DF300 2014 flushing

[bassyac]

Hello all
Are these engines able to be flushed using the rear flush port while the engine is still tilted down in the water? or maybe should not flush at this time of year (cold). My question is having fresh water in the engine which freezes faster than salt water or leave the salt water in and the engine tilted down in the water. Does engine drain out if left tilted down?
Started it, ran for a minute or so water coming out out the telltale overheat alarm went off, turned off, let it sit for a minute started up again temp went from 140 degrees F to 58 degrees F. I believe it is because the overnight temps drop below 20 degrees F
Thank you
John

[artdf175]

If it were mine and I had to leave it in the water in freezing temps.. leave it tilted down..

It can be flushed in the down position and the fresh water should drain down to the water line.
you do not want to not flush out the salt.. and if you leave it tilted up there is a good chance there will be water trapped in the lower prop hub and water pump
Art

[FourHeyDay]

Are you using the boat over the winter? The fresh water vs. salt water freezing point isn't much different (32 vs 28F) so don't assume that salt water will be non freezing.

Is the boat sitting in the water over the winter? When the motor is tilted up, there is more of a chance that the water can be "sealed" in the motor but even tilted down the water can be trapped in the motor if it's in the water. Best to have it out of the water completely, tilt it up and down a few times, leaving it in the down position after running fresh water thru it to clean it and then it should be all mostly drained out. Any remaining water will have enough room to expand if it freezes. Also, you use a fogger to protect the cylinders and run it once a month to lubricate the engine if you choose.

I've wondered if you could use low pressure air from a portable compressor to blow any air out of lines....like 10 psi sort of low pressure...

And change your lower unit oil if you aren't using it for a long time. Trust me, I am going thru a lower end unit rebuild due to saltwater ingress right now.

[bassyac]

Thank you for the replies
The engine will not be in for the winter, however this is prime Bass season so there are times when it gets cold enough to freeze water in a bucket left on deck.
I have the service manual and could not find a diagram where the water moves through when flushing.
It's only a month or so of fishing, I'll flush it and tilt it back into the drink. I just wondered what do all the guys who use their boat thru the cold months do.
John

[FourHeyDay]

In the water is the way to go. Safer. The impeller should be below water line so less likely to freeze. I couldn't see any diagram either of the water line routing but I did see some diagrams showing the lines around the motor. Had to piece it together to imagine how it moves thru the engine. You should be good to go.

Check out fig 12 Thermostat online for your motor under the Suzuki parts lookup. It shows the routing clearly.

[bassyac]

Thanks for thermostat I can not figure it out, I'll tilt it down till the end of the season and flush it real good before I winterize it
Thank you Art didn't even think of the prop hub

[bassyac]

Tilted down works 24 degrees F, -4 degrees C. 3 weeks left

[FourHeyDay]

Tilted down works 24 degrees F, -4 degrees C. 3 weeks left

Great news!

Happy fishing