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Ho Do You Winterize Your Outboard

D

daninski

Member
Ok, this is probably one of the most basic maintenance procedures however;
1. I have heard of bottom end housings cracking from water in that area so my question is. Can I simply drain the bottom end oil then flush with 30 weight oil (cheaper than gear oil) then in the spring fill with proper gear oil?
2. I've heard of people running their motor till the fuel empties out of the carb but in my experience that's just an invitation for the gaskets to dry out so I run stabilized fuel through the motor before shutting it down for the winter.
Comments? Thanks in advance for your patients, Dan.
 
Check lower unit for water and reseal it if you find water !----------If no water is present then top up the gear oil to make sure it is full.----Never leave the gear case with the wrong oil in it or empty over the winter.---------Run fuel out of the carburetors so that they do not gum up over the winter.------------Gaskets drying out ???------------New motors and new carburetors surely do not have fuel in them when they sit on the shelf !
 
Gaskets drying out ???------------New motors and new carburetors surely do not have fuel in them when they sit on the shelf !

I have seen in many circumstances gaskets left after tearing down a carburetor become distorted and brittle. Rubber primer bulbs and lines become hard and cracked after being drained for the winter. I'm not a chemical engineer so I'll concede it could of been happen chance but it's happened in every situation where I left the system dry.
Anyway, by checking the lower unit for water am I looking for milky looking oil? Thanks
 
It all depends on how harsh your climate is, and how long it'll be until you're back on the water. Some bass fishermen in the south are only off the water 60 days, and they don't require as much winterizing as a pleasure boater in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

On a 2 stroke, the best way to really winterize motors is to put stabilizer in 100% gas and possibly an anti-carbon product comparable Yamaha's RingFree Plus. Then run the motor for awhile, and cut off the supply of fuel to the carburetors. When the engine starts to stumble, spray some fogging oil into the carbs. and the engine will quit. Then, pop the spark plugs and spray some fogging oil into the heads.

It's best to change the lower unit grease in the Fall--so you're ready for the Spring already.

My winter season is relatively short, and my boat's in a boathouse hanging out of the weather. I never really winterized my Yamaha 115 hp 2 stroke, and it's a 1985 model. I've cleaned the carb. 2x in all these years.
 
Fuel left in the carburetors is the big enemy and plugs them up.........If you run the fuel out when boat is not used for a while then carburetors will stay clean and will rarely require any work on them.
 
The worst problem with leaving modern gas in the carbs is the 90/10 gasoline breaking down. Acids end up eating anything rubber when that happens. The old drip, drip, drip often occurs with the needle valves. Fortunately most carbs never require rebuilding, but just disassembly and cleaning with carb. cleaner.
 
Bamaman said:
It all depends on how harsh your climate is, and how long it'll be until you're back on the water. Some bass fishermen in the south are only off the water 60 days, and they don't require as much winterizing as a pleasure boater in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

On a 2 stroke, the best way to really winterize motors is to put stabilizer in 100% gas and possibly an anti-carbon product comparable Yamaha's RingFree Plus. Then run the motor for awhile, and cut off the supply of fuel to the carburetors. When the engine starts to stumble, spray some fogging oil into the carbs. and the engine will quit. Then, pop the spark plugs and spray some fogging oil into the heads.

It's best to change the lower unit grease in the Fall--so you're ready for the Spring already.


My winter season is relatively short, and my boat's in a boathouse hanging out of the weather. I never really winterized my Yamaha 115 hp 2 stroke, and it's a 1985 model. I've cleaned the carb. 2x in all these years.
Click to expand...


Just to clarify....by 100% gas, he means "no Ethanol", NOT "no oil". Sounded kind of scary there for a minute.
 
You're right that 100% gas means gas w/o ethanol--nothing to do with oil in the gas. People badmouth 90/10, but it burns cleaner than 100% gas. Its main problem comes with shelf life, as an acid is produced as it breaks down that deteriorates any rubber items in the fuel system--like fuel pump membranes. Also, some needle valves in carb's have rubber tips.

Most recent model engines are engineered to handle 90/10, and it's okay if you turnover the tank promptly. But I run 100% gas through the winter.
 
