Please help with a few last minute winterizing questions

[Hoffer]

Hey equipment experts.

I have a few last minute winterizing questions - I would love your help with!

1. Lower unit lube. I have a newer to me this year - 2003 mercury 75HP. I went to gander and grabbed a bottle of lower unit gear lube. When I got home I discovered it was "High performance synthetic" gear lube and it says it is recommended for HP of 100 or more. Will this be an issue? I put it in this afternoon cause I am running out of time - but I could still drain it and put in the 80/90 regular gear lube I have used with my other boat.

2. My old 40HP merc had an area where i could fog the carburator with the motor running and then I would fog it till the motor stopped. I would then spray some fogging stuff in the spark plug cyclinders too. With this new 75HP merc - I dont see anywhere I can fog the engine with - except for the spark plugs themselves. Should I just do the plugs then? and not worry about the rest? Or is there an area I am overlooking on the engine to fog?

3. Should I store the motor up with the transom saver on...or should I store it down all the way??

I am asking because to get it down all the way - I need to have the boat parked and then crank the jack stand all the way down to raise the motor enough so that it will go all the way down without the skid hitting the floor. I would like to take it to stoarage without the batteries in - but if its best to store all the way down - I would need to leave one battery in to trim the engine down once I get to storage.

As usual thanks for any tips and advice!!!!!!!

Hoffer

[Valv]

Hoffer,

1 Since you already bought gear lube it you can use it, otherwise you can just drive to a Walmart and they sell Quicksiilver lube.

2 You might have to remove plastic resonator cover in front of the carbs so you can spray fogging oil.

3 Motor down, you don't have to keep battery on it to lower it. On the right side of the transom brackets there's a hole next to the base of the trim pump, you can see a large slotted screw head, take a large flat screwdriver and turn couterclockwise (unscrew it) that will release the hydraulics on your motor. Tighten it again when motor is down or REMEMBER to do it next year....

[wplatehunter]

Store it with the motor all the way down, and take the battery out when you are done. Just bring it back before you take it out. I would think you would be fine with the gear lube and just fogging the spark plugs.

[Hoffer]

Thanks so far for the comments...just wondering if the "syntehtic gear lube" is an issue since its different and not a quicksilver (mercury) brand? I cant imagine there would be that much difference in lower gear lube - and since this stuff said "high performance" I was actually hoping it might be good?

[boatfixer]

That oil will be just fine, in fact, I prefer synthetics. Never mind the 100hp and up thing. The difference bwtween standard lower unit lube and Hi perf is that Hi perf is synthetic. Run it.

Fog as Valv mentioned

Store down

[Hoffer]

Great-

Thanks alot guys. I will do everything - but will have to look again at the front of the engine. I took the cover off and did see a large rectangular plastic type of front cover. It looked like it was pretty well screwed in? maybe it comes off easy? If not, I may just fog the spark plug cylinders and call it good. Thats the other thing...the plugs wouldnt come off - they were on tight!! I just had the cheap 2.00 spark plug wrench thingy that comes wiht a little L type handle. Tomorrow I will hit the hardware store and get a regular spark plug socket wrench - I was surprised at how tight the plugs were!

[Valv]

Don't re-tight them that hard, remember your head is aluminum. I don't have a book anymore but I know Marine-Man and Boatfixer will chime in with correct torque specs....

[boatfixer]

17-20 ft lbs, no more than that.

[Hoffer]

Thanks. Got the plugs off easy with a decent spark plug socket. The cheap one just didnt have enough tork..but they came off pretty easy with the real socket. I didnt end up taking the front cover thingy off that covers the carb to fog it. I just sprayed some fogging oil in the cylinders with the spark plugs off and then turned the engine over a couple brief times then fogged them again - so hopefully they are coated well. I also ended up storing the engine "Up" with the transom saver holding the engine up. The reason why is that my storage place sometimes needs to move a boat around - and if I had it stored way down - without my battery they would be able to tilt the motor back up to move it if needed. So, hopefully those 2 things will be OK...not what I preffered - but hopefully will suffice?

Thanks again for the advice!

[delcecchi]

As I understand it, the reason for storing "down" is that if it is outside the exhaust could get rain or snow in it and freeze, causing damage. Shouldn't be a problem if you are storing inside.

Just make sure you have tilted it down long enough to drain all water out before tilting back up and storing.

[harvey lee]

Just a side note, if you have a livewell, make sure that all the water is out and I then put some RV antifreeze in the lines and also the pump. No need to worry about the water left there and freezing.