2003 Merc 60 hp 2 cycle lube and maintenance questions...

New to Merc and do not have owners manual to refer to. Looking for type and weight of lower unit gear oil, whether or not it needs to be antifreeze flushed before New Hampshire winter storage. Do I need to stick with Mercury TC-W3 2 cycle oil or is the Pennsoil giving me the same protection? Thank you. One last thing, where can I get an owners manual? For those who followed my previous concerns about hard starting, we found it needs no priming before starting when running within 24 hours. Thank you all for helping resolve that matter. Steve

Contact Merc. to get a new owner's manual and a factory service manual if desired. No flushing w/antifreeze required; just stand the engine upright to drain and dry and for storage. Any TC-W3 2 cycle oil will perform similar to Merc. oil. The same for the gear oil...just match the specs. on the Merc. bottle.

Only thing I would add to the above -

I change my lower unit oil "just" before laying it up for winter storage. That ensures there is no moisture/water in the gearcase which could crack at sub-zero temperatures.

Also, a fogging oil wouldn't hurt - a couple of shots in each cylinder and then rotate the flywheel by hand with the plugs still out (to get it gloopy inside) and then put the plugs back in - then a mist over the whole powerhead not only protects things it also deters mice etc from setting up house under the hood.

Last thing - if you don't run fuel stablizer in the tank all the time (a good idea if there is ethanol in your gas), then at least run it in the last tank - that way when you lay up the motor any fuel left in the lines, carb bowls or injectors (whichever the case), is stabilized and will survive the winter.

(I have used Walmart TCW3 and gear oil for years - works just as well as the overpriced OEM products)

have a look here you should get the manual for your engine.
http://boatinfo.no/lib/library.html

Thanks for all responses. Steve