How to Winterize an Outboard Motor | Winterizing a 2 stroke Outboard Motor | Boats.net

Summary

In this video, John Talley from Boats.net demonstrates the process of winterizing a 2001 Mercury Tracker 25 horsepower two-stroke engine. He covers essential tools and supplies, including gear oil, fogging oil, stabilizer, and corrosion guard. John explains step-by-step procedures, such as checking for water in the oil, treating the fuel system, and applying fogging oil to the carburetor and cylinders. He also replaces spark plugs and applies corrosion guard to protect exposed parts. By following these steps, the engine will be ready for storage and should start smoothly next season.

Takeaways

• 🛠️ Ensure you have the correct parts and chemicals for winterizing a two-stroke engine, including gear oil, fogging oil, stabilizer, corrosion guard, and new spark plugs.
• 🧰 Use the right pump for the lower unit, and check for issues like water in the oil which could indicate a broken seal.
• 🔍 Pay attention to the color of the oil when draining it; a milky appearance could mean water intrusion.
• 🔧 Make sure all washers are in place when reassembling to avoid stacking them and causing leaks.
• ⛽ Add the correct amount of fuel stabilizer to the system, and run the engine for about 10 minutes to ensure the mixture reaches the fuel system.
• 🌬️ Spray fogging oil directly into the carburetor to protect the internal components, especially in a carbureted system.
• 🔩 Remove and inspect the spark plugs, then spray fogging oil into the cylinders and rotate the engine to distribute it evenly.
• 💪 When reinstalling spark plugs, tighten them either to the correct torque or hand-tighten followed by a quarter turn.
• 🛡️ Apply corrosion guard to all exposed areas, avoiding anodes, to protect against rust and corrosion during storage.
• 🚤 Store the engine upright to prevent any issues and increase the chances of it starting smoothly in the next season.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video transcript?

The video focuses on the winterization process of a two-stroke engine, specifically a 2001 Mercury Tracker 25 horsepower, to prepare it for storage during the off-season.

What essential items are needed for the winterization process?

You will need gear oil, fogging oil, stabilizer, corrosion guard, replacement spark plugs, and a pump for the lower unit. These items help protect the engine during winter storage.

Why is it important to pay attention to the color of the oil when draining it?

If the oil has a milky appearance, it indicates that water has entered the system, possibly due to a lost seal. This could lead to engine damage if not addressed.

What is the function of a magnetic plug in this context?

A magnetic plug helps capture and hold any metal shavings that might be circulating in the engine oil, preventing them from causing further damage.

How much gear oil does the 2001 Mercury Tracker engine require during winterization?

The engine requires a little over 8 ounces of gear oil to be refilled.

Why is a fuel stabilizer used, and how should it be applied?

A fuel stabilizer prevents fuel from breaking down during storage. It should be added to the fuel tank, and the engine should be run for about 10 minutes to ensure the stabilizer reaches the entire fuel system.

What is the purpose of fogging oil in the winterization process?

Fogging oil protects the engine’s internal components from corrosion during storage. It is sprayed directly into the carburetor and the cylinders.

How are spark plugs treated during the winterization process?

The spark plugs are removed, fogging oil is sprayed into the cylinders, the engine is rotated a few times to distribute the oil, and new spark plugs are installed afterward.

What should be done after reinstalling the spark plugs?

The spark plugs should be tightened to the manufacturer’s specifications using a torque wrench or hand-tightened and then turned an additional quarter turn.

What is the final step in the winterization process?

The final step is to apply corrosion guard to any exposed, unpainted, or non-stainless parts of the engine to prevent corrosion. The engine should be stored in an upright position to ensure proper drainage and protection.

Outlines

00:00

🛠️ Preparing for Winterization of a Boat Engine

John Talley introduces the process of winterizing a two-stroke engine, specifically a 2001 Mercury Tracker 25 horsepower outboard motor. He outlines the tools and chemicals required, such as gear oil, fogging oil, stabilizer, corrosion guard, and replacement spark plugs. He emphasizes the importance of having the correct pump for the lower unit. The focus is on how to drain and inspect the gear oil, noting potential issues like water contamination, and ensuring all parts, including magnetic drain plugs and washers, are in place.

05:00

⛽ Fuel System Winterization and Fogging the Engine

The second step involves preparing the boat’s fuel system for winter. Talley explains two methods depending on the type of fuel tank: either add stabilizer to a built-in tank or run fuel through a temporary portable tank. After stabilizing, he advises running the engine and spraying fogging oil into the carburetor to protect the internal jets. Once the engine sputters and stops, he moves on to removing the spark plugs to spray fogging oil directly into the cylinders for protection during storage. This process ensures proper lubrication and guards against corrosion.

