact for advice.

Kill chord: Make sure that your kill chord is plugged in in the appropriate way for your engine, and if on a powerboat clipped round your leg above your knee (RYA and DWMS Advice). If you are in a sailing boat, the kill chord should be clipped to the boat in a way that it is quick and easy to pull the kill chord if someone was to fall overboard. This is the most important part of your engine, as having this attached could save your life and the people around you if something was to go wrong. The engine also won't start if this kill chord isn't properly attached to the engine. Before you set off, you should pull the kill chord out to test that it works. If it does not kill the engine you should turn the engine off another way and get in contact for advice and book in to repair it. (If there isn't another way of turning your engine off, you can remove the engine cover and block the air intake, which will starve the engine of air and stop the engine, another way is to turn off or disconnect the fuel and wait for the engine to cut out)

Debris: Before you start your engine you should check that there is nothing in the water that could foul the prop, and that you have enough depth that the propellor won't hit the floor. 

Warming up: When you start your engine, it is good practice to let you engine run up for a bit in tick over without revs, this gently warms the engine up, rather than being thrashed from cold. 

Post-use checks:

It is important that you take a few steps after using your engine to help prolong the life of you engine and keep maintenance costs down.

Cool down: Once you have finished with your engine, if you have been using a lot of revs or doing high speed runs, it is good practice to leave your engine running for a bit in tick over before turning your engine off. This prevents your engine going from very hot to cold, which adds wear to your engine. 

Drain Fuel: If you are not going to be using your engine for a while (More than a couple of weeks) it is advised to drain the fuel from your carburettor (In a 4 stroke outboard). This can be done by either loosening the drain plug on the bottom of the carb and draining the fuel into a container and disposing of responsibly, or the easiest way is to turn the fuel off or disconnect the fuel line while you have got your engine cooling down in tick over, and leave the engine running until it turns off itself (In fresh water) Or you can do the same while you are flushing your engine with fresh water (in salt water). If you have a 2 stroke outboard, when you drain the fuel, you will need to spray some fogging oil into the intake once the fuel has drained and turn the engine over a few times, to give the cylinders an oily coating. 

Flushing and washing your engine: When you have taken your engine out of salt water, it is important to flush your engine out with fresh water, this can be done with muffs over the water intake connected to a hose pipe, and run the engine up (For bigger engines) or by putting the bottom of the engine into a bucket/bin of fresh water and running the engine up. You want to leave the engine for around 5 minutes to ensure that the whole coolant system is flushed. Once the engine has been flushed, you will want to give the engine a wash down with fresh water (along with the rest of the boat) to get rid of any salt left on the engine. Take care when doing this to avoid damaging any electrics. 

Storage and transportation: If you have an engine that is removable and you are not leaving it on your boat, the best way to store it, is on a stand and inside, out of the weather. When transporting the engine, if left on the back of the boat (for bigger engines) leave the engine trimmed all the way up and with the safety catch down so that the engine is not relying on the hydraulics alone. If you are taking the engine off of the boat to transport the engine, if you need to lay the engine down to put it in a vehicle, check the owners manual or stickers on the engine showing you which way up you can lay it down. If you lay the engine down the wrong way up you will risk oil making it's way into the cylinders, which can damage your engine when next started. (This is for 4 stroke engines only)