3.5b tahatsu waterjacket caked water in fuel

Hi I was just suckered into a 2006 3.5b tahatsu thinking it had a bad impeller ( owner bought the engine new and said he never even noticed any water flow).Anyhow I pulled apart the lower unit and the impeller was fine and a double threaded support blt was missing according to the parts layout.
I ran water from a hose up through the intake but their was only a spittle from what I assme is the steam sensor(back side of lower unit about the middle) which seemed to put out some exausts when running. I pulled apart the therma stat and it was caked with salt and didn;t seem to work until I boiled it a bit. then it was OK. I the tried to run waterer in at the thermastate housing and I got good flow fro the prp and all seemed like it may be OK so I refilled the oil which had clouded a litle during this process and started her up. Water milked up the oil.
Now I am attempting to remve the powerhead so I can clean ut the water jacket and hpfully find a blwm gasket some where casing thi water leakage So what I need to know is:
1. does the pwer head come ff by justs remving the munting screws n the underside because it des nt want to move ?
2 Is there a gasket that i may have blwn with the hose forced water pressure like something simular to a head gasket(I can't find one in the parts layout just a valve cover gasket)?
and
3. any recommendatins for product that deslve cake n salt?

Or any other words f wisdm fr the collective of minds.
Thanks, Rick

1. Yes.
2. Maybe. There is a base gasket, and there is an oil pan gasket. The head itself is cast as part of the crankcase... 1 piece, no head gasket... total of 2 crankcase halves, plus the oil pan. If you had a severe overheat, you may have warped any of the castings, and may have damaged one of those gaskets.
3. A mild acid will dissolve the aluminum corrosion and salt. There is also the expensive salt-away product.

If you want to save the motor (which may or may not be fiscally worth it)... Start by getting a Factory service manual, available from any dealer (including me). Skip the aftermarket manuals, which are too general. If you have the long model, there is a stud to join the exhaust housing to the LU through the extension housing. There is no such thing as a "steam sensor". You may have been seeing overheat exhaust and steam from the telltale "pee tube". If you boiled the stat, it may well be shot from overheating. It's supposed to operate at about 150F. At this point, if you want to fix it, you will want to pull everything apart, clean all water passages, and start from there.

Thanks for the fast reply Paul,
You have eased my concerns on on all my inquires and I will now move forward I am hpoping the two casr hlves have water jacket links. I had no imoulsification until after I tried to blow ut the blockage with water hose pressure.. Steam senso is a typo. I meant I could sea some exaust/steam coming from a rear port on the shaft housing.
Is muriatic acid OK diluted 10/1 or is vineger a working option for diolving the salt? I know muriatic can play hell on most metals. i'll look up your manual and possibly get another new 3.5 to have one as a spare.
The key is these people need to read the operater manual which specifically states not t tilt the engine up after running in salt water until it drains and cools. Again thanks. I'm on my way with proper directions.
Peace, Rick

The Factory manual is Part # 003-21058-0, $40.00 from any dealer. You can drop me an email at the office: [email protected] or call 716-877-8221 M-F 9-5 Eastern. I'll be at a show all this week, but will be checking email.