Keywords

💡Winterization

Winterization refers to the process of preparing a boat engine, specifically a two-stroke outboard motor in this case, for storage during the winter months. It involves tasks such as draining fluids, applying corrosion protection, and treating the fuel system. The goal is to prevent damage from freezing temperatures and ensure that the engine is ready to use when the next boating season begins.

💡Two-stroke engine

A two-stroke engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle in two strokes of the piston. In the video, a 2001 Mercury Tracker 25-horsepower two-stroke engine is used as an example, and the steps for winterizing such an engine are demonstrated. Two-stroke engines are common in smaller boats due to their simplicity and power-to-weight ratio.

💡Gear oil

Gear oil is a lubricant designed for use in transmissions, differentials, and gearboxes to protect against wear and tear. In the video, the presenter emphasizes the importance of using the correct weight of gear oil to maintain the lower unit of the outboard motor during the winterization process. The oil helps to prevent corrosion and reduce friction between moving parts.

💡Fogging oil

Fogging oil is a specialized oil used to protect engine components during long periods of inactivity, particularly over the winter. In the video, the presenter sprays fogging oil into the engine’s carburetor and cylinders to prevent rust and corrosion. It is a crucial step in the winterization process, as it coats internal parts with a protective layer of oil.

💡Corrosion guard

Corrosion guard is a protective spray used to coat exposed metal parts to prevent rust and corrosion, especially when the engine will be stored for long periods. In the video, the presenter uses corrosion guard on various parts of the outboard engine, except areas with anodes, to ensure that no moisture or environmental factors can damage the metal surfaces.

💡Fuel stabilizer

Fuel stabilizer is an additive used to keep fuel fresh during periods of non-use, such as during winter storage. In the video, the presenter explains the importance of adding the correct amount of stabilizer to the fuel system to prevent fuel from breaking down, which can cause clogs or other engine issues. It is particularly important for boats with non-removable fuel tanks.

💡Spark plugs

Spark plugs are essential components in an internal combustion engine, responsible for igniting the air-fuel mixture in the engine’s cylinders. During the winterization process in the video, the presenter removes the old spark plugs, applies fogging oil into the cylinders, and installs new plugs. Replacing spark plugs ensures better performance when the engine is used again.

💡Lower unit

The lower unit of an outboard motor houses the gearbox, propeller shaft, and other components that connect the engine to the water. In the video, the presenter explains how to drain and refill the lower unit with fresh gear oil to maintain its function and prevent water contamination, which can lead to internal damage.

💡Magnetic plug

A magnetic plug is a drain plug with a magnet attached to it, designed to capture metal shavings that may accumulate in the engine oil or gear oil. The video mentions the benefits of using a magnetic plug, as it helps prevent metal debris from circulating through the engine, thereby reducing wear on the moving parts inside the motor.

💡Flushing device

A flushing device is a tool used to clean out the cooling system of an outboard motor by running fresh water through it. In the video, the presenter mentions attaching the flushing device to the motor and running it for about ten minutes to circulate stabilized fuel through the system. This step helps ensure that all the internal passages are clear and ready for storage.

Highlights

Introduction to winterization process for a two-stroke Mercury Tracker 25 horsepower engine.

Importance of using correct gear oil, fogging oil, stabilizer, corrosion guard, and replacing spark plugs.

Key observation: Check for a milky look in the gear oil, which indicates a seal failure allowing water to enter the system.

Recommendation to use a magnetic drain plug to catch metal shavings inside the lower unit.

Ensure the drain plug washer is in place to prevent water from entering the lower unit.

The lower unit requires just over 8 ounces of oil to fill.

Discusses adding stabilizer to the fuel system, paying attention to correct stabilizer amount for effective results.

Instructions for running the engine with the stabilizer for 10 minutes to distribute it through the fuel system.

Use fogging oil by spraying it directly into the carburetor once the engine starts to sputter.

Importance of applying fogging oil into the cylinders after removing the spark plugs to prevent corrosion during storage.

Rotate the engine manually after applying fogging oil to ensure even distribution inside the engine.

Recommendation to torque spark plugs to 20 foot-pounds or tighten them by hand and give a quarter turn if no torque wrench is available.

Final step involves coating exposed parts with corrosion guard to protect against rust and corrosion.

Reminder to store the engine in an upright position to ensure proper start-up next season.

Closing note: Encouragement to subscribe and visit boats.net for necessary parts and future instructional videos.

