Re: 80’s/90’s 50hp opinions?

[johnyrude200]

I had read somewhere online by a used motor company, that they only sell the 80’s models for the reason that the transom brackets were prone to failure on the later models. Interesting that you have observed the same thing.

In terms of usage, this would only be used in fresh water, perhaps brackish (infrequently), and I am religious in terms of flushing/hosing/rinsing down every time after exposure to salt. Granted, flushing only goes so far. I noticed my 2014 Etec is showing some signs of salt exposure (and I use it fairly regularly in salt and fresh water). There is salt leaching out through the head gasket (not dramatic, but I can see it), and when I pulled the gearcase off to change the impeller the 6 screws holding it on were starting to show some salt build up. Easily remedied in 5 minutes using a wire brush wheel and anti-seize gasket compound generously.

The impeller housing showed no signs of salt build up and everything else appears OK, but nonetheless it makes me wonder if there is build up in the cooling jacket/powerhead.

I surmise salt’s most dangerous potential is exposure to that water, letting it dry to crystallize, repeat. I am guessing that if the motor sits exposed to air after being yanked from the water, say, for 24 hours, that really isn’t long enough to let things get to the crystal stage, but who knows. That’s about as long as it takes *max* for me to get home and run it in a barrel (generally for 10-15 minutes) while I hose my whole boat down inside and out.