Winterize my boat, or run every couple of weeks?
Hey guys, I recently bought a fun little Sea Ray 180 with the i/o Merc
130 - I only put about 5 hours on it so far. I've got a question about
winterizing. Would you suppose it would be better to take it to the
Merc dealer and have them stabilize the fuel, fog the engine, drain the
block, etc... or could I just pull it out of the garage every two
weeks, crank it up and let it run for 5 or 10 minutes out of the water?And if it's better to run it every other week or so, what's the best
method to keeping the engine cooled? Direct connection, or the ear
muffs? I have the earmuffs. I put them on turned on the hose and ran
it yesterday for about 10 minutes. Seemed to run fine, but the temp
guage would sit at around 180 degrees. I'm not scared to do it myself, but I just trying to find good advice
on the best way to run it out of the water, if I can and if it won't
damage the boat. I mean, will the water damage the motor if the engine
isn't on? Am I asking too many questions in one post? Thanks for all of your help in advance!! |
ran007
Nov 14
2005
|
| What's it for? |
Doug
Nov 14
|
| I read that some do spray the fogging oil into the carb while the engine
is running.
I only spray into the cylinders and replace the plugs finger tight. I'm
hoping that running the motor dry with stabilized gas will take care of
the carb. |
Don
Nov 14
|
| Foe sure...cylinder walls, piston......rings |
Don
Nov 14
|
| It is much better to use your boat and enjoy your boat than winterizing it. "ran007" <ran007reed@yahoo.com> wrote in message |
Mr.
Nov 14
|
| So it's reasonable to say that I should winterize it? |
ran007
Nov 14
|
| Yes. Google up 'Winterizing Checkist' to see what's involved. Suggest
you let the dealer do it for starters and ask to see the process when
they do your boat. --
Skipper |
Skipper
Nov 14
|
| Considering that it cost what....maybe fifteen bucks for the various
supplies, why not? It'll keep you out of your wife's way while she cleans
the kitchen, and then you can tromp back in full of oil and mess it up
again. Here's a good link: http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/winter/default.asp |
Doug
Nov 14
|
| And another: http://www.brownsmarina.com/techtips.html --
Skipper |
Skipper
Nov 14
|
| Water cracks the engine block if it is sitting inside once the temperature
drop below zero. If you scroll in the same usenet group you will find another post with
winterization tips, please follow it., its simple process you can do it by
yourself. "ran007" <ran007reed@yahoo.com> wrote in message |
Awsome
Nov 14
|
| Are you referring to 0 Centigrade? I assume so.
|
Harry
Nov 14
|
| Where do you live? have to assume it freezes in your area if you're
laying the boat up.
I winterize my outboard and take it into the basement where it winters
at a constant 60 deg F. |
Don
Nov 14
|
| It doesn't freeze down here - I'm not really worried about that. It
just seems that a boat engine can live the same life as a car engine if
you run it, instead of letting it sit up. My intent is to pull it out
every couple of weeks and run it. My question is, is it better than
winterizing it? |
ran007
Nov 14
|
| For the past 5 years, I've simply drained the engine (by putting it in the
running position), and stored it in the garage. The engine block has not
cracked, and temps in the garage get down to 0 or 10 F. |
Doug
Nov 14
|
| Are you suggesting that winterization is better than running it
frequently out of the water? |
ran007
Nov 14
|
| I would just winterize it myself. Fuel stabilizer can be bought at any home depot or boat store.
Put that in no matter what. Gas doesnt stay fresh just because you
start the engine for every so often. Good to move it around a bit but
it doesnt solve the problem. When winterizing you should change the oil and fuel filter. Oil
can be acidic and damage the engine. Drain and replace.
As for the draining the block... If it gets cold enough it can
crack the block. I have had a few friends that did their own work
incorrectly and forgot to go the block too. Byebye engine. You can do the job right yourself and save some money while doing it.
Its not all that hard to do, just take some time. Look over this
newsgroup to get a nice complete checklist of what to do when
winterizing it. Tom |
BocesLib
Nov 14
|
| If it doesn't freeze wherever you are, why aren't you going boating
periodically throughout the winter? If you do, then winter is the same
as summer, no? Dave Hall |
Dave
Nov 14
|
| Sounds appealing - when winterizing, will fogging the engine be
necessary? Last thing I want is a stuck carburator... |
ran007
Nov 14
|
| Fogging does nothing for the carb. |
atl_man2
Nov 14
|
| Does it keep rust out of some components of the motor? |
ran007
Nov 14
|
| Fogging? It supposedly leaves a layer of oil on the piston and cylinder
walls, and that should help protect against rust.
|
Harry
Nov 14
|
