How To Winterize A 4-Stroke Outboard | My Boat Classic DIY

Summary

This episode of PowerBoat Television covers essential steps for properly winterizing a modern four-stroke EFI outboard motor. Unlike older two-stroke engines, newer models require careful preparation, including draining old oil, replacing the oil filter, and refilling the crankcase with the appropriate oil. Gear oil must also be replaced, and grease applied to key moving parts. Special fuel mixes must be used to prevent injector damage, and fuel systems should be stored wet to protect components. The episode emphasizes the importance of storing the engine vertically to ensure its longevity.

Takeaways

• ⚠️ Modern outboard motors require more care during winterization compared to older two-stroke models.
• ⛽ For boats with internal fuel tanks, fill the tank completely and add a fuel stabilizer to prevent moisture build-up and ethanol breakdown.
• 🔥 Always ensure the engine is warm and has a good flow of water before starting any maintenance tasks.
• 🛢️ Drain the old oil by removing the dipstick and using an oil pan to catch the oil, then remove the oil filter using a proper wrench.
• 🔧 Before installing a new oil filter, coat the filter's O-ring with oil to ensure a proper seal.
• 🛠️ Lubricate the swivel bracket and steering with appropriate grease to maintain smooth movement.
• 🛑 When draining gear oil, inspect for water or metal traces, as these may indicate potential issues.
• 🛢️ Refill the gear case by pumping oil into the fill hole until it appears at the vent hole, ensuring no leaks.
• 🚫 Do not run the engine dry to winterize; fuel systems need to stay wet to avoid damage to rubber, neoprene, and plastic parts.
• 🛑 For modern EFI engines, use a special fuel mixture (gasoline, two-cycle oil, fuel stabilizer) to properly store the engine for winter.

Q & A

Why is it important to properly winterize a modern four-stroke EFI outboard engine?

Modern four-stroke EFI engines require proper winterization to prevent damage to their complex systems, including the fuel system, sensors, and injectors, which older two-stroke engines didn't have.

What is the first step in preparing to store an outboard motor for the winter?

The first step is ensuring that the internal fuel tank is full to prevent moisture buildup and treating the fuel with a storage stabilizer, which also prevents ethanol breakdown.

Why is it important not to start the engine dry when preparing it for winter storage?

Starting the engine dry, even for a second, can damage the impeller. It’s essential to ensure a good flow of water when running the engine.

What tools are needed to drain the old oil from the outboard motor?

You can use an oil extractor or manually drain the oil by removing the dipstick to vent the crankcase, then using a flexible funnel and oil pan after removing the drain plug.

What should you do before installing a new oil filter?

Before installing the new oil filter, you should coat the oil ring seal with oil to ensure proper sealing, then hand-tighten it before firmly seating it with a wrench.

How do you refill the gearcase with oil after draining it?

To refill the gearcase, pump OEM high-performance gear oil into the fill hole on the torpedo until it begins to come out of the vent hole, then secure the plugs in the correct order.

Why shouldn’t you disconnect the fuel line and run the engine dry during winterization?

Disconnecting the fuel line and running the engine dry can damage the rubber, neoprene, and plastic parts in fuel systems, which need to stay wet for proper storage.

How do you properly store a modern EFI engine for the winter?

A special fuel mix containing gasoline, two-cycle oil, and fuel stabilizer with an ethanol additive must be pumped through the motor, ensuring fuel is left in the system to protect components.

Why is fogging oil not suitable for modern EFI engines during winterization?

Fogging oil, which was traditionally used in older carbureted engines, can damage modern EFI injectors and sensors, making it unsuitable for winterization.

What is the recommended storage position for an outboard motor during the winter?

The outboard motor should be stored in a vertical position, whether it’s left on the boat or stored in a basement, to ensure proper maintenance and prevent damage.

Outlines

00:00

🚤 Introduction to Winterizing Outboard Motors

The host introduces PowerBoat Television, a premier boating show, and highlights the common misconceptions about winterizing outboard motors. He notes that while older two-stroke engines may have required minimal care, modern four-stroke EFI engines need more attention to be properly stored for winter. This episode will cover the steps necessary to winterize and store an outboard motor correctly.

🛢️ Preparing the Fuel System for Storage

The first step in winterizing is to ensure that if the boat has an internal fuel tank, it is filled to prevent moisture buildup. The fuel should be treated with a storage stabilizer to prevent ethanol breakdown. The engine must be warm during the process, and there should be a good flow of water to avoid damaging the impeller when starting the motor.

