Customer Maintenance: Paint Touch-up Guide

Customer Maintenance: Corrosion Under Paint Touch-Up Guide

When to use this guide

If the paint on your Newport motor is bubbling, blistering or flaking, corrosion has likely started underneath it. This guide shows you how to clean it out, neutralize the salt, and seal the spot with flat black marine paint so it stops spreading.

Why this happens

Abrasions from use, common over sand and rock beds, or even particles in the water can break down or cause minor abrasions in the paint, allowing water filled with electrolytes to interact with the exposed metal. In most cases, the exposure is a thin scratch, not a gouge or a deep scratch. Electrolytes, or salts, create a reaction and cause creep corrosion under the paint.

Doing this touch-up does not affect your motor's warranty.

Signs to look for:

•Small raised bubbles or blisters in the paint

•Paint flaking or lifting at the edges of a spot

•White, gray or chalky powder under or around lifted paint

•Thin, worm-like trails under the paint spreading out from a chip or scratch

Plan on about 1 hour of hands-on work, plus drying and cure time before your motor goes back in the water.

What you'll need

Before you start

•Disconnect the motor from the battery. Never work on a motor that's plugged in.

•Pick the right spot. Work somewhere dry, shaded and well ventilated, between 50°F and 90°F.

•Paint won't cure well in cold, damp or direct-sun conditions.

•Stay clear of the propeller. Keep steel wool, neutralizer, and paint away from the propeller and the moving parts around it.

•Rinse and dry. Rinse the whole motor with fresh water and let it dry completely.

•Mask it off. Tape over decals, labels, seams, seals, and anything you don't want painted.

•Gear up. Put on nitrile gloves and safety glasses.

Step-by-step touch-up

1. Remove loose paint and corrosion. Lightly rub each affected spot with 0000 steel wool in small circles until all bubbled, flaking or lifted paint is gone and you see clean metal or firmly bonded paint.

o Feather the edges about 1/4 in. into the surrounding good paint so there's no ridge.

o Let the steel wool do the work. Pressing hard scratches good paint.

2. Wipe away every steel wool fiber. Wipe the area with a dry rag, then do it again. Tiny fibers left behind will rust and stain your motor.

3. Neutralize the salt. Apply the salt remover to the cleaned spots and about 2 in. around them. Let it sit for the time on the label. Don't let it dry on the surface.

4. Rinse with fresh water. Rinse thoroughly to carry away the neutralizer and dissolved salt.

5. Dry completely. Pat dry with a clean rag, then let it air dry for at least 1 hour. Moisture trapped under paint will start corrosion again.

6. Degrease. Wipe the spot with isopropyl alcohol on a fresh lint-free rag. Don't touch the area with bare fingers after this.

7. Prime bare metal (recommended). If bare metal is showing, brush one thin coat of self-etching primer onto the bare area only. Let it dry per the can.

8. Paint. Brush on a thin coat of flat black marine paint, overlapping the good paint slightly. Thin coats seal and look better than one thick coat.

9. Add a second coat. Once the first coat is dry to the touch (see the can, usually 1–2 hours), apply a second thin coat.

10. Let it cure. Pull the masking tape while the last coat is still slightly soft. Let the paint cure for at least 24 hours, or longer if the can says so, before running the motor or putting it in the water.

Do's, don'ts and keeping corrosion away

Don't:

•Work on or paint the propeller or the moving parts around it (prop shaft, prop nut, shaft seals).

•Paint anodes, electrical plugs, or the transducer face.

•Use coarser steel wool, sandpaper coarser than 400 grit, or a wire wheel.

•Paint over rust, powder, or moisture. It will bubble again.

•Pressure wash the repaired area.

To keep corrosion from coming back:

•Rinse your motor with fresh water after every saltwater or brackish trip, including the mount and shaft.

•Wash with a marine salt remover once a month during heavy saltwater use.

•Touch up chips and scratches as soon as you see them, before corrosion can creep under the paint.

•Store the motor dry, and cover it between trips if your boat is stored outside.

When to contact Newport customer service

Stop and contact Newport customer service with photos of the area if you notice any of the following:

•Corrosion at seams, seals, the motor housing joint, or electrical connections

•Signs of water inside the motor, or the motor running rough, weak, or noisy

•Pitting deep enough to catch a fingernail, or metal that looks thin or cracked

•Corrosion covering more than a few small spots

•You're not sure whether the damage is only cosmetic

We're happy to take a look and help you decide on the right next step.