Re: Do you have to winterize a 4 stroke Mercury O/B?
Water in the gearcase would be a BIG worry if that was in there. It's been the demise of many a motor. There's a few threads right now dealing with cracked gearcases and ice is still on a whole lotta lakes. Also a HUGE reason to winteize a 4-stroke is to get the contaminated motor oil out of there before it settles to the bottom and forms a permanant sludge layer. A lot of people wait until spring, put in fresh oil just to have it turn dirty in very short order. Then they wonder "What's wrong with my motor?" DUH!
<br /><br />2-stroke pistons and cylinder walls are constantly bathed with oil. There's usually residual to protect them for awhile. Not true with a 4-stroke. Rusted cylinders are about certain if you don't fog the motor. Imagine the rust being scraped off the cylinder walls the first time it starts up again this spring.
<br /><br />Finally, the passages in a 4-stroke carb are very small. It doesn't take much at all to varnish them to a problematic level. Print this out and bargain with him. It is extrememly unwise to neglect winterizing ANY motor! ESPECIALLY a 4-stroke outboard! It leads to problems which may very well already exist, leaving them for YOU to deal with.
<br /><br />As far as the water in the motor part, no problem if the motor was stored in the running position or anywhere close. They're self-draining. So at least that shouldn't be a worry.
