bigoutdoors
10-20-2004, 03:22 PM
with another season just about under our belt,now is the time to start thinking about preparing your boat for winter.[list=1]
add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel tank according to the directions on the bottle
fill you gas tank with non-alcohol fuel.this prevents condensation,oxidiztion and spoilage of the fuel
start motor(either in a lake or muffs installed and connected to your garden hose)
allow the motor to run for 5-10 minutes to make sure the treated fuel gets to all parts of the engine
spray fogging oil into the carburetor's while the engine is running.you'll see lots of smoke,which is good
shut the engine down.don't run it out of gas.if you have an oil injected engine,running it out of gas will inject pure iol into the carurator,which will turn into a gooey mess by spring
after the engine cools down,remove sparkplugs and spray fogging oil directly into the cylinders
with the kill switch in the off position,turn the engine over a time or two to coat the cylinder walls
replace sparkplugs with the old ones(buy new ones for next spring after you run the fogging oil out with the old ones)
tilt the engine down fully and remove the lower unit oil plugs and drian the gear lube into a pan
check the used lube color for water.if it looks milky,you have a leaking seal.also,check for metal filings.either condition will require the attention of you dealer
refill the gear case with lube by inserting the tube in the lower hole and filling it until fluid comes out of the top hole.
check the prop for nicks,a little damage here can cause a big decrease in performance
replace a badly damaged prop
grease all fittings you can find with waterproof grease
spray all electrical connection and fuse panel with moisture displacing silicone lubricant
store motor in an upright position
remove the battery
check the fluid level,clean the terminal with a soda paste,spray the terminals with sealent,store the battery in a warm place,with a trickle charger
remove the drain plug and drain any water from the bilge and livewell.wire the drain plug to the ignitionswitch to avoin embarrassment at the boat ramp next spring
remove all life jacketts from the boat,wash,dry and store in a dry place
check trailer bulbs,and spray silicone on all sockets and wiring connectors
vacume out the boat,leave a mouse cake or two,better to find a dead mouse next spring than a live one
cover the boat but allow for air circulation to advoid moister problems
pack the trailer wheels with bearing grease
put the trailer on blocks and remove the tires to prolong rubber life and thwart would-be tire thieves
[/list=1]
add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel tank according to the directions on the bottle
fill you gas tank with non-alcohol fuel.this prevents condensation,oxidiztion and spoilage of the fuel
start motor(either in a lake or muffs installed and connected to your garden hose)
allow the motor to run for 5-10 minutes to make sure the treated fuel gets to all parts of the engine
spray fogging oil into the carburetor's while the engine is running.you'll see lots of smoke,which is good
shut the engine down.don't run it out of gas.if you have an oil injected engine,running it out of gas will inject pure iol into the carurator,which will turn into a gooey mess by spring
after the engine cools down,remove sparkplugs and spray fogging oil directly into the cylinders
with the kill switch in the off position,turn the engine over a time or two to coat the cylinder walls
replace sparkplugs with the old ones(buy new ones for next spring after you run the fogging oil out with the old ones)
tilt the engine down fully and remove the lower unit oil plugs and drian the gear lube into a pan
check the used lube color for water.if it looks milky,you have a leaking seal.also,check for metal filings.either condition will require the attention of you dealer
refill the gear case with lube by inserting the tube in the lower hole and filling it until fluid comes out of the top hole.
check the prop for nicks,a little damage here can cause a big decrease in performance
replace a badly damaged prop
grease all fittings you can find with waterproof grease
spray all electrical connection and fuse panel with moisture displacing silicone lubricant
store motor in an upright position
remove the battery
check the fluid level,clean the terminal with a soda paste,spray the terminals with sealent,store the battery in a warm place,with a trickle charger
remove the drain plug and drain any water from the bilge and livewell.wire the drain plug to the ignitionswitch to avoin embarrassment at the boat ramp next spring
remove all life jacketts from the boat,wash,dry and store in a dry place
check trailer bulbs,and spray silicone on all sockets and wiring connectors
vacume out the boat,leave a mouse cake or two,better to find a dead mouse next spring than a live one
cover the boat but allow for air circulation to advoid moister problems
pack the trailer wheels with bearing grease
put the trailer on blocks and remove the tires to prolong rubber life and thwart would-be tire thieves
[/list=1]