Flywheel rusty

[Mmitchum]

Was checking my Opti250 over tonight (learning more every day thanks to you guys) and found my flywheel has a lot of surface rust around the teeth. Is that at all normal? The can of my start solenoid is rusty, too so I know something happened at some point. Should I begin bracing my wallet for the impact of a flywheel replacement?

Also, my air filter was UGLY... Slightly torn (WTH?) and brownish red from all the rusty dust. Not good

New filter is on the way, but the rust really worries me.

 

[bferg61]

The flywheel is cast iron. Unless it is missing teeth to engage with the starter then you should be fine. On my flywheel under the belt are more teeth with gaps in them. There is also a sensor that reads the gaps so the computer can tell the position of the crankshaft and can control the spark timing for the engine.

As for the rust, if the boat was sitting around saltwater then it is to be expected.