Table of Contents
Winterizing Your Outboard Motor Drain the crankcase oil (Four-stroke motors) Install a new oil filter (Four-stroke motors) Filling the crankcase with new oil (Four-stroke motors) Changing the lower unit gear oil. Stabilizing the fuel. Flushing the outboard with antifreeze. Fogging the cylinders.
Do you need to winterize an outboard motor?
Like inboards and sterndrives, outboard engines are also subject to potential damage from freezing and from being laid up in disuse for months at a time. So outboards demand winterizing too.
How do you winterize a boat engine?
Winterise engine Run the inboard engine and change oil and filter. Flush engine with fresh water, add bio-degradable antifreeze and start engine, keeping it on until antifreeze leaves the exhaust. Change transmission fluid. Flush outboard engine with fresh water, wash down with mild detergent.
How do you winterize a boat motor with antifreeze?
Remove the raw water intake hose from the seacock (this is sometimes difficult, as hose clamps and hoses may be mechanically frozen in place) and insert the end into the antifreeze in the bucket. Start the engine and run at idle until antifreeze discharges from the exhaust outlet for 30 seconds or more.
Do you have to winterize a 2 stroke outboard motor?
Regardless of the season, you should winterize your outboard anytime it isn’t going to be used for more than a month.
Should I leave my outboard motor up or down?
You want to leave the engine in the totally trimmed down position. This will allow all of the water to leak out of the engine, midsection, and lower unit. Making sure that there is not any water in the Lower Unit that could rust gears or freeze and destroy the gear case by flushing the engine with fresh water.
What happens if boat is not winterized?
If You Don’t Winterize Your Boat, Here’s What Happens: Water freezes and expands and can damage anything it’s trapped inside. Water may seep into unprotected spaces to do this. Acidic and corrosive wastes, salt and corrosion buildup can damage delicate parts in engines. Fuels break down or grow dirty.
How cold does it have to be for a boat engine to freeze?
Unwinterized boat engines can freeze any time the air temperature is below 28°F (-2°C) – for an extended period. Freshwater cooled engines without proper coolant can freeze below 32°F (0°C). The good news is you can prevent freeze damage fairly easily.
Do you have to use antifreeze to winterize a boat?
Do you have to use antifreeze when you winterize your boat? You should use antifreeze to winterize your boat if you have an inboard engine or any systems with pipes or that carry water. You should also consider using it in your bilge. For outboard motors, you don’t have to use antifreeze.
Why should a boats gas tank never be completely filled?
It’s important to never fill the tank of your boat beyond 90% full. This leaves room for gas to expand and avoids the potential for overflow. Ensure that all air vents and valves to the gas tank are open.
Should I winterize my boat myself?
For the handy, self-sufficient boat owner, taking care of winterizing yourself is a great way to save money. Ironically, DIY can potentially even save you some time. Winterizing a boat can be done in less than an hour in many cases, less time than you’d spend just driving the vessel to and from the marina or shop.
Can I use RV antifreeze in my boat engine?
RV antifreeze and marine antifreeze are chemically the same. For most parts of winterizing your boat, RV antifreeze can absolutely do the job for a boat.
Is fogging a boat motor necessary?
Fogging a boat engine is not completely necessary but is highly recommended. Putting a stabilizer in your gasoline can help reduce the long-term storage issues but is not a guarantee. Essentially, fogging oil is an inexpensive way to better protect your boat engine while it’s left idle.
Do outboards need Antifreeze?
You do not need to run antifreeze through an outboard, period. They’re designed to drain completely in the tilted-down position, and do not need an ounce of antifreeze.
How do you winterize a small 2 stroke outboard motor?
Fog the Engine Remove the engine cover and find the carburetor’s air intake port. With the engine running, spray a small amount of fogging oil into the intake. The engine will want to die, but keep it running by opening the throttle. Continue to fog the engine until it dies.
How do you store an outboard for the winter?
The best way is to either leave the motor on the boat or on an engine stand in an upright position, not tilted. If neither of these are an option, try to make sure that the engine is in an upright, self-draining position. If you can’t do this, be sure that the cooling system is drained completely.
Which side do you lay a 4 stroke outboard?
It’s almost never a good idea to lay an outboard motor down on its side or back. This is doubly true in the winter, when moisture from condensation needs to drain from the motor. Evinrude/Johnson emphatically states that four-stroke motors must be stored upright and recommends this for all other motors.
Can I leave my outboard in the water in the winter?
A boat can be left in the water during the winter or year-round if you take necessary precautions to tackle the challenges of a boat being in the waters for long periods. However, you need to keep in mind that there is always a risk correlated with storing the boat in the water than dry storing.
How long can a boat sit without being winterized?
The rule of thumb we use is 2-3 days of consectutive freezing temperatures, day and night, and you are in trouble unless you winterized. For example, the past 2 nights here have hit freezing though the daytime temp is 50+ degrees so no worries. Yes, the boat being in the water does help, a lot.