Some good info here thanks. Actually on all of my gas driven engines I've done all three. 1. Drain the carb. 2. Run stabilized gas through and leave it. 3. Nothing, didn't do a damn thing and just hopped for the best in the spring.
Conclusion. Doing nothing did make it harder to start the engine in the spring but for the most part I haven't noticed a big difference one way or the other. I do burn high test gas so no ethanol, maybe that was what saved my arse. :rolleyes: Sounds like draining the carb is the winner here. I Googled this and draining the carb was the overall favorite there s well. Thanks
 
Draining a carb on a 2 stroke is preferable--or cutting off the fuel and running it until it stalls. I also like to drain the fuel tank.

On My new 150 hp 4 stroke Yamaha, my dealer told me to fill the fuel tank, stabilize the fuel and put in a decarbon product like RingFree Plus.

Many use SeaFoam in the fuel, but it's so much more expensive than RingFree Plus.
 
Three things to consider when leaving an engine sitting for a long time:

1. corrosion
2. fuel - in tanks and what's left in the engine
3. temperature (as it can freeze water)

Speaking two strokes specifically..

1. Corrosion:

Run the engine for awhile on a flush the last time, to get as much salt out (if applicable) - this helps keeps things like poppet valves and t-stats in order.

Preventing corrosion inside the engine is most easily done via fogging on a carbed model.. Both while the engine is running (through the carbs or a fitting if available) and then into the spark plug holes when you shut it down.

With fuel injection and/or something where you don't want to shoot anything through the intake the simple solution is to remove the water separating fuel filter in or closest to the engine and add a cap of oil, run it until it smokes for a bit, then shut it down. Some actually add both extra stabilizer and fuel injector cleaner with fuel injected engines when doing this.. Similarly if it's practical it's good to shoot fogging oil into the spark plug holes after, but with some engines (like Opti's) it's such a biatch to get the plugs out it's not worth the trouble.

Outside the engine - grease the grease fittings and points, change the gear lube, spray other moving parts that may jam up with the fogging oil. If possible move things around over the course of the storage (ie throttle and shift levers, turn engine lock to lock occasionally). Take the prop off for the season or grease it and re-install.

2. Fuel - add stabilizer to your fuel before running the engine the last time; I like Stabil Marine/Ethanol.. Take your pick of brands but use something that covers ethanol (not regular pink Stabil). IMHO this is much more important than any draining you are going to do unless you physically take all the lines and carb bowls off to be sure there isn't a drop left. Some drain carbs and it's hard to say that's a bad idea, but it worries me more to have a little puddle drying out and making varnish in the carbs than a bowl full of stabilized fuel, so I do not drain carbs and actually pump the bulb up tight to be sure they are full after trimming the engine down for the season.

3. Freezing - change the gear lube (incase there is any water in there) and keep the engine in the down position. This helps assure it drains all water. Outboards though are resiliant to freezing issues and it's rarely a problem.

Jon
 
cooperfly said:
I just did mine today and ran it for a bit and then pulled the fuel supply, shot fogging oil as it started to stumble. Ran it dry
Click to expand...

The problem with that is it doesn't actually leave the carb dry. What you end up with is a puddle of fuel in the bottom of the bowl, enough to easily evaporate and turn into something that clogs up jets later.

If you want to go with it dry, you are better off just shutting the engine down after fogging, then pulling the drain plug on the carb bowl.

Jon
 
The old Evinrude dealer gave me some advise that I used for 20 years and my '75 115 Johnny never faile to start. It even set once unused for a year. Never had stuck float (a real possibility if carbs left full), gummed bowls, or deteriorated gaskets.

"Run it in freshwater or hose until good and warm. Pull have fuel connector at the tank. As the carbs empty, it will start to speed up. Close the chock and let it die. Pull the plugs and fog while hand rotating the crank." The idea was to get a rich oil mixture in the system. This included 15 years of 10% ethanol use.

The problem with hoses and primer bulbs is the elastomer used in the construction. The cheap ones I have gotten will harden over time, full or empty. Ozone and UV are the likely causes. I haven't noticed this with OEM.

The ETEC's have an auto fog program and that has worked well without draining fuel, but it is started at least every two weeks even if on hose.
 
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Some of the needle valves have rubber on the tips where they seal. And they're susceptible to getting stuck with 90/10 gasoline being used.

I have the fuel filter/water separator on my new Yamaha F150. If you cut the filter apart every year when the filter was changed, you wouldn't believe all the trash that comes through the fuel lines. That crud easily gets into the carb. causing problems.

So many carb. issues are from the drip, drip, drip of sticky needle valves.
 
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