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Member
Posts: 10
| Again, I've got a "new guy with a boat" question...this may be a dumb one. Is there any way to winterize my motor myself? I would say that I'm fairly "mechanically minded," (I change my vehicle's oil/brake pads/brake rotors, etc. myself) but I've never worked on a boat motor before. What all needs to be done? If it's too complicated, I will just take it to a local service shop, but if it's not too bad I'd like to save a few bucks if possible.
I really appreciate any advice!! |
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| Yes....you can do it yourself....
Stabelize the fuel in your tank.
Run(idle) motor (with water to cool it) for 15 min to get stabelized fuel into motor.
Flush water cooling system with fresh water
Change oil and lower unit oil if necessary, watch for h20 in lower unit oil
Charge and store battery(s)
Remove prop and grease shaft according to owners manuel.
Check prop/hub/shaft
Remove spark plugs, spray fogging oil in each cylinder for 5 seconds.
Check spark plugs, gap or replace with new as needed.
Turn motor over (slowly from the top) a time or two to spread fogging oil.
Store motor upright (not tilted up) so water will drain out.
Prevent mice if necessary
Remove fish finders if you live in cold weather area.
Spray electrical componet protector on battery cables/connections
Remove anything from boat which might freeze
Be sure livewells are empty, I put a bit of RV antifreeze in them.
Be sure bilge pumps are pumped dry
Release tie downs so they are not stored under tension
Grease bearing buddies and zerks on motor & trailer.
Cover with winter cover or move to winter location.(be careful if you release tie downs)
Charge batteries periodically throughtout winter
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Member
Posts: 10
| @feklar - Awesome response!! Thanks a lot for the info!! |
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| I am not trying to high jack the topic. But I have a Merc 90hp 2 stroke. Is this winterizing any different?? |
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| IMO the only difference between winterizing a 4 stroke v.s. 2 stroke is you don't have motor oil to change.
With a 2 stroke, I would always use sea foam to stabelize the fuel, be sure to either a) run the motor long enough to get the sea foamed fuel into the carbs, or B) disconnect the fuel line and run the motor long enough so it runs out of gas.
There is a some disagreement about running your motor out of fuel. Some say it leaves no fuel in the carbs and the seals dry up. Others claim it is fine. I've done both over the winter when I had a 2 stroke, but prefer to run it till empty.
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Member
Posts: 874
Location: Neenah, WI | Bounce dryer sheets work good for those pesky mice. Just spread some around the inside of your boat. |
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