Winterizing

[juliomjr1]

Hi! I heard Mercury outboards don't need to be winterized but not sure I believe that. I live in the Chicago area and it's my first year with my boat. Do I need to winterize and if so, how is that done? Mine is a 2003 Mercury 115 that came with my 2003 Tracker Versa18. Thank you!

 

[Timmer]

There is winterizing and there is maintenance. Winterization is required regardless of brand or whether it's an inboard or outboard. It addresses the concern of freezing water expanding and breaking things as well as the fact that the boat will be sitting for a long period without use. And, given you are working on the motor, it's a perfect time to do routine maintenance, so people usually do them together. I'm not much of a motor head, so I tend to error on the side of a thorough maintenance routine every year, even though others may argue you don't need to do all the items on the list yearly, or it's based on the hours of use over the boating season. I had 2 Yamaha motors that both lasted over 20 years with exactly zero issues, so I'm sticking to my yearly process with my newer Mercury.

My list:

Winterization -

• Treat the fuel with Stabil of Seafoam. There is some debate as to whether you should leave gas in the tank or not. You can search google for the debates. Either way you want to make sure that you treat the gas and turn it over to get the treated gas into to the system. Side note, you should not run the engine for more than a couple of seconds without connecting water for cooling as well as lubricating the impeller. You should use a set of rabbit ears and a hose.
• Fog the pistons - This is recommended. I have historically sprayed it into the cylinders via the spark plug holes and turned if over a couple of times. They now make stuff you put in gas, but given my first step above I don't know how the combo of treated fuel and fogging chemical would work.
• Simple but often forgotten - Lower the motor all the way to make sure the water is all drained out. I have a 200hp and I have to lower the tongue jack in order to be able to lower the motor and clear the floor.
• Change the lower unit grease - Not everyone does it yearly, but it is one of the most expensive fixes if you have freezing. At a minimum you need to drain a little out and make sure there is no water in it. If it is even slightly cloudy, change it. I change mine every year.
• Change the fuel filter - This is debatable as to whether it's a winterization or maintenance topic, and not everyone does it every year. However, in my opinion, anything related to gas sitting for long periods of time can get gummed up. I change it.
• Disconnect the batteries, or decide to leave them charging - There are usually small parasitic draws on the battery for which if you leave the battery hooked up it will completely drain, and if they have no charge in freezing whether they will often fail. Many people bring their batteries inside, and/or hook them to a battery tender. I used to just leave them disconnected but in place without a charger, and never had a problem with battery life. I understand that others have not been so lucky, so now I leave my boat connected and charging over the winter. I haven't seen much on this topic, but my understanding is that a battery tender charges at a lower rate. Maybe others here will state that you shouldn't leave them charging all winter with the boat's bank charger, and I don't have enough years on my current battery to say that this is the best method.

Maintenance -

• Change the oil and filter
• Check power trim fluid
• Grease various points
• Grease the wheel bearings
• Replace spark plugs (I do it every other year)

Others chime in if I forgot anything off the top of my head.

 

[DONAOL]

Hi! I heard Mercury outboards don't need to be winterized but not sure I believe that. I live in the Chicago area and it's my first year with my boat. Do I need to winterize and if so, how is that done? Mine is a 2003 Mercury 115 that came with my 2003 Tracker Versa18. Thank you!

Absolutely you need to winterize your motor. Your motor won’t last long in Chicago if you don’t. Been boating for 50 years and never lost a motor to poor maintenance and winterizing. Don’t forget to take care of your trailer also.

 

[juliomjr1]

Thank you so much for the info. Great stuff!

 

[Major Mark]

Old school winterizing (carb motor) would include spraying fogging oil into air intake until the motor choked out, then spray small amount into each cylinder via spark plug hole. New school (EFI/DFI motor) you just spray each cylinder thru spark plug hole. Put spark plugs back in after fogging. NEVER spray into air intake on a EFI/DFI motor!. It messes with the computerization of the motor. Don't know which configuration your 2003 motor is. Each spring after starting motor for first time I'd replace my spark plugs after burning away the fogging oil.

 

[juliomjr1]

Old school winterizing (carb motor) would include spraying fogging oil into air intake until the motor choked out, then spray small amount into each cylinder via spark plug hole. New school (EFI/DFI motor) you just spray each cylinder thru spark plug hole. Put spark plugs back in after fogging. NEVER spray into air intake on a EFI/DFI motor!. It messes with the computerization of the motor. Don't know which configuration your 2003 motor is. Each spring after starting motor for first time I'd replace my spark plugs after burning away the fogging oil.

Thank you!

 

[Robertalan9911]

Absolutely you need to winterize your motor. Your motor won’t last long in Chicago if you don’t. Been boating for 50 years and never lost a motor to poor maintenance and winterizing. Don’t forget to take care of your trailer also.

I live in a chicago suburb near the wisconsin border, I drain my motor of water and add stable to my gas tank,drive around for about 5 minutes so it mixes all through the tank and then run the motor for about 15- 20 seconds so the mixture is in the motor.I change my lower gear oil every spring,never had any water in it over 20 years. Since my boat is stored in a fenced storage yard outside I cover it with two tarps. The first winter I stored it outside the water left in the tubing going to the water pressure gauge froze and the ice broke the bladder in the pressure gauge,the next year after replacing the gauge I cut the 1/4 " water line that goes to the pressure gauge about 18 " from the motor and installed a pressfit union that I disconnect every winter. I never had to replace the gauge again.

 

[olefisherman456]

what will happen if you do not fog the motor thru the spark plug holes. the lower main bearing seal will stick to the shaft and rip apart the first time the motor turns over. this will require removing the power head and and replacing the seal and main bearing .. [may have rusted]. do not wrap the motor with plastic so that it cant breathe . this will cause condensation . do not hesitate to ask about anything on this site. we were all first timers once.good winterization will save you many $ and headaches.

 

[DONAOL]

I live in a chicago suburb near the wisconsin border, I drain my motor of water and add stable to my gas tank,drive around for about 5 minutes so it mixes all through the tank and then run the motor for about 15- 20 seconds so the mixture is in the motor.I change my lower gear oil every spring,never had any water in it over 20 years. Since my boat is stored in a fenced storage yard outside I cover it with two tarps. The first winter I stored it outside the water left in the tubing going to the water pressure gauge froze and the ice broke the bladder in the pressure gauge,the next year after replacing the gauge I cut the 1/4 " water line that goes to the pressure gauge about 18 " from the motor and installed a pressfit union that I disconnect every winter. I never had to replace the gauge again.

I live in a chicago suburb near the wisconsin border, I drain my motor of water and add stable to my gas tank,drive around for about 5 minutes so it mixes all through the tank and then run the motor for about 15- 20 seconds so the mixture is in the motor.I change my lower gear oil every spring,never had any water in it over 20 years. Since my boat is stored in a fenced storage yard outside I cover it with two tarps. The first winter I stored it outside the water left in the tubing going to the water pressure gauge froze and the ice broke the bladder in the pressure gauge,the next year after replacing the gauge I cut the 1/4 " water line that goes to the pressure gauge about 18 " from the motor and installed a pressfit union that I disconnect every winter. I never had to replace the gauge again.

I respectfully disagree with changing the lower gear oil in the spring. I feel it’s better to change the gear oil in the fall and know it is good or bad. If there is signs of water in the oil. You would have more time to fix the problem during the winter and not lose fishing time in the spring.

 

[birda40]

In Chicago it gets pretty cold , if water is in in the Lower Unit it could freeze and crack / break.