What Are Marine Engine Zincs?
The lesser known zincs could cost you your engine! Most people are familiar with changing the zincs on the outside of their boat, but many overlook the engine zincs on the inside of the engine. This is especially true for all marine engines run in salt water, regardless of whether you own a Mercury, Mercruiser,OMC, Honda, Yamaha, or other. Zinc anodes are inexpensive to replace, but can be very costly if ignored. The engine parts specialists at Go2marine have heard many horror stories. Failure to change engine zincs can cause catastrophic effects by introducing saltwater to your engine cooling system, or worse into the transmission via the oil cooling heat exchanger. Zincs are a critical part of any vessel maintenance program. They are used as anodes to help prevent electrolysis by sacrificing themselves in place of the more noble metals commonly found on boats and in engines. The zinc material is inexpensive and effective in saltwater therefore it is the most widely used anode. Zinc a
