I have a 6hp 4 stroke motor that is sitting in my garage for the winter. The garage never gets below 50 deg. F. It will sit for about 4-5 months until I put it back on the boat in the spring. Do I need to winterize (fog) this motor? I guess my confusion arises because I see motors sitting on boats for month in the summer not being used and no one seems to worry about it. But as soon as it is called "winter" everyone freaks out and says you must winterize if it will sit for "a long time". I guess the main question is- How long is to long? Another option may be to start the motor once is a while. If this is a viable option, how long can I wait in between starts.
Winterize or not?
- Thread starter Jora
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If you don't start it...
...at least give it a tug every now and then so that the piston rings won't seal in place. It will also spread oil on the piston sleeve(s)to re-lubrictate the piston. If you are sure that the temp will stay above freezing in the gararge, then you should be ok. Another thing is to run the motor in a barrel of fresh water before letting it sit so long. This will clean out any salt deposits and salt water. There is a certain amount of water that will stay in the engine, so that is why everybody talks about winterizing the outboard.
...at least give it a tug every now and then so that the piston rings won't seal in place. It will also spread oil on the piston sleeve(s)to re-lubrictate the piston. If you are sure that the temp will stay above freezing in the gararge, then you should be ok. Another thing is to run the motor in a barrel of fresh water before letting it sit so long. This will clean out any salt deposits and salt water. There is a certain amount of water that will stay in the engine, so that is why everybody talks about winterizing the outboard.
During the winter
I have heard that all motors should be started once each month, allowing them to reach operating temp. I heard this on a lawn and garden show on HGTV. Paul
I have heard that all motors should be started once each month, allowing them to reach operating temp. I heard this on a lawn and garden show on HGTV. Paul
Why Not Winterize
Having owned and used outboards for years, I think the real question is why not winterize your engine? Winterizing an outboard is a simple chore all of which can ususally be done in less than an hour. In addition to running it in fresh water as suggested below, it's a good idea to pull the prop and clean and grease the shaft (while the lower unit oil is draining and awaiting your refill). Pull the plugs and squirt some fogging oil into the cylinders and manually crank the engine a few times. It's also a good idea to drain whatever remaining gas you've got in the fuel lines if you haven't burned it out on your last run. Bingo! You are done and have peace of mind that the poor beast will serve you well next season....
Having owned and used outboards for years, I think the real question is why not winterize your engine? Winterizing an outboard is a simple chore all of which can ususally be done in less than an hour. In addition to running it in fresh water as suggested below, it's a good idea to pull the prop and clean and grease the shaft (while the lower unit oil is draining and awaiting your refill). Pull the plugs and squirt some fogging oil into the cylinders and manually crank the engine a few times. It's also a good idea to drain whatever remaining gas you've got in the fuel lines if you haven't burned it out on your last run. Bingo! You are done and have peace of mind that the poor beast will serve you well next season....
Now, if somebody would figure out how to summerize
Man, have I got a horror story. My 25hp two stroke Yamaha was stored on the floor of our main cabin. The boat was on the hard at Crabbs Slipway on Antigua, and went through hurricane Louise in '95. The yard was nearly destroyed. Our H34 was blown over in her trench. After two weeks we were able to reach the yard by phone. We asked as to the fate of our boat 'Epitome'. The woman said "Oh, nooo damage Mon". We partied. We didn't go back to the boat until the next season because we were building our home. The boat sat on her side for ten months. Over a thousand gallons of water flooded the interior. The Yamaha was half submerged, including both carbs. I won't go into how horrible of a place Antigua is on this post. That 'rant' is on my web site. As far as the Yamaha goes, I found the start system seized, the shift mechanism frozen, the carbs corroded solid (they wouldn't move) and the entire electrical system had sat under water. Eight hours later, she started up! That engine wasn't perfect, that's for sure, but it didn't seize! The carbs required the most work and I replaced them last year, but they came back to life. Well, sorta. The skipper is kinda good at this type of disaster recovery too. But that engine gets most of the credit. And I had no choice, I was in the third world,,no, fourth world! What a hole. More like the bottom of an outhouse! The swill in a hog trench, the,,,
Man, have I got a horror story. My 25hp two stroke Yamaha was stored on the floor of our main cabin. The boat was on the hard at Crabbs Slipway on Antigua, and went through hurricane Louise in '95. The yard was nearly destroyed. Our H34 was blown over in her trench. After two weeks we were able to reach the yard by phone. We asked as to the fate of our boat 'Epitome'. The woman said "Oh, nooo damage Mon". We partied. We didn't go back to the boat until the next season because we were building our home. The boat sat on her side for ten months. Over a thousand gallons of water flooded the interior. The Yamaha was half submerged, including both carbs. I won't go into how horrible of a place Antigua is on this post. That 'rant' is on my web site. As far as the Yamaha goes, I found the start system seized, the shift mechanism frozen, the carbs corroded solid (they wouldn't move) and the entire electrical system had sat under water. Eight hours later, she started up! That engine wasn't perfect, that's for sure, but it didn't seize! The carbs required the most work and I replaced them last year, but they came back to life. Well, sorta. The skipper is kinda good at this type of disaster recovery too. But that engine gets most of the credit. And I had no choice, I was in the third world,,no, fourth world! What a hole. More like the bottom of an outhouse! The swill in a hog trench, the,,,
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