winterize

[BrazosLaunch]

To make sure i have it right again this year....is there anything more that needs to be done besides the following:

drain both side of the block

drain the hose

disconnect battery

put Stabil in the gas tank

???

[OUI]

Fog the cylinders with fogging oil. Run the boat at high idle and spray it though the carb this will coat the inside of the cylinders and heads with oil. Make sure you clean your plugs next spring they will be oil fouled.

[OUI]

PS The PCM owners manual says you should pull the empeller in the fall to keep the impeller from taking a set over the winter, and to check for damage or wear -- it doesn't hurt if you want to go through the hassel.

[BrazosLaunch]

Thanks for the info.....this engine is not carbeurated. How often should the impeller be replaced?

[IndyMatt]

If you read into this board a little, there are some pretty good discussions on winterization. Make sure to treat and or drain your shower or heater if equipped. Change your oil and filter. Suprisingly, the indmar owners manual has a pretty detailed section on winter lay up. As to your impeller, this is a great time to inspect and replace if showing any signs of deterioration. You should replace every few years or so.

[selle92]

As a newer boat owner...

Is it better to fun the gas down and add stabil, or top er off and add stabil?

This time of yr SUCKS!- I hate pulling the dock, and now I'm gonna hate taking the boat out for the yr..

[Salty87]

most people seem to agree that topping it off allows less room for condensation to accumulate. not to mention, it might be a good investment...j/k

[msutoad]

For what it is worth on the impeller topic.

I put in a new impeller every year. I do put alot of hours on a year ( 200+ hours), but for the 30.00$ cost for the part, it is worth it. Having one get choewed up is not worth it. Alot of people do it each year. Inspecting it is a good idea, but if you want to error, you want to error on the side of caution, and that means replace it.

Just my opinion.

[OUI]

In my opionion you should drain the tank -- who wants to start the year off on a full tank of old/bad gas.

[IndyMatt]

I agree on a full fuel tank, I think adding the Stabil will take care of the old/bad gas issue, plus its a good idea to make sure the fuel that is already in the fuel system has been treated. I like the investment comment. Plus draining a fuel tank is messy, dangerous, not to mention your fuel pump uses the gas to cool and lubricate itself. You want to try and avoid fuel interuptions at any time. Im still on the fence about the impeller issue. Yes it is extremely important and it does make sense to replace yearly to avoid overheating. However, here is the problem. First of all for get about examining it and reusing. I dont think its possible to remove one without damaging it. Always lubricate at the end of the season to prevent dry spin in the spring. I think a good raw water strainer will extend life to 3-5 seasons if not more. I looked at mine for the first time after two seasons and it looks brand new. If you dont have a strainer & your not very good at taking care of your toys; if you get a lot of debris sucked up through your intake, the $30.00 is probably a good investment. I think automaticly replacing it after each season is a little overprotective; Never hurts, but lets not panic the new boat owners.

[jflock2]

On the fuel issue....I've had several boats over the past 15 years - all winterized with a full tank of gas (with stabilizer) I have never had a problem when recommissioning in the spring. Condensation is the problem - by filling her to the brim you eliminate that. The only time I would consider draining all of the fuel is if she was going to sit idle for a year or so, 3-4 months should not matter.

[OUI]

It looks like you've got enough information to really confuse you. Where I come from, storing your boat for the winter is 7 - 8 months long - using stabilizer is no longer an effective way to keep gas fresh. Draining the tank is niether complicated or dangerous. Run it down on the water till its empty then stick a small hose down the tank and syphion what's left. I've been boating inboards for 40 years and this method has been succesful. Good Luck

[OUI]

PS You can still fog your motor with fuel injection, just spray the fogging oil thourgh the air intake -- no different than a carb

[jflock2]

Just bought one of these:

http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&langI d=-1&productId=13204967

You install it on the hose between the water intake and water pump...winterization is a snap with this...especially if you come across a nice Saturday in January. You could take her out and re-winterize in 5 minutes!

[jflock2]

I also bought this:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=45454

It connects directly to the flush valve....quick & easy. Good luck! Feel free to hit me up with any questions...

[IndyMatt]

those products seem pretty slick & hassle free. Im not sure if its worth the $$ though. I have a raw water strainer located at the back of the motor box. I just unhook the end of the 1.25 inch raw water line and insert into a 5 gallon bucket ($.99 at Walmart) & run the antifreeze through that way. I'm in northern Indiana so winter lay up for me is about seven months. After I flush out the motor with antifreeze, I usually drain just to be courtious to the environment and the rubber components of the motor. I typically fog my motor by spraying fogging oil right into the fuel air intake (right where the injector is spraying fuel) until I see smoke from the exhaust. Usually around 6oz. I then put a couple of shots of oil into each spark plug hole, reinsert the plugs and crank the motor a few times without the wires attached; making sure to coat the inside of each cylinder. In the spring, I recommision with the old plugs, and after an hour or so (when im sure the oil is burned off) I put in the fresh plugs. I like the flush kits, but honestly you could probably go to your local home improvement store and have someone in the plumbing isle assemble one for you at a fraction of the cost. Just install by cutting your intake hose at a convienent location and insert, secure with hose clamps.

