1) Esp. in salt water the engine must be cleaned and flushed. The flushing of the engine using 'ear muffs' over the water pump inlets as well as thoroughly cleaning corrosive elements off the exterior parts.
2) The winterization process starts while your outboard motor is still on your boat. The goal here is to clear out the gas remaining in the carburetor. To avoid storing quantities of gas over the winter it is preferable to use up most of the gas in the tank. Just before you are ready to take the boat and motor out of the water add gas stabilizer to the tank in the proportions listing on the directions. As you run the engine the final time this will draw the stabilized gas into the engine so that whatever remains in the lines, carburetor and filter will not get gummy over the winter. As you approach the area to pull out the boat disconnect the gas inlet hose if there is an external tank. For engines with an internal tank close the gas shutoff valve at the tank. Allow the engine to run until the gas in the lines is used up and the engine dies. At that point you can go ahead and take the boat and motor out of the water. The next step is to winterize the outboard motor.
3) Although there are various sequences of steps you can use I prefer to start with the lower gear unit first. Due to scoring on the propeller shaft, leaking seals, or leaks at the lubricant drain and vent plugs water can get in during the course of the boating season. To prevent rust or even worse, freezing and potential breakage of the casing, the lower gear unit should be drained and refilled at the end of every boating season. This is a simple, albeit somewhat messy, procedure. It is best done with a lubricant pump that fastens on the one-quart size containers of gear lube.
4) To drain the gear casing of the outboard motor, remove both the lower screw plug and the upper plug on the lower gear unit. You may have to look some to find them since the lower plug can be very near the bottom of the unit on the side or back and is not always easily seen. Once the unit is drained discard the contents in an environmentally appropriate way and screw the hose fitting on the pump into the lower threaded plug hole. Be sure that the gaskets are on both plugs and keep them close at hand. Start pumping slowly and when you feel you have about 7/8ths of the lubricant capacity pumped in start watching the upper hole closely. When the casing is full the lubricant will start running out the upper hole. Wipe this up and screw in the upper plug tightly. A right angle screwdriver is often best for this. With the lower plug close at hand unscrew the pump filling tube and quickly insert the remaining plug in the lower hole and tighten thoroughly.
5) The next step is to remove the spark plug(s) and use an aerosol commercial fogger to spray into the spark plug hole to keep the piston and cylinder walls from corroding. I also suggest spraying the sparkplug electrode with spray ether to clean it before replacing it. After fogging each cylinder rotate the engine flywheel several times by hand to distribute the oil on the cylinder walls and then replace and torque the sparkplugs. Following that reconnect the spark plug wires.
6) Even though you have used up the gas in the outboard motor you may also want to remove the fuel filter and drain any trapped gasoline out and clean or replace the filter element. Some outboards also have a push button type drain on the bottom of the carburetor bowl. While it is a good idea to drain the bowl, even when you have used gas stabilizer, a note of caution is in order. On older outboards the sealing gasket on this tiny spring-loaded plug may have hardened and it will possibly leak if after you push it to drain the gas. If this happens you will have to remove the carburetor bowl and replace this gasket. In addition I suggest storing it with the choke closed if there is a manual positioning option.
7) Once you have taken the steps outlined to winterize the inside of the engine it is always a good idea to clean the exterior parts of the engine to remove oil, grease, and algae. If there was gas left in the external tank I recommend siphoning it out of the tank and spraying a small amount of WD-40 or similar into the tank. Since the gas has stabilizer in it you can save it for use next season.
By following these steps to winterize your outboard, you can prolong the life of your engine and keep it running smoothly for the next boating season.
Good luck!
Lori Wallerstein
YourBoatDoctor
San Francisco, California
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