I'm glad to hear your motor survived Scott. I was going to say that I agree with RodC.😉

Update

So the motor that was submerged lives! I carefully airbrushed bits of sand and dirt out from the windings and then rubbed everything else down with WD40 before blowing everything dry with wife's hairdryer. I tested it on a wee rig in the bath with a 35mm prop letting it run at 1/2 throttle for 20min then a few bursts of full and is running very sweet indeed.

Instead of throwing it back in a speedboat it's going to have a far calmer life now in my own design basic plank tanker where it won't have to work over half throttle again

So a big thank you for all the hints, tips and advice as it will live on for hopefully many more years

Scott

Thanks for everyone's help

I've bought a replacement motor though have also decided to push ahead and repair this one before I pop it in a Graupner Gtx outboard that won't be requiring full throttle or sea use.

The motor was a cheap Johnson 540 from around 2004 and has been used most years since then so has served well though I do enjoy tinkering away and reviving components.

It reminded me of my first real sailboat and I hadn't tightened my outboard clamps properly in a rush to meet the tide. Yip it jumped off the transom while running and it took almost a month to find and recover it. It then sat in garage for 6 months before I decided to strip it to bits and rebuild.

I still use it today as my back up as have an inboard on my sailboat and on testing it's never missed a beat

My father would agree with me being a tinkerer too as he had a lovely Ford Cortina when I was 7 and I decided it needed touching up with a chisel and an oil top up into the radiator.

After that event I deem myself lucky to be able to be typing this or even breathing 🙈

Thanks again to all

Happy sailing

Scott

I just had an air/water micro pump (used to blow ballast water from a model submarine) sustain a water leak that made it fail. Replaced it for about $20 usd but spent two days dissecting how the pump worked. I learned a lot. Very satisfying and isn't that why we build boats?

Tend to agree with blackshoe, persue solutions for the knowledge you gain, but buy a new motor.

Unless it's a particularly unusual motor, given the relatively low cost of these, I might be inclined to replace it with a fresh unit. The cost, time, and materials used to clean out and service the compromised unit may not be worth the effort.
It would be annoying to have a "cleaned" motor fail underway several outings later.

The only thing I can add to Dave's comments is to make sure you do not use wire wool or steel wool because they consist of material that is attracted to a magnet or a magnetic field and you do not want any stray material left behind to bridge the sections of the motor winding. Len

Hi Scott, The advice was good even though not many members of this forum sail in salt water.

The important thing is to disconnect the battery power and rinse the motor ( and all the metal components) immediately in clean fresh water. Thereafter dry out - perhaps using a hair dryer on low - and all should be well.

Good Sailing. Dr John F. Leeds and Bradford BBC. 😁😁

Hi Dave

This is been used in sea water for over a year now then two days ago hit a floating log and ripped the prop shaft out along with motor. Might just have to buy a new motor and let this one go.

Thanks for everyone's help

Scott

Hi Scott
Looks like this happened some time ago. The rust on the armature is not good and you can't see what damage may have been caused to the laminations. Initially I would check for any short between the commutator segments and the drive shaft using the highest resistance setting on your metre. If there is a short or low resistance it is possibly beyond repair. If you are lucky and there is no low resistance then you can clean the surface rust off the armature - I would use wire wool or a brass brush. If there is a short or low resistance it is possibly beyond repair. Hopefully it will come off with no residue. You do not want any rust bridging the laminations. You will need to protect with a light coating of oil to protect. You have not shown the casing but it will also need cleaning and all rust removed.
I agree with previous comments regarding fully immersing the motor in clean fresh water asap to remove all the salt water and prevent any crystals from forming. I use Iso Propyl Alcohol to wash out as it will disperse and clean at the same time and evaporates quickly. A good spray of WD40 will also help but remove any excess from the brushes and commutator with a cotton bud before applying any power. I usually try with say a 3v supply initially to ensure it turns before applying full power. Be interested to see the state of the rest of the motor.
dave976

As soon as you remove it from saltwater immediately immerse it in freshwater. Do not allow any drying time while there is saltwater present, not even minutes. After the freshwater agitated rinse, spray it inside & out with WD40, being certain to flood the brush area & bearings at both ends. Then shake while wrapped in papertowels to get rid of excess WD40, the papertowelling is to keep it out of your eyes & off painted walls. Lubricate bearings at each end before you apply power to run it again.

Spray it with Electrical contact cleaner.
Making sure you get the inside thoroughly.
Trev

I haven’t had that issue. Hopefully someone can help though.

I did retrieve a boat from a pond after a week of being 8’ under. I rinsed it under the tap and then blew it out with an air hose. After that, it was put in a container of rice for a few weeks. The rice absorbed the remaining moisture.

The motor is fine now.