🔧 Draining and Replacing Engine Oil

To drain the old oil, either use an oil extractor or remove the drain plug after venting the crankcase by pulling the dipstick. After draining, remove the old oil filter, making sure to use the correct tools, and replace it with a new filter. The new filter's o-ring should be coated with oil to ensure proper sealing. The host emphasizes not over-tightening the filter when installing it and to carefully refill the crankcase with the correct amount and grade of OEM oil.

🪛 Lubricating Key Components

Next, lubricate the swivel bracket with mercury grease until grease appears at the seal, and repeat for any other lube points. Additionally, lubricate the steering mechanism to ensure proper maintenance. These steps help keep essential parts of the motor in good working order throughout storage.

⚙️ Draining and Refilling Gear Oil

To drain the gear oil, remove the drain, level, and vent plugs, allowing the oil to drain completely. Inspect for any signs of water intrusion or metal particles, which could indicate potential issues. If everything looks good, replace the gaskets on the plugs and refill the gearcase with OEM high-performance gear oil, ensuring the gearcase is filled correctly by following the proper sequence of replacing the plugs.

⛽ Storing the Fuel System Correctly

Contrary to popular belief, simply disconnecting the fuel line and running the engine dry isn't enough to winterize modern EFI engines. Fuel is necessary to prevent damage to rubber, neoprene, and plastic components. Older carbureted engines could be stored by introducing fogging oil, but doing so in modern engines can damage expensive components. Instead, a special fuel mix of gasoline, two-cycle oil, and fuel stabilizer should be used. This mix is ingested into the engine, which is confirmed by observing oil smoke in the exhaust.

🔚 Final Tips for Winterizing

To conclude, the host emphasizes that a crucial final step in winterizing the outboard motor is to store it vertically, whether on the boat or in a basement. This ensures proper drainage and prevents water from accumulating in the motor, which could cause damage during the winter months.

Keywords

💡Winterizing

Winterizing refers to the process of preparing a boat's outboard motor or other equipment for storage during the off-season, particularly in colder climates. This process helps prevent damage caused by freezing temperatures or moisture buildup. In the video, winterizing involves tasks like draining fluids, treating fuel, and lubricating parts to ensure the outboard is well-maintained for the winter months.

💡Outboard Motor

An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, usually mounted externally on the stern. It includes an engine, gearbox, and propeller or jet drive. The video focuses on winterizing modern four-stroke EFI outboard motors, which require more attention and care compared to older two-stroke models.

💡EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection)

EFI stands for Electronic Fuel Injection, a system that injects fuel directly into the engine's cylinders. In the context of the video, modern four-stroke outboards with EFI need careful winterization, as their injectors and sensors can be damaged if incorrect procedures are followed, unlike older carbureted engines.

💡Fuel Stabilizer

A fuel stabilizer is an additive that prevents gasoline from degrading or phase-separating over time, particularly in the presence of ethanol. In the video, adding a fuel stabilizer to the boat's fuel tank is a crucial step in winterizing to protect the engine and ensure that the fuel doesn't break down during storage.

💡Fogging Oil

Fogging oil is a special oil sprayed into an engine's intake to coat internal components and prevent corrosion during storage. In older carbureted engines, fogging oil was introduced through the carburetors as part of the winterizing process. However, in modern EFI engines, this can damage injectors, so an alternative fuel mix is used.

💡Crankcase

The crankcase is the housing for the engine’s crankshaft and related components. In the video, the crankcase must be vented when draining the oil to ensure smooth and complete oil removal. This step is essential for maintaining the engine’s health during winter storage.

💡Gear Oil

Gear oil is a lubricant specifically designed for the gears of the outboard motor, ensuring smooth operation and preventing wear. The video explains the importance of draining old gear oil, checking for signs of water or metal, and replacing it with fresh, high-performance oil to protect the motor’s internal components during storage.

💡Impeller

The impeller is a part of the boat's cooling system that pumps water through the engine to prevent overheating. In the video, it is emphasized that starting the engine dry, even for a second, can damage the impeller. Ensuring a proper flow of water during engine operation is crucial when winterizing.

💡Swivel Bracket

The swivel bracket connects the outboard motor to the boat, allowing it to pivot for steering. The video highlights the importance of lubricating the swivel bracket with grease as part of the winterizing process to ensure smooth movement and prevent corrosion during storage.

💡Fuel Mix

The fuel mix is a combination of gasoline, two-cycle oil, and fuel stabilizer used in modern EFI engines during winterization. This special mix helps preserve the engine's internal components by keeping rubber, neoprene, and plastic parts lubricated, ensuring that the engine is properly stored without damaging the injectors or sensors.

Highlights

Boaters often take winterizing outboard motors for granted, especially with modern four-stroke EFI engines that need more attention.

Storing the outboard properly is crucial, including filling the internal fuel tank to prevent moisture build-up and treating the fuel with storage stabilizer.

