E-TEC 200-HP Gets Splashed Heavily in Saltwater

[mkelly]

On Thursday night my 22-foot boat broke from [its mooring] buoy in windy weather and washed ashore down from the mooring location. The wave action definitely put water in the boat as the bilge was soaked down with water and sludge, and there was seaweed everywhere. Upon high tide returning. I got the boat off the beach [and floating] Friday night.

Saturday morning I did some cleaning, and I was going to check things out. Upon starting [the boat's 2012 Evinrude 200-HP 2.6-liter outboard engine], first the oil level alarm went off, followed by "check engine" and "water in fuel"--oh boy. The boat was pulled out of the water.

I emptied the oil reservoir and cleaned it thoroughly. I unhooked the main [fuel] tank, and [connected the engine to] clean fuel [from a portable] tank. Then I ran [the 2012 Evinrude 200-HP 2.6-liter outboard engine] for about fifteen minutes at about 800-RPM.

The check engine alarm continues to alarm upon starting but I can disable it.

I'd like to remove the oil filter and purge the oil lines, but I couldn't get the air silencer off.

I don't know why as a precaution I would not siphon [the fuel from] the main fuel tank. It certainly was not under water but the cockpit deck I'm sure was getting a thorough wash down. That would take care of the fuel tank, oil reservoir, and oil lines.

I can't think of much else to do but perhaps [treat the fuel in the fuel tank with] a good saltwater fuel additive.

When I removed the engine cowling I didn't notice any saltwater intrusion, just very light and minimal saltwater dust being that it lives in that environment. The cowling the engine is pretty bullet proof.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

[jimh]

What instrumentation gave you all these alarm signals?

The presence of water in the fuel on an E-TEC is usually indicated by electrical contacts in the engine's canister-type fuel filter. If that alarm is signaling "water in fuel" then there likely was water in the fuel. Perhaps wave action was able to push water into the fuel tank via the vent hose. In any case, it would be prudent to remove the gasoline from the boat's internal fuel tank and discard it. You should also remove the canister fuel filter on the engine and discard the gasoline and water it contains.

Your discarding of the oil and cleaning of the oil reservoir were prudent actions. The oil reservoir is vented to the air. The oil reservoir is not designed to be splash proof and resist water intrusion. In many installations the oil reservoir is mounted in a container like a battery box to provide addition protection against splashing water.

Removal of the air silencer is described in the service manual. I don't think removal is particularly difficult, but not having done it myself, I can't really say with any familiarity how much effort is needed.

I am not familiar with "a good saltwater fuel additive." What sort of fuel additive are you thinking of using? I never heard of fuel additives that were formulated specifically for treatment of saltwater in gasoline. Can you give an example of such a product? For an E-TEC there is only one recommended fuel additive: Evinrude 2 + 4 fuel conditioner.

[Jefecinco]

I doubt there is an effective additive to treat for sea water in gasoline. If there is little fuel in the tank it may be most cost effective to remove and dispose of it. If it is more fuel than you want to dispose of perhaps a local laboratory or refinery would test a sample for quality. The fuel in the tank was probably not compromised..... but, I would not risk your fuel system (particularly the injectors) unless I was very reassured that the fuel was either salt free or that a small quantity of dissolved salt would not harm the engine.

Have you checked with BRP about the advisability of operating your engine with some salt in the fuel?

[mkelly]

Thanks Jim & Jefecinco, I was hope you would respond. All good info & I'm tracking the correct direction. Had a face to face with our local ETEC rep/mechanic & he thinks as you do, water in the fuel probably thru the vent. We are going to pump out the fuel, replace the oil & fuel filters....I think we're there but I will report back as this is an interesting project.

[mkelly]

And to answer Jim's question, again thank you for getting back as you're my Mr. ETEC....the instrumentation the came installed with the ETEC gave us the alarms. I'm sure there is a more accurate or thorough answer but that's all I have for now.

[mkelly]

Follow up on this one....we successfully emptied the fuel tank & replaced the fuel/water separator & oil filters. The problem now is upon running the engine, it alarms to "no oil". I believe this is because there is air in the oil lines. Anyone know how to purge air from the oil system?

[Peter]

Run the self-winterizing routine a few times.