winterizing question

[needmoremoney]

will the water/final flush from this procedure just 'drain out' on its own? or do i need to physically remove any residual water? temps will be below freezing soon......

 

[CRay45DB]

Re: winterizing question

What year and model? Your owners Manuel will actually tell you whether or to it is a gravity drain. If your not sure and want to be safe, get a pair of muffs, go to home depot,met a 5 galling bucket, and just put a whole in the bottom with an on off valve with a garden hose attachment. Put a couple of gallons of anti-freeze and run it till it pee's pink, shut it off. My Yamaha is self draining, but for 4 bucks, it's worth the piece of mind. Check your Manuel first where it talks about season storage.

 

[needmoremoney]

Re: winterizing question

early 90's E115MLESB. i have the omc svc manual for this motor, says nothing about residual water. also suggests running engine on a 'storage mixture' of fog, lube AND fuel conditioner, as opposed to fogging thru carbs.......

 

[Mas]

Re: winterizing question

Make sure the motor is stored vertically to allow for drainage. I always tilt the motor then turn the motor left then right before I tilt it down to vertical for its final winter resting position just to encourage water to drain.

And yes, treat your fuel with a stabilizer. I use fog through the carbs, but you should follow your manual.

As my local Evinrude dealer says, "Winterize only the outboards you want to keep!"

Mas

 

[needmoremoney]

Re: winterizing question

ok, i'm good with this part of the process. the motor started right up after sitting since 10/30. however, my trim/tilt is only clicking & will not go up, AND my steering cable is frozen :facepalm:. any suggestions where to start with this part of the mess??? 7 months of running in saltwater, tons of grease, and now this

 

[Chris1956]

Re: winterizing question

First of all, outboards are self draining. Put them in the vertical posiiton after running on the flusher and let 'em drain. Change the gear oil in the fall, and refill with fresh stuff.

To fix the steering, first you need to find out what is binding. Disconnect the cable end link to the motor. If the motor moves freely, then the cable is binding. Next remove the big nut that holds the cable to the motor tilt tube. Now turn the steering wheel. If the nut moves in and out easily, the steering cable end is binding in the tilt tube. This is the most common problem. Pull the cable end out of the tilt tube and clean it up real well and regrease with marine grease or Special Lube 101.

If the motor is binding, it is a big job to disassemble and grease the bushings.

 

[James R]

Re: winterizing question

Depending on your boat set up you may need to lift the motor off the boat to be able to pull the steering shaft out. Also you may need a bunch of PB Blaster and a metal rod to drive the shaft out. Be very careful not to damage the end of the shaft.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: winterizing question

I would give the flywheel one turn clockwise by hand to get the water out of the impeller housing. Also make sure all the drain holes in the lower unit are clear and water drains freely. If water sits in those cavities during the freeze, it could pop the lower unit open.