Did not winterize, what to do??

[Incaboater]

Hello fellows,
I am very new to boating and just got my boat last year in the spring. The person I bought it from took very good care of the boat and put a new impeller in last February, it is a 1981 Ranger with an 81 Johnson 70hp engine. I only ran the boat about 4 times during the months of march and april of last year. Since then its been put up with the cover on it and hasn't been run since. I didn't put any fogger or anything in the motor, though the fuel did have stabilizer in it.

I did not tilt the motor down and it has been in the up position the whole winter here in Georgia, though it has been a very warm winter. Do you think any damage has occured? I did not know anything about winterizing and just found out as I was searching on how to get it running after storage. What should I do? Should I go ahead and decarb with seafoam it and just see what happens? Thanks for any input.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Did not winterize, what to do??

You might be OK. I'd just drain and refill the fuel tank, check the lower unit, and see how it does. As always, watch for overheating. That's probably what kills more outboards than any other single thing. Whether it needs to be decarbed is a function of how it's been taken care of otherwise, not of how it was stored for these last few months.

If it's been in the up position, check to be sure water didn't accumulate in the prop/housing and freeze, which could have cracked the housing.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Did not winterize, what to do??

You are very fortunate you live in Georgia and not up here in the Tundra or you would very could be looking for a lower unit if it had water in it. ALWAYS store the engine tilted down as they are self-draining. Always drain the lower unit and refill with the recommended lub. If the drained fluid is milky looking or water comes out with it, the seals need to be replaced. Depending on how long a boat is stored, it should be fogged. If its just a couple of months that's not a problem. Always run stabilized fuel through the engine before storage. To get the engine ready for the new season, charge the battery, connect the muffs, and fire it up. Decarb if the engine has never been treated to this operation.

 

[mitchell6]

Re: Did not winterize, what to do??

what part of GA you from it's not got cold enough here in northwest georgia this year to cause you any problems i wouldn't think.