Winterizing, Summerizing, etc.

[Scott M]

Hey Valv, Surface Tension, et al.,

Please post (and maybe pin at the top) some good tips for winterizing boats, and "summerizing" ice augers, as examples. That would be great for those who don't know, good reminders for those who do, and you never know what new trick you'll learn from someone. I thought of this as I start thinking about putting away the old ice auger. We've had some good times and cut some good holes. I hope I can run her a few more times this winter/spring.

For the auger: My plan is to run her dry, wipe down the whole unit, and add fuel stabilizer to whatever is left in my gas can. (Although I've heard that StaBil is only good for 90 days?)

Any other tips?

[Big Dave2]

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/fishinfo4.html

Try this link. Rick gives some good info on winterizing your boat.

[Surface Tension]

Putting the auger away for summer is easy.

You can go about it a few ways. Either way you should add a fuel stabilizer to non-oxygenated gas, then run the auger till that mixture gets into the carb.

Even is you plan on draining the gas out of the tank and running the engine till all that gas is gone there always some gas left so its better to have that little bit of gas treated with a stabilizer.

If you plan on leaving the gas in your tank then pull the air filter cover off the carb. While the auger is running a give it some throttle and spray a engine fogger into the carb. Do it in short bursts till the engine bogs a little. Then continue to spray till the engine quits. 2 strokes get there lubrication from the oil mixed in the gas. When that gas enters the carb it goes through the crank case first then through ports it pulled into the cylinder. That fogging you just did put a layer of protection in the crank bearing and cylinder walls. Your good go. If you'd like you can pull the spark plug and shoot a fogging agent into that, replace spark plug.

Another way is to store the auger with no gas. As stated earlier you should still have run non-oxygenated gas with a stabilizer through the system. Next drain the gas tank and start the auger, let run till it runs out of gas. After it quits choke the auger and run it again to try and get that last little bit of gas out. Remember that the fogging agent hasn't been run through the crank. You'll have to remove the air filter cover and spark plug. Spray the fogging agent into the carb(open the throttle) and slow pull the starter rope, do this a few times to try and get that into the crank, next spray through the spark plug hole while pulling the starter rope. Replace the spark plug. Your done. While you have that spark plug out look at the numbers on it and get yourself a new plug for next season. After you burn that fogging agent out, replace the spark plug.

4 strokes get the lube from the oil in the crank case.

Do the same gas treatment and run the auger. Fogging the crank isn't necessary so pull the spark plug and spray the fogging agent into the hole. Replace plug and drain and replace the oil while the engine is still warm.

If you like you can spray the auger blades down with WD-40 to prevent runst.

Another way to summerize your auger is to put it in the corner of the garage and hope for the best next winter. Actually if you treat the gas and run the auger a few times during the summer then that isn't so bad. Starting the auger gets new lube into the crank and cylinder walls.

[harvey lee]

I have always liked to put it away with some stabilizer and start it every month or so. This has always worked very well with every auger I have owned.

[DinkADunk]

Adding stabilizer to old gas (older than 30 days) does no good. Add stabilizer to fresh gas when you buy it and it should be good for roughly a year.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Quote:

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Another way to summerize your auger is to put it in the corner of the garage and hope for the best next winter

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Frank, I had no idea you were in my garage last July.

[McGurk]

Now that we are using Amsoil Sabre Pro in some of our 2-strokes, I think we need a little clarification on Stabil use with Sabre. I seem to remember reading here that the Oilman stated that the additives in Sabre are enough of a preservative for mixed gas. I also think he said that Stabil is both not required and not recommended if you are currently using Sabre. Please correct me if I am wrong.

As far as keeping the gas in the tank, I'd rather dump any mixed gas into a nearly full vehicle gas tank and pay for fresh gas in the fall instead of adding Stabil to keep old gas around. Or empty the tank into your mixed-gas gas can and use it for the chainsaw/weed whip/etc. in summer. We're talking a matter of less than a dollar of gas in the auger tank that we are trying to save (except for the mid-summer starters ).

[theoilman]

Who has been reading my mind? I have just been preparing a "Lube Tip" for "Off Season Protection (2-stroke and 4-stroke engines)" that will be e-mailed to those who have communicated direct with me, but since it has been brought up, I will also post it here.

The additional question in this thread is concerning the use of Stabil. I do not know the storage capabilities of this product. AMSOIL does have Gasoline Stabilizer which gives up to 18 months protection (see below). However, most people find it is unnecessary when using Saber Professional in their 2-stroke machines. I have had reports from many people about engines being set aside with no preparation other than they had been using Saber Professional and they can start the next season just by cranking the engine - and easily. For best insurance use the stabilizer too.

If you would like to be added to my list to receive my "Lube-tips" direct (a couple of e-mails a month) drop me a note via my e-mail direct link at the bottom of this post requesting them.

--------------------------------------------

Lube Tip: Equipment Storage . (Both 2-stroke and 4-stroke)

Removed from this post by Don Dawson, click the link to go to my site to read it.

[Orlip]

Quote:

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You use just 1 ounce to 2.5 gallons of gasoline

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Well thats great, If my tank is full I need 35 oz of stabilizer.

[riverrat56]

87.5 Gallon tank?

I just go with the leave the auger in corner and start it with some of the gas from the leaf blower a few times through out the winter.

[harvey lee]

I go through all the steps to help my motors get through the off season. It doesnt cost much at all and for what these toys cost why not give them all the protection you can.

[aprowl]

how about a list for snowmobiles,used only one weekend this year,two not used at all...how should i summerize em......

