[vtrescue]

I have a 2004 Yamaha FX140 with 90 hours that I have kept in meticulous condition since I bought it. I recently came across a 2005 Yamaha FX Cruiser HO with 35 hours that was a steal, so I bought it, thinking I would keep it. However, although not used much, it (the 05) was used in salt-water and there is definately some corrosion on some of the external engine parts/bolts. The engine on my 04 looks like its brand new and so now I am just not sure how concerned to be about some of the bolts being rusted on the 05. The guy claimed he always flushed it, but who knows??? Now I am having second thoughts about the 05, (although I like the HO motor, security feature and cruiser seats) and thinking maybe I should just keep the 04 because I know it is in perfect shape. Anybody out there do a lot of salt-water riding....maybe a little corrosion in the engine compartment is normal......I took the 05 for a 10 mile test ride and it ran flawless. Any thoughts?

 

[Ernest T]

I have a 2004 Yamaha FX140 with 90 hours that I have kept in meticulous condition since I bought it. I recently came across a 2005 Yamaha FX Cruiser HO with 35 hours that was a steal, so I bought it, thinking I would keep it. However, although not used much, it (the 05) was used in salt-water and there is definately some corrosion on some of the external engine parts/bolts. The engine on my 04 looks like its brand new and so now I am just not sure how concerned to be about some of the bolts being rusted on the 05. The guy claimed he always flushed it, but who knows??? Now I am having second thoughts about the 05, (although I like the HO motor, security feature and cruiser seats) and thinking maybe I should just keep the 04 because I know it is in perfect shape. Anybody out there do a lot of salt-water riding....maybe a little corrosion in the engine compartment is normal......I took the 05 for a 10 mile test ride and it ran flawless. Any thoughts?

If all you are seeing is corrosion on a few bolts you are probably OK, especially considering the engine only has 35 hours. Pull the spark plugs and see if they are clean (no rust) might give you a better idea. You might want to spray the bolts and metal with an anti-corrosive product like CRC. I personally like a product called CrossionX. They make a heavy duty version of CorrosionX that will stick to the part and I've actually seen it remove rust over time. Otherwise, the bolts could continue to rust and break if you ever tried to remove them. You might also want to run some Salt Away (or similar) product through the engine, and use it to wash the external surfaces of the engine compartment to remove any lingering salt. The guy probably flushed the engine on the hose, but never bothered to wash off the external surfaces.

 

[vtrescue]

Thanks for your opinion

Salt away is a great idea. I bought some anticorrosion spray and sprayed down the motor but I had not thought about the salt-away, which I will try also. I spent the weekend doing maintenance on the 05 and I think I am going to keep it, as everything looked good, the plugs were fine but I replaced them anyway along with the oil and filter. Thanks for the advice