Transcripts

hello john talley here with both dotnet

well it's that time of year again where

we need to put away our toys and to do

this correctly well you need to go

through a process called winterization

now what I'm going to show you today is

just a typical two stroke than one in

particular is the 2001 mercury tracker

25 horsepower gonna be really simple to

do but before we get started let's step

it over to the table and look at the

different parts and chemicals we're

gonna need to pull this off now it's a

really short list and honestly most of

these products you should keep on your

shelf year-round want to make sure

you've got the correct weight gear oil

fogging oil stabilizer and then some

corrosion guard it's not absolutely

required but I want to go ahead and

replace the plugs

since I'm there now the only special

tool you're going to need is the correct

pump that fits to your particular lower

unit so once you've got your parts and

your tools together we go over there and

get this knocked out

so pretty simple to do we just want to

go ahead and remove the overflow and now

we want to remove the drain now here's

where you need to pay a little bit of

attention when you're draining this if

it has a milky look to it that means

you've probably lost a seal somewhere so

you want to pay attention to what's

coming out of it

that explains while it's pushing it out

the top this one actually has ingested

water into the bottom of it but it has

not been in there long enough to

actually emulsify it now sometimes

you'll have a plug with a magnetic tip

which I highly recommend that's going to

pick up and hold any metal shavings that

are flying around in there I don't

believe this one had that particular tip

now I did notice when we pulled this out

not unless it stayed in the actual

bottom of the lower unit I don't see its

washer so that may be why this one has

some water in it it was in there it was

just stuck stuck in the bottom that's

the other trick if you think you've lost

it make sure because you wouldn't want

to stack these either so looks like the

rest of that ooze is drained out so

let's go in get a refilled so let's go

get it filled up this one only takes a

little over 8 ounces I believe and here

it filling up in there there it goes

let's go and get our vent back in now

have your drain ready to go that way

we'll lose the minimal amount

and that's all there is to that so let's

move on to the next next we wanted to

discuss what we need to do with the fuel

system now there's a couple of different

approaches that we're gonna look at here

in the granted this is a smaller engine

so I guarantee you has just got a you

know standalone five or six gallon tank

he usually sits in the boat easily

accessible now if it was actually a fuel

tank that stayed on the boat where it

could not be removed that's when you

need to put in some stabilizer into the

system now you want to pay attention to

whatever stabilizer you use it is going

to tell you the amount that you need to

put in because what you don't want to do

is put in too much and come up your

system or worse than that not put in

enough to where it can do its job but in

either occurrence go ahead and put some

of this into that temporary tank hook up

your flushing device and let it run for

about ten minutes that'll give it time

to pull up the mixture into the fuel

system and what's that's done take the

fuel away and let it run until it's

about to stop you can hear it start to

sputter and at that point you'll take

some of the fogging oil and actually

shoot it straight down the throat of the

carburetor because on this particular

unit it is a carbureted system hence

it's open to atmosphere so you want to

just spray it straight down it's gut and

that's going to carry it in to the Jets

inside the carburetor at that point

it'll shut down but once you've

accomplished that what we want to do

next is actually remove the spark plugs

and then sprayed the fogging oil

directly into the cylinders rotate the

engine a couple of times and then

install those new spark plugs so let's

pretend that I've already run the

machine it was starting to spit I

sprayed some of the straight down into

the carburetor and now the engine is

stopped so we're gonna pick up at

removal of the spark plugs so let's get

these out see how the engine was running

we're in there really loose little on

the rich side but we're not gonna worry

about that right now have that 120-foot

sounds snow we're close

more like five so now it's spray in

about four seconds four more down here

now let's pull it through a couple of

times so just to get things mixed up in

there don't want to pull it real fast

because we don't want to spit out all

that oil that we just put in it we just

want to pull it though

well it did spit out a little bit so I'm

gonna pop just a little bit more in

there just a couple of seconds

it does not hurt have a little bit on

the threads because that'll keep it from

corroding grab a paper towel then we're

doing a little bit of cleaning up get

these torqued in we're pretty much done

now we're going to take these two 20

foot pounds but if you do not have a

torque wrench what you would do is just

take it just hand tight and then a

quarter turn it close right there

make sure they go all the way down to

you hear them click that should get it

now the last thing we're going to do is

code it down with a little bit of

corrosion guard this this material you

can use you know all over it it's cept

for any place that has an a note should

just be big careful of that and you

don't have to douse it we just want it

over most of anything that's exposed and

not painted or stainless and plus it

acts as a lubricant for all of these

different linkages so it will not hurt

them

it goes on in a thin coat

and wherever you're going to store this

make sure is sitting in this upright

position alright guys that pretty much

wraps this one up this one has a very

good chance of starting the first time

when you pull it through at the

beginning of the next season

listen if you need any parts for your

boat once you come see us at boats

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great day