Does outboard motor need winerizing?

seattlesearay

New Member
Apr 17, 2016
10
Seattle
Boat Info
Sea Ray Open bow 18 ft, 1989
Engines
Johnson 100
I have Mercury 89 100 HP two stroke outboard motor on a 16 ft Searay boat. Does the motor need to be winterized during the winter? Or anything I need to do during the winter?

Thanks!
 
Store it vertically , change the lower unit oil, pull the prop and grease the prop shaft, being a 2 stroke you already have an oil mix , so other than some new spark plugs, NO
 
However, if you have been using ethanol fuel, you need to run the Mercury cocktail (non-ethanol fuel, stabilizer and 2 stroke oil) thru the engine as a part of winterizing. Changing the lower unit oil is critical. If you have even a minor seal leak, freezing temperatures can cause the gear case to crack if you don't change the oil and the cost of that repair is a lot more than servicing the lower unit.
 
Geez...Summer hasn't even started yet. I'll be asking the same thing a little later. Although now that I live here in the "redneck riviera", I might not even have to. ;)
 
BT Doctur and Frank ---- That's clarified my mind! Thanks a lot!!! Be a newbie, nothing may not too earlier to me-:)
 
I run mine out of gas at the same time I'm spraying fogging oil into the carbs. I don't want any fuel in the pumps or the float bowls.
 
If we're talking about a 2-stroke, like the OP has, then it's advisable to NOT disconnect the fuel and run it dry since it won't be getting lubricating oil (4-strokes, of course, that part doesn't matter). Although that can sometimes be debatable given the short time it's run. To err on the side of caution, though, I don't run 2-strokes dry. But I do always run healthy doses of an ethanol-fighting stabilizer like Startron so that's in the gas already. The OP has an old fashioned engine so it really doesn't get any easier since you can use fogging fluid. The cocktail mixture is another proven way to do it - however on newer engines with lot's of sensors, it's the only recommended way as fogging fluid can foul the sensors.

Speaking of E-tec's, one of the engines in our family is an E-tec engine - maybe 2010-ish. It's by far the EASIEST engine to winterize (talking extended layups here, of course). With the engine running, press a button and it goes into "winterize" mode and injects more 2-cycle oil for a predetermined amount of time... all by itself! Pretty cool.
 
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Impossible to run a 2 stroke dry. When it's dry the motor stops running.

Sort of. But if the goal is to remove all gas from the fuel system, then there always comes that point where it's stumbling, bumbling and rumbling, which means inadequate fuel supply. And then there would be, after it dies out, a few more times where you'll able restart it for a second or two and eventually it just turns over without firing. Otherwise, fuel is still left in the system. It's never just "on" or "off" like a switch.

Now, in reality, how much damage does this actually cause and does the fogging fluid make up for the lack of 2-cycle lubricity? Hard to say - it might be a wash. But that's only a guess. Safest thing is to never run a 2-stroke without a proper fuel/oil supply. They are generally extremely reliable machines that last a long, long time. The biggest thing that hurts them is a loss of proper fuel/oil supply - whether all at once or cumulative.
 
Back in the day when boats under 18' had no built in fuel tanks, carrying 2 or 3 6 gallon tanks with the quick connect fitting was the norm and so wasn't running out of gas. Amazing how long those old outboards ran, summer after summer.

Mercs says that 2 stroke oil is the new fogging oil. So that being the case, is the 2 stroke oil going to disappear after a few revolutions ? Many years on the water says NO.
 
Mercs says that 2 stroke oil is the new fogging oil.

That's apples and oranges, though - you're not telling the whole story. That recommendation deals with 4-stroke engines, not 2-strokes - and it's primarily based on keeping the injectors safe, with the extra benefit of some protection for the engine. The other side/part of the recommendation (as I eluded to above) is that fogging fluid will foul MPI sensors and shouldn't be used, so this new formula/cocktail was developed.

With the running out of gas scenario on 6-gallon cans, sure, been there done that. But I also switch tanks as soon as I realize the engine is starting to hesitate. I doubt anyone would continue to try and run the engine over and over over as it starts to hesitate more and more. Unless, of course, it's just done by mistake - not realizing it's out of gas. Heck, usually it's a "game" of trying to switch tanks quick enough so the boat doesn't even drop off plane.

The OP asked the question because, I assume, he wanted to know what the BEST course of action is for his motor. As I stated, a few times now, there likely is very little "realistic" wear happening with running the engine dry (or close to dry) for a very short period of time. But, if there's a way that is definitely better, shouldn't we inform him of that? Everyone can do what they want with their own engine and use any justification they want - it's their choice.

Running it dry might be fine most of the time, but NOT running it dry will ALWAYS be fine.

Another option is for him to go ahead and fog it, then manually drain the carbs.
 
Speaking of E-tec's, one of the engines in our family is an E-tec engine - maybe 2010-ish. It's by far the EASIEST engine to winterize (talking extended layups here, of course). With the engine running, press a button and it goes into "winterize" mode and injects more 2-cycle oil for a predetermined amount of time... all by itself! Pretty cool.

thats awesome. Every time I read something about those etecs it impresses me. The fuel mileage sounds amazing too
 

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