Your Boat Engine Parts Experts Show You How to Survive Those Brutal Winters

Stainless Marine your boat engine parts professionals would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding why it is so important to winterize your outboards.

Your boat engine parts specialists know that boat yards winterize lots of boats in just a few weeks, so for tips to quickly store outboard engines, we went to Thurston's Marina (thurstonsmarina.com) on Lake Winnipesaukee where they prep 150 outboards each fall against New Hampshire's brutal winters.

1) Your online boat parts store professionals say that to start, add fuel stabilizer, top off tanks, and run the engine in fresh water for about 10 minutes. “With the green STA-BIL, it's easy to see when the additive makes it through all the fuel lines to the fuel filter,” says Assistant Service Manager Nicholas Thurston.

2) Thurston then connects a 3-gallon tank directly to the motor with his winter storage blend - 50 percent gasoline with fuel stabilizer, 40 percent fogging oil plus a bit of 2-stroke oil and gas-line antifreeze - that protects the fuel system and fogs the motor in 5 minutes running time.

3) If he uses traditional fogging oil rather than his storage blend, on a four-stroke outboard Thurston disconnects the hose that carries oily air from atop the cylinder head back to the engine air intake so he can spray fogging oil into the Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve.

4) Your marine parts warehouse analysts know that on the lower unit, pull the lower drain plug and check for cloudy, milky or emulsified oil. Your marine boat parts experts know that indicates it's mixed with water which will either freeze and crack the lower unit or pit and ruin steel bearings.

5) “As long as the engine is left vertical, the water will drain out, so there's no need to run nontoxic antifreeze through the cooling system.,” Thurston says.

Your Boat Engine Parts Analysts Has Some Great Advice for Saltwater Boaters

Tip: A bit of fogging oil or winterizing mix might drip out the exhaust over the winter, so put a scrap of cardboard beneath outboards stored over concrete.

You can find more information as well as get assistance on marine boat parts and on why it is so important to winterize your outboards at Stainless Marine.

Advice for Saltwater Boaters

“Flush the engine with freshwater for 20 minutes, then run Salt Away through to eat up any remaining salt” says Jim Patnaude who owns HHB Marine on New Hampshire's seacoast.

Fuel stabilization over the several months of non-use has to be a priority. Today's ethanol enhanced gasoline ( E-10 ) is very susceptible to moisture as it will absorb any condensation on the inside surfaces of the fuel tank that forms when large temperature changes occur.

This new mixture is heavier than gasoline and settles to the bottom where it proceeds to eat away at aluminum tanks starting at the welded seams. It can also strip the anodizing off the sides of the tank.

TOP WINTERIZING TIPS

With the popularity of 4-stroke engines over the past decade, protecting a motor with fogging oil is more important than ever because of the many steel and cast iron parts used in their construction.

Your boat accessories online specialists know that valves, rings, and cylinder sleeves are the most prone to rust and in some motor designs, a stuck valve can be hit by a piston causing expensive damage when the engine rotates when starting.

WINTER BOAT PROTECTION

It is best that batteries be removed from the boat, kept charged up, and protected from the weather. A fully charged lead-acid battery will not freeze but self-discharges over time, more so when connected to an engine.

To avoid these potential problems a concerned boat owner should ensure that his or her rig is thoroughly winterized to protect it and to avoid unexpected repairs that could show up the following spring when the boat is put in the water.

So don't forget these great reminders on how you can winterize your outboards. 1) First, add fuel stabilizer, top off tanks, and run the engine in fresh water for about 10 minutes; 2) connects a 3-gallon tank directly to the motor with his winter storage blend; and 3) On the lower unit, pull the lower drain plug and check for cloudy, milky or emulsified oil.

Stainless Marine has more information on boat engine parts, marine boat parts, boat parts online, and on why you need to winterize your outboards.

via Winterizing Outboards

via Why You Should Winterize Your Engine