The weather people are forecasting up to 20 named storms this season. While the high winds and hurricanes are bad enough, the storm surge with its deadly flooding is a big challenge too. There will not be enough boats to do the work that will be left behind in the storms’ wake, so firefighters cannot afford to have any downtime when it comes to this valuable resource. This article will cover many inspection and maintenance points to help ensure your water response to your community and keep you from needing to be rescued yourself.
Inspection of Outboard Motor
The fairing is the outer cover of the powerhead and is designed to allow air in to cool the engine and keep water out. Check the general condition of the gasket located at the bottom of the fairing. Check the general condition of the gasket located at the bottom of the fairing.
Make sure the fairing is free of cracks and locks securely.
Check the fuel system, including the fuel filter. Check for cracked or corroded fuel tanks, leaking fuel line fittings, cracked fuel primer bulbs, and maintain at least 10% top space in the fuel cell. Ethanol fuels should be avoided as they will soften rubber parts.
Check for water in the fuel.
Check that the throttle and shift controls move freely.
Check the integrity of the cross member and mounting brackets. Check the propeller. Lubricate the drive shaft.
Note that the engine can be 4-cycle or 2-cycle. Check the oil as needed.
After use, flush the engine cooling system with water.
If you've read our article on car engines, you'll know that they produce motion by burning gasoline with oxygen in metal cylinders. The cylinders have sliding pistons that push a crank around and the crank drives a shaft that (eventually) powers the wheels. Much the same happens in an air cooled outboard motor. The main difference is that there are usually fewer cylinders, operating in either a two-stage or four-stage cycle. Instead of driving a gearbox, the motor powers a propeller. To steer a boat with an outboard motor, you simply tilt the whole motor casing so the propeller pushes the water away from it at an angle. (Some outboards you can tilt by hand; others are steered by turning a steering wheel that tilts the water cooled outboard motor using hydraulic cables.) You can go faster by opening up the throttle so the outboard burns more fuel and turns over more quickly.