Ethanol fuel requires special additives to prevent breakdown and phase separation during storage.

The engine must be warmed up before starting the winterization process, and never start the motor dry to avoid damaging the impeller.

Draining the old oil is essential. You can use an oil extractor, but manually draining using the drain plug and dipstick to vent the crankcase is another method.

Proper oil filter replacement includes coating the O-ring with oil before installation to ensure a proper seal.

Tighten the oil filter by hand to seat the O-ring, and then use a wrench to firmly secure it without over-tightening.

Ensure the crankcase is filled with the correct amount and grade of OEM oil, and recheck oil levels after running the motor.

Lubricating the swivel bracket with mercury grease and other lubrication points, including the steering system, is critical.

Drain and refill the gear oil by pumping high-performance gear oil until it comes out of the vent hole, checking for water intrusion or metal traces.

When replacing gear oil, use new gaskets and fill it by pumping oil into the fill hole until oil exits the level hole.

Running the engine dry to winterize the fuel system is a myth—fuel must be left in to prevent rubber and plastic parts from drying out.

Older carbureted engines could be fogged with oil, but modern EFI systems require a special fuel mix to prevent damage to injectors and sensors.

The special fuel mix for winterizing consists of gasoline, two-cycle oil, and fuel stabilizer with an ethanol additive.

The outboard engine should always be stored in a vertical position, either on the boat or in storage, to avoid issues.

Transcripts

powerboat television North America's

premier boating show time for my boat

over the years I've noticed quite a few

boaters that really take winterizing

their oak boards for granted they pretty

much just disconnect the fuel line run

them dry let the water drain out and

either leave them store it on the back

of the boat or put them in their

basement well that might have been fine

for your dad's old 9.9 two-stroke but

for a modern four-stroke EFI they need a

little bit more attention so this week

on my boat

we'll take you through the steps of

storing your outboard motor if your boat

has an internal tank ensure that it is

full to prevent moisture build-up and

treat the fuel with storage stabilizer

it also has an additive to ensure that

the ethanol fuel will not break down

poor phase separate to get started

the engine must be warm and when you're

doing this make sure there is a good

flow of water never start the motor dry

for even a second or you will damage the

impeller after removing the cowl first

task was to drain the old oil for this

you can use an oil extractor but I

elected to drain the oil by first

pulling the dipstick to vent the

crankcase then removing the drain plug

on the left side of the leg casing and

using a flexible funnel an oil pan to

catch the oil with the oil drain the

next step is to remove the oil filter

first off a rag beneath the filter to

kesi oil then using the correct size

filter wrench or an adjustable strap

wrench remove the filter before

installing the new filter make sure you

coat the filters all ring seal with oil

so it seals properly carefully screw the

new filter in place and tighten it by

hand to seat the o-ring then firmly seat

the oil filter with a wrench

without over tightening finally

reinstall the drain plug the oil fill

cap is conveniently located on the back

of the powerhead for easy access make

sure you use a funnel to avoid spilling

the oil and fill the crankcase with the

correct amount and the specified grade

of OAM oil finally reinstall the cap run

the motor and recheck that the oil is at

the correct level on the dip

next lube the swivel bracket with

mercury to foresee grease pumping slowly

until grease appears at the seal then

repeat for any other Lube points and

finish off with the steering to drain

the gear oil first remove the drain plug

then the level and vent plugs and allow

the oil to drain checking it for water

intrusion and the magnetic plug for

metal traces since either one could be

signs of problems if everything looks

good install new gaskets on the plugs

then refill the gearcase with OEM high

performance cure oil by pumping it into

the fill hole on the torpedo until it

begins to come out of the vent hole next

screw the plug in the vent opening and

add more oil until oil exits the level

hole

screw in the level plug and remove the

pump and install the fill plug off the

top I mentioned that some guys think the

final step in winterizing their engine

is to disconnect the fuel line and run

the engine dry well that's just not the

case

fuel systems whether they're carbs or

efi require fuel to ensure that the

rubber neoprene and plastic parts don't

dry out so they have to be stored wet

now with an older carbureted engine the

way to store them was to while they were

running introduced fogging oil through

the carburetors to the engine quit well

with modern EF is doing it that way will

ruin expensive injectors and sensors so

a special fuel mix must be pumped

through the motor to store it for the

winter mix is made up with 20 litres of

gasoline 1.8 liters of two cycle oil and

30 to 40 milliliters of fuel stabilizer

with an ethanol additive with the mix

set to go it's time to hook up the tank

fire up the motor and wait till the mix

is ingested which is confirmed by oil

smoke in the exhaust

well there you have it everything you

need to know to winterize your

four-stroke EFI outboard now the last

thing though remember store it vertical

whether it's on the boat or in your

basement