Winterize Your Outboard Motor

This article is for those of you who do not use your boat year round and store it for several months. If you live where the weather freezes, and still use your boat year-round, there are precautions you need to take. That will be another topic. I will not go into detail here, but hopefully will give you enough information so you can determine if you can do this project yourself, or if you will want some professional help. Take these words of advice from someone who has seen more than one boat owner make the wrong choice. “It is better to err on the side of caution. The cost of repair for a mistake in winterizing your motor is a whole lot more than paying a professional to do the job right!”

There are four main focus points in winterizing your boat:

• Protecting the motor from freezing
• Fuel system protection
• Lower unit protection
• Protecting the boat itself.

Having a service manual (and reading it) will make the process easier and ensure you will not damage your motor.

You will need to run some enriched fuel through the engine and spray fogging oil directly into the engine. This will treat the fuel in the fuel tank, fuel lines and the carburator. You may also need to disconnect the fuel line on some engines. Spark plugs should be cleaned and the cylinders lubricated while the spark plugs are out.

Draining and refilling the lower unit oil requires careful inspection of the removed oil. This is also the time to change the impeller if its been more than two years since it was last replaced. I also remove the prop and check for obstructions, like fishing line. The prop shaft needs to be greased and the prop reinstalled to factory torque settings.

The boat itself is the final item to prepare for storage. Any lines and/ot tubing that has water running through it needs to be disconnected, the water blown out and then reconnected. Antifreeze should be added anywhere water may set. Remove anything that might attract rodents and add a rodent repellant; I use mothballs.

Store your boat inside if possible; if not, any cover will help protect it from the elements. Use a good quality OEM gear lube; there are some places to save money, but oil is not one of them.

This procedure should take about two hours, and has a skill level of 1. This means that it should be possible for the average boat owner to do the job by using a good service manual, a few basic hand tools, and detailed instruction from “The Outboard Doctor.”

Attention lawyers and all other “legal eagle” types. These are basic service procedures and should be used as general guidelines for this job. You should consult your service manual to determine the exact procedures for your exact engine. If you have any questions, talk to a marine technician. Follow all safety procedures as outlined in your service manual. The final safety suggestion is this: Use common sense, if you think you are in over your head, take your boat somewhere to be serviced by a professional.

Ben Minor Marine Service
Professional Mechanic for Outboard Motor Repair Technician