how to winterize 2 stroke moter and boat

[mrpike1973]

hello i have a 1975 9.9 johnson i had lower lube oil changed this spring should i change it again? and can i fog the moter or is that a waste of time my friend says i should pull the plugs and squirt moter oil in the cylinders is this correct. and then run moter out of gas. for the wheel bearings should i take them all apart or just check them for bad grease water etc. i had them packed this spring. thank you i'm new to this just got the boat this spring my wife took it in and had the bearings packed new lower unit oil and new seals put in in the lower unit pretty nice of her just want to make it last thank you

[marine_man]

A couple of things:

1) Check out this thread, which covers winterizing pretty well: Winterizing, which is also stickied at the top.

2) You should ideally change the lower unit lube at the end of the year, and that's it. The idea is to get fresh lube in, but to also assure there's no water in the lower unit that could freeze and damage the seals in the lower unit. So yes, I would replace the lower unit lube.

3) I prefer to run the fogger through the carb on a carb'd motor. That's my preference, and either method will work.

4) I think you'll be OK on the bearings on your trailer if you just had them re-packed. I would consider getting Bearing Buddies if I were you.. but again, my preference.

marine_man

[DTro]

Yes, you should change your lower unit oil so that any water that might have found its way in will not freeze and crack things.

I’ve always added sta-bil or seafoam to my gas and either let it ran, or take it for a good ride before storing. Then I pull the plugs and spray some fogging oil in the cylinders and pull then engine over a few times to coat the walls/piston.

With the gas, I’ve heard both theories and who know which is right or wrong, but I like to fill my tank to the top so that no oxygen can get in. I think either a full tank or empty tank is probably better than a half a tank. If you keep gas in the tank, make sure to treat it with sta-bil or seafoam.

The fall is a good time to repack your bearing if that needs to be done as well. Or you can take the lazy approach like me and just buy new pre-greased hubs.

[mrpike1973]

thank you very much for the help thanks

[BobT]

Another advantage to changing the lower unit oil in the fall is if in fact you do find water in there, this may indicate a need for some seal work or something. Better to find this out in the fall when you are not planning on needing the boat for a few months. Now, you can have it repaired in the off season rather than giving up your opener to a repair bill. Beside, it might be possible that the labor rate for the repair could be lower during the off season as well or there could be some specials running to drum winter business.

[marine_man]

Excellent Point!

marine_man