crustysailor said...
frant did you notice any change without the thermostat?
I must admit I haven't checked the condition of mine, it doesn't get fresh water flushed either.
The first time I didn't remove the thermostat and it corroded shut after a few months of inactivity of the motor. Had no cooling water jet. After a somewhat anxious trouble shooting session worked out what was going on and threw the thing overboard (thermostat). No noticeable difference in running, perhaps it takes a little longer to warm the engine up but I always start early to give the batteries a little charge and let the engine warm up before running at revs.
My motor is mounted in a fully enclosed well with a removable fairing hatch that allows the leg only to protrude, this is similar to a saildrive leg in sailing resistance. Adds about 0.5 knot to motoring speed c/f having a completely open well. Alternatively it allows me to leave the motor down while sailing with little increase in drag compared to retracting and fitting the sailing hatch to the well.
With the motor in a fully enclosed well it is important to fit a crankcase ventilation tube externally to prevent the motor from suffocating. That one really had me beat till I figurede out what was going on.
The other issue that I have had was an earwig making its home in the water jet exit hole. Thought that I had no cooling again and only discovered that the jet was blocked shortly before I started pulling the leg apart to change the impellor. Now always poke a match into the hole after a short layup.
