Winterize to Spring?

[Dances with Walleye]

Hey guys... Kind of a noob boat owner question... I bought my Tracker Proguide V-16 with 50 horse Merc last spring...

Had it winterized at the dealership... Service guy told me that the way he fogged the cylinders, means I won't have to summerize it... Just put it in the water (When the time comes) and start it up.

I just wanted to double check with more experience people, as everytime I have to deal with the dealership service guys for a question I get the feeling that they're just waiting for the right moment to sell me a sack full of magic beans.

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On a similar note...

Towards the end of last year, low water on Mille Lacs, I took a ding to the prop... Nothing serious... But I'll have a spare $200 coming up in a couple of weeks, and I was thinking about buying a new prop... Then having the local machine shop put it on for me, and re-tool the old one.

But a friend of a friend told me that with the right wrenches I could just do it myself.

Once again... Looking for some input from more seasoned boat captains.

Thanks in Advance!

[marine_man]

The dealer is correct on the summerizing - or, you can buy a pair of muffs that you can hook tot he hose and run it out of the water to get the fogging fluid run out to make sure you don't have problems at the landing (not that I'm anticipating you will, but I like to be sure).

In regard to the prop - yes, you can remove it yourself... it's pretty straight forward. You can buy a spare prop (which is good) and have a place the fixes props fix it.. which should be pretty cheap... especially if it's a minor ding.

marine_man

[Dances with Walleye]

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The dealer is correct on the summerizing - or, you can buy a pair of muffs that you can hook tot he hose and run it out of the water to get the fogging fluid run out to make sure you don't have problems at the landing (not that I'm anticipating you will, but I like to be sure).

In regard to the prop - yes, you can remove it yourself... it's pretty straight forward. You can buy a spare prop (which is good) and have a place the fixes props fix it.. which should be pretty cheap... especially if it's a minor ding.

marine_man

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Thanks a lot Bro!

Where/How would I go about purchasing the Prop...

Do I just go to the Merc HSOforum, and it's pretty straight forward?

What kind of tools do I need beyond just the wrenches if I wanted to do it myself?

Thanks again for the fast answer!

[Rost]

Marine Man is correct. Don't be alarmed when you see a huge amount of smoke billowing out when you first start your motor this spring. It's just the fogging oil burning off.

Sometimes the oil foul your plugs. I usually change spark plugs after I burn the fogging oil each spring.

[EBass]

Yup - change the plugs and you may even need some starting fluid. Maybe I sprayed too much fogging oil last year, but once the starting fluid was sprayed into the carb while starting she fired!

Props are easy to take off and put on. Also, it's good practice to take the prop off a couple times of year and look for fishing line wrapped up against the seal. Do that to the trolling motor to. It'll save $ in the long run when you're not buying seals or repairing damage from water leaking into the lower unit.

[Valv]

Ebass I don't want to offend you by disagree, but use of starting fluid is not considered a good choice. Ether is very dry, it's a known degreaser, typically the 2 stroke cylinders will not get any lubrication from it and can cause some cylinder scoring, in this case being there's an abundance of a lubricant (fogging oil) it shouldn't be a problem. In the future just remove all the spark plugs, crank motor for a while so it will "spit out" all the excessive oil, then reinstall plugs, prime fuel bulb and you should be ready to go.

If you have problems starting it try to get a small spray bottle with a little of gas/oil mix, and squirt some into the intake, but don't flood it.

[Dances with Walleye]

Quote:

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Ebass I don't want to offend you by disagree, but use of starting fluid is not considered a good choice. Ether is very dry, it's a known degreaser, typically the 2 stroke cylinders will not get any lubrication from it and can cause some cylinder scoring, in this case being there's an abundance of a lubricant (fogging oil) it shouldn't be a problem. In the future just remove all the spark plugs, crank motor for a while so it will "spit out" all the excessive oil, then reinstall plugs, prime fuel bulb and you should be ready to go.

If you have problems starting it try to get a small spray bottle with a little of gas/oil mix, and squirt some into the intake, but don't flood it.

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So would it be safe to say that my first time taking her out, I should have a new spark plug handy?

Also... Where would be the best place to pick up the Sparkplugs... Can I just stop into any old autoparts store... I assume not...

Also, any tips on where to get a new Prop without ordering through the dealership which is sure to have a fantastic markup?

Thanks Bro's!

[Rost]

Quote:

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So would it be safe to say that my first time taking her out, I should have a new spark plug handy?

Also... Where would be the best place to pick up the Sparkplugs... Can I just stop into any old autoparts store... I assume not...

Also, any tips on where to get a new Prop without ordering through the dealership which is sure to have a fantastic markup?

Thanks Bro's!

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I wouldn't worry about changing your plugs while you are on the water. Just run your motor for the day and replace them when you get home.

Assuming you have a regular 2 stroke or 4 stroke, I'd bet you can get your plugs at Napa or any other parts store. Just take a plug in and they'll do a cross reference. I get my plugs at Napa for about $3 a piece. If you have a DI (Direct Injection) motor such as an Optimax, you may have to get them at the dealer.

As far as the prop goes, I'd call the nearest Cabelas and have them price one out for you. Pretty easy deal.

Good luck, let us know if you have further ????'s.

[marine_man]

Quote:

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So would it be safe to say that my first time taking her out, I should have a new spark plug handy?

Also... Where would be the best place to pick up the Sparkplugs... Can I just stop into any old autoparts store... I assume not...

Also, any tips on where to get a new Prop without ordering through the dealership which is sure to have a fantastic markup?

Thanks Bro's!

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In regard to the plugs... it all depends on how heavily the cylinders were fogged whether you need new plugs or not... I would take a wait and see approach to it, that being said though, you should always have an extra set of plugs with you in the boat... who knows when you could have trouble and where you could be at.

Rost is right on in regard to where to get the new plugs.

In regard to the prop... are you planning on ordering the exact same prop as you have on it now?

If so, find out what pitch prop you have (on Merc's it's usually stamped on the outside hub of the prop and will be the two numbers before the P in a long string of numbers) and call around to a couple different dealers... don't forget our site sponsor Soderblooms too... from what I understand they're really good to work with.

Good Luck!

marine_man

[Bobby Bass]

Most places that repair props also sell props, if you are going to get that one repaired I would start there and see what they can do for you. What better place to start then where someone works on them full time. I know the Prop Doc in Duluth sells and repairs.

[Dances with Walleye]

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So would it be safe to say that my first time taking her out, I should have a new spark plug handy?

Also... Where would be the best place to pick up the Sparkplugs... Can I just stop into any old autoparts store... I assume not...

Also, any tips on where to get a new Prop without ordering through the dealership which is sure to have a fantastic markup?

Thanks Bro's!

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I wouldn't worry about changing your plugs while you are on the water. Just run your motor for the day and replace them when you get home.

Assuming you have a regular 2 stroke or 4 stroke, I'd bet you can get your plugs at Napa or any other parts store. Just take a plug in and they'll do a cross reference. I get my plugs at Napa for about $3 a piece. If you have a DI (Direct Injection) motor such as an Optimax, you may have to get them at the dealer.

As far as the prop goes, I'd call the nearest Cabelas and have them price one out for you. Pretty easy deal.

Good luck, let us know if you have further ????'s.

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Cool!

Thanks Guys!

[sparkyaber]

For the prop, contact soderblooms. Cheap, fast repair, and they can also help you get a new prop. My buddy with a 115 merc 4-stroke ripped his prop apart, and he got his repaired and also got a spare for about a hundred bucks (both alum.) I had my stainless prop fixed for about 60.

good luck