Occasional running through the winter?

[metal-chicken]

In the past my 225 hasn't been run between the end of Sept and April/May but this year I was going to run it occasionally in a big tank to keep things lubricated and moving.

Is this a good idea and, if so, how often and for how long - is 30 minutes enough every 4 weeks, or more often/longer? The boat is dry stored at my house so I'm not restricted in when I can pop out and run it.

 

[Alan Hicks]

I think some of this call will have to do with what part of the country you're in, but personally, I would do a good job of winterizing, then put it to bed. Wake it up when you can run it for a while.

 

[alumarine]

There are many, many thousands of outboards that get put to bed in the fall and wake up just fine in the spring.
I'd think there was a greater chance of accidently doing harm starting it periodically than letting it sit.

 

[chawk_man]

It is my understanding, that these big Hondas are susceptible to excess wear on start up if they have been put in storage for long periods of time, especially vulnerable is the thrust bearing.

Here in eastern Virginia in winter (where is freezes often, but typically not sustained for more than a few days) I store my boat on a lift over the water. About every four weeks, I drop it in the water and run it while still on the lift. Run time is at least 30 minutes. I idle it until it warms up, then vary speeds. While at lower speeds, I'll put it in gear - both forward and reverse. Since this is in saltwater, I then flush it with fresh water for at least 20 minutes, then down trim the engine to the max.

The main reason I do this is to keep the internal engine parts lubricated, especially the thrust bearing. Also, I use 25W-40 FC-W oil instead of the 10W-30. I've been doing this for 12 years, and at 2200+ hours, have not had any detectable wear problems.