[BrazosLaunch]

When putting the new impeller in, what is a good 'lubricant' to make it slide in easier?

[dndsam]

Liquid dish soap is a great lubricant for the impeller and it will not eat away at the rubber.

[Dinoz]

Another good measure for winterizing, especially if your in a cold climate, is poor anti-freeze through out any points where water flows and can hold for the winter. This will make sure you remove all the water out of the system.

Regarding gas, I go with half the tank, add stybilizer, and in the spring and another half of fresh gas.

[IndyMatt]

I agree about the liquid dish soap; I also use it in my ski buddy so there is generally plenty around. I think that supra recommends that you coat the impellar with vaseline at time of storage. Will keep it from drying out and provide lubrication in spring. Either way (even wd40 or 3 in one) should be ok assuming your reinstalling prior to spring recommision and going to have water in the system again soon.

[BrazosLaunch]

Is the impeller just about impossible to get out? I'm having a hard time. Does the metal piece on the inside come out with the impellaer? If so, when I buy a new one, does it come with a metal piece....or do I use the old one?

[IndyMatt]

By metal piece I am assuming your referring to the insert (the thing that makes the inside of the housing chamfered (not round)) I believe on the johnson water pumps that this piece is actually welded to the back of the pump housing and removal shouldnt be an issue. As to removal; There are two ways to proceed. First you could go to your local marine dealer and purchase an impellar removal tool for around $20. This is the best way i've seen to remove the impellar without doing any damage to it. If your replacing anyway and dont mind a few scratches or gouges in the old impellar, just insert two flat head screw drivers between the splines and on opposite sides. Pry the impellar out by applying pressure to both screwdrivers at the same time. Good luck.

[IndyMatt]

Sorry to babble on... If your interested: www.skidim.com has an impeller removal tool Item #41203 by Absco. Its a little more expensive but has a lot of extras like side stabilization and screw out feature instead of the ol grip it and rip it cheaper tools. But if boating is a hobby... whats cost matter? Really? This item looks pretty slick and retails for $48.95 ...looks like a fancy corkscrew... I think I have impellar removal tool envy~ I may have to buy one.

[StylinSupra23]

After the motor is fulushed and drained do you guys put the plugs back in and fill with antifreeze? That is what my PCM manual says to do, but I haven't done that the last three seasons when I didn't have the manual.

[OUI]

Some say antifreeze dries out seals. If the manual says it's ok it probably is. I don't like using antifreeze because it kills pets and is bad for the environment. I've been working on inboards since the 60's and I never used antifreeze. I pull the plugs drain the water and leave the plugs out until spring.

[IndyMatt]

I've yet to see a manual that recommends antifreeze. I assume that is because of the concept of not being friendly to the environment. I too have heard that its bad for rubber components when it sits uncirculated for extended periods of time. I usually flush the cooling system with antifreeze and then drain it back into containers for disposal. That way if I miss any water, I know its treated. I also purposly spill enough antifreeze into the hull to make sure some is run through my bildge pump. I just clean up carefully.

[DKJBama92Mariah]

One thing i'd like to add. I prop my engine cover open a couple of inches to allow air to ciculate around the engine. Otherwise, condensation can build up on the engine causing corrosion.

Cheers,
DKJ

[IndyMatt]

I dont prop open... I usually just leave the covers off the bildge access and the rudder allignment access in the trunk. Just curious though... does anyone remove their prop for winterization?? I read it somewhere... but I store inside a garage (unheated) and security isnt really an issue. Is there any other reason to remove the prop for winterization??

[OUI]

I read in the PCM manual that you should seperate the flanges (where the shaft connects to the transmission) I was a a loss to understand why when my brother said it might be to keep the flanges from rusting/sticking together. Pulling the prop makes less sence to me than the flanges.

[IndyMatt]

Yeah... That makes more sense now that you mention it... I may have been confused on what I was reading. I dont tinker too much with the flanges since Im not that comfortable on properly setting the jamb nut. I just know its tolerance is 0.03" and I check that from time to time with a feeler. Maybe I can just shoot some wd40 down there. Thanks for the reply~

[IndyMatt]

Just a clarification to one of the comments above regarding the metal piece inside the water pump housing. The piece is called the cam element and apparently there are two type of pump housings with removable or fixed elements. To determine which one you have, look on the side of the pump housing body (same side as the center of the cam element) and see if you have a single flat head screw. This is how you remove the cam element. Some raw water pump service kits come with a new cam element that is supposed to be matched specifically to the new impeller. If you purchase the standard johnson replacement impellar than there really shoud be no reason to replace the cam element unless it somehow was damaged.