[Surface Tension]

There is a thread in the sleding forum that goes into details about summarizing.

Open the hood and look to see if mice chewed up or nested in the foam rubber between the air box and hood.

Sleds that haven't been used for two years, IMO then need to be run. I'd drain all the gas and put it in my truck. Fill with fresh gas, treat it and then run the sled. Let it idle for 5 minutes. Watch the temps if you have liquid cooled. Running the engine gets oil back on the cylinder wall and bearings. Now pull the plugs and fog the cylinders while tuning the engine over. Replace the plugs. I put tape over exhaust to keep the mice out. I spray the muffler down with WD-40. Armor-all the seat and let it soak into the stitching then wipe down.

Grease all the zerks if you haven't done that. Remove the belt and lift the track off the ground.

[Orlip]

Quote:

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87.5 Gallon tank?

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Actually the specs from the factory say it holds 88

[Never Enough Time to Fish]

Has anyone ever heard of fogging an outboard motor by running gas mixed with the fogging agent through the motor for 10 to 15 minutes? What type of fogging agent is used to do this? Does this do as good of a job as the traditional way of fogging the motor? Thanks.

Never Enough.....

[geo17]

i winterized my boat myself this year for the first time. i recently moved up from florida so not much to worry about freezing down there. everything went fine, until i moved the oil in my drain container and noticed some water that seperated from the oil. it wasn't an alarming amount but noticeable. is this normal?

[Surface Tension]

NETF, never heard of doing it by mixing the fogging agent into the gas. Going through the carb till the point that engine stalls ensures a heavy coat in the crank and its components.

geo, was the oil drained from the lower unit or 4 stroke motor oil. If you noticed it in the lower unit then is must have sat a long time, long enough to separate. At some time you'll want to have the seals replaced or pressure test the lower unit to see which seal is leaking and replace that one. I usually just replace all of them and since your in there replace the impeller too. If you continue to use the outboard with a slight leak then you should check it often.

Water in the crank, 4 stroke outboards run at low temps and are known to have some moister/condensation build up.

If heard that it can actually build up to the point where the oil level becomes high. That seems extreme to me and I'd never let it get to that point.

[geo17]

it was from my two stroke lower unit. i also noticed the amount i put back in was more than i took out. engine runs great. no over smoking. i will take it in after winter and get that stuff checked out though. i used the boat about a week and a half before this so it didn;t sit that long.

[boatfixer]

Quite a few years back, I believe OMC has some concoction combining 2+4 and fogging oil in the gas. It was intended for dealers, using a separate gas tank so you didn't store your gas with fogging oil. Not completely sure though. But I would still recommend to anyone to fog through the carbs and treat gas the conventional way.

[Scott M]

Those are great winterizing tips for motors and summerizing tips for augers. How about tips for bringing your boat out of storage? I'm planning to grease up the bearing buddies, vacuum again, refill with fresh gas, top off the oil, and run the garden hose with ear muffs pretty soon. Anything else?

[JimBuck]

Good idea da_chise on reviving this thread. Besides what you said. I go over the trailer with a wrench and make sure all bolts are fastened securely.....I had an incident happen last spring on the way to the lake for the first time...one of the bolts loosened up enough to break in half under pressure from exiting the Super America parking lot. Luckily it was only a right rear bolt leaving the prop and lower unit just 2 inches from certain disaster. 2 hours and 3 car jacks later we replaced the bolt, made it to the lake and caught our limit. Anyone else care to chime in on preventative maintenence for the upcoming season?

[hitthebricks]

How about a 200 Merc opti with direct fuel and oil injection? What steps should I take to winterize it correctly? Also do I really need to treat the gas in the tank (30 gal.) and fill and treat the rest (another 30 gal.)?

Later HTB

[marine_man]

Check out this thread:

Winterizing

With respect to treat the gas in the tank - if you don't fill the tank you run the risk of condensation forming in the tank from not being full. If you have water / fuel seperator it's not an issue. If you don't, well, then you might have to see how it goes in spring.

marine_man

[Ed Carlson]

2-stroke or 4-stoke I recommend using the New Sta-bill Blue in the mix all season, and for storage.

[Dano2]

In Ricks winterizing tip #17."Open all hatches. Place an open bag or two of charcoal in the bilge and in any other enclosed areas. It won't hurt the opened area's either."

Why would one do this?

Just regular charcoal like Kingsford or whatever?

Thanks

[bhs91]

3 questions, about how long should I run the motor to make sure things were treated(I am done for the year and will just back it into the water to run it awhile) and what about removing any line from the prop area. And should I put in new plugs every year??

Thanks,

BHS

[Wildabeast]

A spark plug question. Do you use a little anti-sieze on the spark plug threads when you replace them (aluminum heads)?

[marine_man]

Charcoal - will absorb humidity under the cover

bhs91 - see reply on the Winterizing topic on the Boat & Motor Forum

Sparkplug question - anti seize can't hurt anything...

marine_man

[snoozebutton]

2-stroke or 4-stoke I recommend using the New Sta-bill Blue in the mix all season, and for storage.

I didn't know they had the blue marine variety. I used the red in mine, will I be alright with that?

[marine_man]

yes, just fine.

marine_man

[Ed Carlson]

Both the Red/Blue StaBil formulas are good products.

The new Blue is a lot better in many ways with the new rust protection and carb cleaners in it. I would recommend you try it, it has made a dramatic difference in how well my ice augers run and my boat...so I'm now completely sold on the Marine Blue formula StaBil.