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Winterizing

 

  1. As soon as the boat comes out of the water, remove the drain plug in the back of the boat.
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  2. Fill your gas tank to 3/4 full to leave room for expansion and add stabilizer to your gasoline.
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  3. Stay away from the so-called quick winterizing kits. I see to many cracked engine blocks in the spring because of these kits.
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  4. Put a set of ear muffs on your outdrive, turn the water on full and start the engine.
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  5. Bring the engine up to normal operating temperature. Shut the engine off and turn the water off. Change the engine motor oil and oil filter. This is probably the best time of the year to do this. When your done, be sure to turn the water back on full and start the engine back up.
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  6. Remove the flame arrestor ( air filter ) from the carburetor and while the engine is running at approx. 900 rpm, pour either fogging oil or motor oil down inside of the carburetor slowly until the engine stalls. Turn the key off. Shut the water off. Replace the flame arrestor. This coats the internal engine parts with oil.

  7. If your boat has a closed cooling system, you only need to remove the 2 drain plugs on the bottom of the heat exchanger, you don't have to drain the engine since it already has antifreeze in it.
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  8. If you have an open cooling system ( which most boats have ), remove 1 drain plug at a time on the engine. While the water is coming out, keep sticking a piece of wire into the drain hole to make sure there is no sand plugging up the hole until it quits draining. Go to the next drain plug and do the same.
    On a in-line 4 & 6 cyl., there should only be 1 drain on the engine
    On a V-6 & V-8 there will be 1 on each side.
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  9. Remove 1 drain plug from the exhaust manifold. Use the wire and do the same.
    On a in-line 4 & 6 cyl. there should only be 1.
    On a V-6 & V-8 there will be 1 on each side.
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  10. Remove 1 drain plug on the exhaust elbow which is mounted on top of the exhaust manifold. There will be 1 plug on each elbow. Use the wire.
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  11. Remove all of the cooling hoses on the front of the engine and on the power steering oil cooler. Leave the back end of the hoses connected. Use a funnel and pour some antifreeze (Red Pop) down each hose until you see it coming out of the drain plugs which you removed. As the color changes at each plug and your sure the clear water is gone, you can replace the plug. Go to the next hose and do the same. Keep filling all of the hoses until the antifreeze comes out of all of the drain holes. On a V-6 & V-8 you should use about 2 gallons. Connect all of the hoses back up. The engine is done.
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  12. Drain and replace the outdrive oil. If there is any water in the oil and it freezes, it could cost you thousands of dollars. 
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  13. After changing the outdrive oil, make sure to have the drive completely down for the winter. This saves on stretching the bellows and shift cable. Remove the prop and check for fish line behind the large prop thrust washer. Leave it off for the winter. Cover the entire outdrive with a piece of plastic to keep water out of the lower prop opening and to keep air from traveling backwards and up through the valves and carburetor.
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  14. For added safety, we recommend that you remove the outdrive and put it in your basement for the winter. They come off very easily and to many times the boat owner finds in the spring that his drive has been stolen. This can cost you as much as $4,000.00 to replace. You can cover the outdrive opening in the back of the boat with a piece of plastic or you can make your own type of winter cover.

 

 

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