getting her ready!!!

[mattttt25]

1998 johnson 150hp oceanrunner.<br />1997 sunbird 200cc<br /><br />bought it late last season, very clean engine, ran great, no problems. used it for about 2 months. my winterization included stabil in the tank, fogging the engine, and spraying it down with some clear omc stuff (protect connections). that's it, stored outside and down.<br /><br />getting ready to break her out and perform the necessary maintenance to have an enjoyable year. i point out that although the engine was super clean and ran great, i have no idea what the previous owner actually did. he said "had the shop winterize and start up each year".<br /><br />so what do i do? have the shop manual all ready. from time spent on this board, i plan to do the following:<br /><br />- change lower unit oil<br />- change water pump<br />- install new plugs<br />- decarb engine (with similar spray can product?)<br />- grease steering and tilt/trim assemblies<br /><br />am i close? what else should i do? is there a logical order to perform these tasks? thanks fellas, hoping for some good detailed info here-

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: getting her ready!!!

sure sounds like you are on the right track Matt!<br />add a fully charged battery and yur good to go..<br />I would wait to de-carb until you are ready to<br />run her on the water for at least a couple hours<br />or just before that.<br />fill up the cooler, pick up some bait and have fun!<br />don't forget the plug <br />am jealous I'm at least a month away.<br />safe boating,<br />M.Y.

 

[Bushleaguer]

Re: getting her ready!!!

Matt-<br />I like to change lower unit oil in the fall when I winterize. For one, if you have water in the oil, you can find out why and you have all winter to address the problem (ie repair prop seal). If it turns out to be a bad gasket on the plug or vent, (make sure you use a new one each time) you fill it up with fresh oil and don't have to worry about the contaminated oil being in your gearcase all winter freezing, pitting gears, etc. Also, that leaves one less thing to worry about in the Spring. Another hint- I write down everything I do in the fall in a maintenance log so that I can remember what's left to do in the spring. Good Luck!!

 

[mattttt25]

Re: getting her ready!!!

master chief mellow - why wait to decarb right before a long run? run the gunk out better? any brand of de-carb better than the rest?<br /><br />bush - i know most change the lower oil in the fall, just didn't get around to it this year.<br /><br />more suggestions, info? order to perform these tasks? thanks-

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: getting her ready!!!

just always want to be sure i get ALL the gunk<br />out of her. not good to loosen it up and then<br />let it sit in there and re-harden someplace IMHO.<br />4 me it at least 2 hrs. at WOT on the water.<br />follow up with some sea-foam in the gas for extra<br />protection.

 

[mattttt25]

Re: getting her ready!!!

^

 

[OBJ]

Re: getting her ready!!!

Do a compression test on her matt. Get her warm and do a test on each cylinder. Record the readings and decarb. Then do another compression test. Should tell you how the old girl was treated by the previous owner.

 

[ob]

Re: getting her ready!!!

matt , If you plan on changing the waterpump I would get that task out of the way first.Since you'll have the lower unit dropped ,if it were mine I always change the shiftrod seal,driveshaft seal,and exhaust seals when servicing mine along with the waterpump kit.If you'll drain the unit before dropping and sevicing pump, it will apprise you of any water intrusion that may have occured while in use and whether you decide to change shiftrod or driveshaft seals is up to you.I'd hate to find out later that one was leaking that could have been changed while unit was dropped.They're cheap. <br />Once that is out of the way you can change the lower unit oil after installing the lower unit.<br /><br />As outboard jim suggests a compression test would be of reference value before and after the decarb procedure.<br /><br />Next,perform the decarb procedure after insuring fuel system is supplied with fresh or recently stabilized fuel and grease your steering linkage along with the tilt bushings and swivel bushings.<br />As mellowyellow suggests and per OMC product recommendation, it is always advisable to operate engine for a period, in water, to allow dislodged carbon to evacuate from cylinders.<br /><br />Next ,you'll want to install fresh sparkplugs as is also recommended,to prevent fouling from any carbon residue that may have deposited on sparkplug electrodes or ground straps following the decarb.<br /><br />Don't know if your fuel tank was left with any gas from last seasons outings or whether it was stabilized prior to storage or not.If not, and it was stored more than a couple of months, I would be reluctant to use it.If it was stabilized,you should be good to go.<br /><br />If you can't remember when fuel filter was last changed it wouldn't hurt to either install new one or at least have one aboard.I also like to depress the ball check on the fuel line to engine and primer bulb purge any old fuel from line into a dispose container before the initial start-up.<br /><br />If you plan on running this jewel in the Gulf of Oman go ahead and mount the anti-aircraft gun next and bring extra flotation devises.

 

[mattttt25]

Re: getting her ready!!!

thanks fellas, exactly what i was looking for. really appreciate it. if anyone has more info, please feel free to offer it. thanks again-

 

[miloman]

Re: getting her ready!!!

mellow yellow is right go on the water catch a few and oh have a cold one as you store it