winterizing an out board motor

[bigd5977]

i have a Johnson 75hp outboard motor,, i've never done this before so all & any suggestions/answers are welcome,,, HOW DO I WINTERIZE the motor so it will be ok for winter & can use it again in the spring/summer

 

[HighTrim]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

You do not mention the model/year of the motor, but in general you should put fuel stabilizer in the tank and run the motor until the stabilized fuel gets through the system. Pull the boat up to the dock/ramp and spray fogging oil into the carb throat until she dies. Pull the boat out of the water, remove the plugs, and add more fogging oil into the cylinders, turning it over a couple times to distribute the oil. I now spray a little oil on the powerhead to prevent corrosion. Change out the lower unit gear oil, with fresh oil and new drain and vents screws. Remove the prop, remove any old fishing line from the prop shaft, add a little new grease and reinstall prop.

Wipe her down and you are good to go. Be sure to store the motor completely vertical.

Im sure someone will come on here and say to just run the carbs dry, and that stabilizer is just a scam, but in the end it is your motor and your investment. I personally am not going to reccomend running a multi carb motor without lubrication.

Good luck.

 

[bigd5977]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

this is a 1977 motor & model is 75elr77s ,, if that makes any difference ??

 

[bigd5977]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

about how long should it take for the fuel stabilizer gets thru the motor & also to let you know this is a 3 carb motor ,, so there is no water to drain out of the motor ?? cuz somebody told me i would have to do that ???

 

[dehydrated]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

should only take 5 minutes to get to carbs. when you lower your outboard in the straight down position it lets the water out

 

[bigd5977]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

ok,, ty both for the info,, & now time to do all this & be ready for the winter cold

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

You didn't mention where you're at or how long the engine's going to be out of service, that's going to have some bearing on how much you have to do. I never "winterize" 'cause my boat's never laid up for more than a month or so at a stretch, (but I always use fuel treatment anyway).

ALSO, make sure that water's not going to sit in the prop hub area and freeze. If you store it where rain/snow can't get to it you're fine. If it's stored outdoors either leave the engine down so the prop hub can drain, or if it has to be stored with the engine up put some antifreeze in the prop hub and cover it to keep the rain/snow out.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

I would just drain the carbs and put fresh new oil in the lower unit.

 

[bigd5977]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

well,, i live in upstate NY,, near Rochester,, so the boat will be laid up 4 the WINTER,, & try to be back in the water come spring or late spring,, also wondering where is the best place to get carb kits for this motor,, i see there is a place here on IBOATS,, but not sure which kit is the better 1,, there are 2 different kits listed ,, just different manufacture's

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

I would go with OEM, if possible. They're more likely to be with the right specs. Carb kits should be readily available at any OMC dealer, as well as here.

Living in NY, you also want to make sure all the water is out, so none sits inside the motor and freezes. Make sure all the drain holes in the lower unit are clear of any debris and flush them out good with a garden hose. Over time, soot from unburned fuel/oil mix will build up in those cavities and plug off the drain holes.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: winterizing an out board motor

as has been said before, there are two goals to "winterizing." One is protection from freezing, a simple issue for an OB. Another is protection from getting gunkified from sitting, which is not a winter problem, or a serious problem for a couple of months.
I use my old 70 OMC about every three months, end of January through October, and every 2-3 weeks November through January. All I do is leave it down and baby the fuel. I now use non-ethanol gas, which helps a lot. No problems. We get freezing temps occasionally/frequently but not constantly, Nov-March.

 

[bigd5977]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

yeah,, i just got done with flushing out lower unit,, since i'm new to this stuff I had a friend of mine help me with it,, but he wasn't sure where to get the carb kits at,, & yes i did check at NAPA , Autozone, & Advance & found nothing,, so next question is ,, OMC dealer ??? where ??

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

Look in your yellow pages under Boats you should find something that sells Johny/Rude. If not, then you'll have to order on line. The Top Secret File has a nice list of suppliers too.

 

[nwcove]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

DONT, forget to grease every fitting on the motor, it will push any water out that found its way into those hidden spots!
your local napa should have a sierrra marine catalog....i get basic parts for my 1950's motors from napa, but any omc dealer will/should be able to supply everything you need

 

[SteveRD]

Re: winterizing an out board motor

Thanks guys the answers given in this thread has helped me understand more about this subject. I live in Canada so winters can get nasty here. Is there anywhere water can hide and not drain out. My motor is a 1980 85hp V4.