Cost of Outboard Winterization

[dave potts]

On ‎10‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 11:50 AM, fishinwrench said:

Correct, that's why I added the "should you choose to".  

Winterization of outboards is really not needed.  The only thing truly mandatory before letting one sit through freezing conditions is making sure there's no water in the gearcase or anywhere else where it could freeze and bust something.  

Fogging the cylinders and stabilizing the fuel is pretty much "hokey b.s." ...but if someone requests it then service establishments certainly don't mind getting paid for it.   When someone requests "winterization" then they get the whole 9 yards. 😊

Wrench,

How often would you recommend changing the lower unit oil on a two stroke outboard?  I would suppose it would somewhat depend on time and hours of running time.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, dave potts said:

Wrench,

How often would you recommend changing the lower unit oil on a two stroke outboard?  I would suppose it would somewhat depend on time and hours of running time.

Once per year is plenty often for most, but checking it periodically is a good habit.  The way to check it is to put the motor in a straight up/down position and let it sit like that overnight to allow any water to separate, remove the lower screw-plug and see if any water comes out, then just make sure the lube level is full. 

If more than a teaspoon or two of water is present, or the lube level is more than a small squirt low.....then you have seal(s) leaking. 

I change mine 2-3 times per year ....but I spend a lot of time running, and because of my occupation it costs me next to nothing.