NON-WITERIZED OUTBOARD should I buy???

[toonfish]

I have the opportunity to buy a 90hp outboard, but the guy that is selling it told me that he did nothing to witerize it this year???? It is a 2004 Merc 4 stroke....what should I be concerned with and what risk am I taking??? Is there anything I can do to it now or in the spring to reduce my chances of problems.

[wishing for walleyes]

If it was me i would be very concerned about the lower unit.If it had water in it it could be cracked.If it did not have water in it it should be ok.Look for any cracks on the unit from freeze.Others will chime in with more.Good Luck.

[Schloogs]

toonfish, someone else had a questions similar to yours awhile ago. Here is the link to it, you may find some useful info.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1301302#Post1301302

[toonfish]

So my main concern is the lower unit?? and the rest of the steps can be done this spring?? before I run it

[tacklejunkie]

They should have taken out the lower unit oil in the fall to replace it and put in new stuff to rid of the water. Also, there may be some aging of any fuel thats in the carb. i bought a kicker many years ago that the guy did the same thing. i brought it in, cleaned up the gunk from the old gas, new plugs, lower unit oil and i still have it today and runs great. i winterize it along with my regular boat each fall. if the lower unit is cracked, you can get a new one but itll cost ya. but if the lower unit is not cracked, then buy it and take it in to clean it up

[MuskieJunkie]

I would be suprised if water got into the lower unit on a motor that new. IF water got in it COULD be a problem. Definetely change the lower unit oil before the season.

I would get a sample of the lower unit oil at your pre purchase inspeciton. If it looks milky or dirty that's a bad sign, if it looks clean (which it should) you're good to go.

The old gas most likely gummed up the fuel system, so the motor is going to run rough until you have it clean it out.

Those are really the only 2 worries.

[Sandmannd]

I agree with Muskie Junkie. Mines an 02 and when I did my lower unit this fall there was nothing wrong with the oil.

[Valv]

4 strokes and newer motors are a little more forgiving if they are not winterized, especially if they are fuel injected, there is no worry the carbs are gummed up.

If lower unit looks good, check motor oil level, and if you are very worried you can take it to a shop and have it compression tested (or you can do it yourself).

Other than that it should be ok until spring tuneup

[toonfish]

Thanks everybody

[Barbless Walters]

Did you end up buying this motor? Fill us in on the details.

[toonfish]

OK I think I am going to buy it, but will put the muffs on and run it for a bit. The lower unit was not cracked. There is gas in the tank still. So according to Valv, I should just change the oil and should be set. I should probably drain the old gas also right???(they did not put stabil in it) THe battery was even still hooked up, still had power, but might need to be charged? Is there anything I need to do more than OIL,DRAIN GAS, CHARGE BATTERY?? Anything to look for when I put the MUFFS on and test run?

[paceman]

Make sure it pees.......A nice steady discharge is a good sign.

[JimBuck]

Yeah. I can't stress a strong stream enough. Also, look into the compression test thread that is in the expert advice section.....super handy inexpensive way to see if your throwing your money down on a pile of problems....best luck!

[toonfish]

Sorry, but I can't find the thread on comression testing...I did a search but did not find a thread on how to do it??? Thanks

[Tom7227]

comression test info

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1000502#Post1000502

[JimBuck]

Beat me to it Tom. Thanks!

[toonfish]

Thanks

[toonfish]

Sorry to bump this to the top again, but I have one more question. I have about half a tank of gas that was not stabilized over the winter. I know it is probably too late for stabil, but could I add seafoam and fill up the rest with fresh gas and be OK. Or should I siphon the old gas out first?

[croixflats]

your gas will be fine

[DTro]

Probably best to drain the old gas if it's not too much of a pain.

[croixflats]

Ive heard bad things about stabil so I stay away from it. Seafoam is a great idea If anything seafoam will clean things up and it sure wont hurt any thing.

The ethanal in gas now a days keeps the gas from going bad I think.

They say storing half to a full tank a tank of gas or more is better than an almost empyt tank

[toonfish]

Thanks.....seafoam it is

[raymondk]

Run it worst case it might run poorly but i doudt it i just ran a half tank that also wasn't treated and my motor never ran better'

[DinkADunk]

 Originally Posted By: toonfish

I have about half a tank of gas that was not stabilized over the winter. I know it is probably too late for stabil, but could I add seafoam and fill up the rest with fresh gas and be OK. Or should I siphon the old gas out first?

It depends on how big your tank is and how many tanks of gas do you go through a season. I have a 40gal tank, don't go for long runs on large water, and have a fuel efficient 4stroke. I may go through 2 tanks of gas in a season. So for me it's important to add a stabilizer when I add gas and every other year I will empty the gas from the tank into my car or truck and then fill up with fresh gas in the fall (with stabilizer added). This makes sure that any gas I have in the tank is less than 2 years old and has stabilizer in it. Consequently I don't have fuel problems.

If you're going through a tank every couple of weeks then you don't need to use a stabilizer except for the last fill up in the fall before you put your boat away. If you're going through a couple of tanks a season then add stabilizer when you fill up. If you're case is the later then I would consider draining as much gas as you can from your tank and run it through another vehical (i.e. siphon 5 gal off into your truck, and 5gal into your car), then fill up your boat with fresh, non-oxygenated gas, add a stabilizer (Stabil, Seafoam, Amsoil, whatever), and you should be good to go.

BTW, I keep a little tank (3 gal) that I have 2 gal of fresh gas mixed with 1 can of seafoam (plus some stabil). I use that tank to clean out my motors (kicker mostly) when they need it. Also works great in the spring to get rid of the fogging oil residue.

[toonfish]

Ok got this thing out for the first 3 times. Runs like a champ....BUT...after 5-6 hours of use....won't start. I got a warning beep(s)turned the motor off and then....nothing...could not start and the power trim/tilt was hardly working....so I figure Battery is dead, switched out the battery after being stranded for hour or so....and started right up and worked great again....BUT....then I noticed the amp meter on my guages went from 12 to about 10 throughout the course of the day, granted I was with the family and we did a lot of anchoring and listening to the radio etc...But know I am thinking I may have a bad alternator???? The battery soes have one of those boxes on top of the +, and I will check if that is popped. But How do I tell if the alternator is bad??? And what can I expect for cost if it needs to be replaced??? Thanks again

[marine_man]

Put a multimeter on the battery and see what the voltage is with nothing turned on.

Then, when the motor is in the water or running on the hose muffs, start the motor and rev it up a bit - does the volatge increase?

If not you probably need a rectifier.

Does the tach work? If it doesn't that would also be a sign that the rectifier might be shot.

marine_man

[toonfish]

Where is the rectifier??? and how much to replace??

[toonfish]

Also I checked with the original owner again and he said that the battery was hooked up to the motor all winter....could this cause some sort of damage to the rectifier?? what ever that is???

[toonfish]

Still have not checked it with meter....but got a quote ahead just in case....265.00 parts and labor....sounds pretty reasonable to me....what do you think??? Are these hard to replace on your own??

[marine_man]

No, they're not that difficult to replace.

Before I would spend any money though I'd see if it were bad first.

Does your boat have a tachometer? Does it work? That'd tell a lot about the rectifier right there.

marine_man

[toonfish]

yes I have a tach. It is working....what should I look for on the tach. I am going to test with a multimeter tonight.