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View Full Version : De-Winterize....after over two years of rest...



Kelly
06-23-2004, 12:24 PM
Well, due to the death in the family, the boat has been sitting, fully winterized in the car port for 2 years....and I'm getting geared up to fire her back up.

Since I have NO clue what winterizing a boat is/does, what do I have to do to undo it? Obviously I should change the oil (how?), etc etc?

I'm totally new to working on this boat, and I really want to get it out in the lake....any advice possible would be awesome.

thanks
Kelly

Cuda
06-23-2004, 12:28 PM
Being from Florida, obviously I don't know chit about winterization, but I'd:

Pull the plugs and squirt marvel mystery oil in the cylinders
Change the plugs
Add some octane boost to the fuel
And I'd run it a few minutes before changing the oil

Kelly
06-23-2004, 12:36 PM
LoL, very vaild point.

Stupid question: How do I change the oil on this thing?

David Ochs
06-23-2004, 01:19 PM
Kelly,

First thing I would do is get on with charging the battery(long and slow). If you don't know the age or condition of it, then replacing it may be in order. Cheap insurance.

If you don't know what was done to the boat for winterization, I would first look for anything superficial. Such as the flame arrestor being wrapped in plastic, stuff like that. People do wierd things.

Look for anything wrong, could a fuel leak have developed?

I would change the fuel filter(s) before ever starting the engine. After two years, there will be less gas spillage to deal with.

Change the engine and outdrive oil. If you're lucky there will be a drain line connected that you can route throught the drain hole on the transom. If not, pumping it out is about the only other option.

Check the plugs, if they're okay, check the gap and leave them. I know a lot of people that change them regularly whether they need it or not, waste of money if you ask me.

Check the bellows for dryness. It's a really good idea to carefully open the back of the drive bellow and check for water or oil. If there is water that's bad, a little oil is normal, that's from the grease in the u-joints. Take your time with this and be very careful not to pinch the rubber to cause a leak. And use a socket wrench, not a screwdriver on the clamps. One slip and that's it. Something else to consider is pulling the drive off to inspect and lube the u-joints.

Cuda mentioned adding octane boost, huh?? Hopefully whomever winterized the boat added fuel stabilizer to a full tank and ran it through. I don't know that gas looses octane from age, perhaps Cuda knows has some other reason for it. One thing I do add to my gas is a lead additive since my boat is pre-unleaded fuel.

Something else will pop into my head the moment this post is sent. Good luck

txtaz
06-23-2004, 01:20 PM
I use a Tempo Oil Boy which draws the oil up tru the dipdtick tube. A better way is to install a oil drain kit that lets you drain the oil thru the drain plug.
Wes

Kelly
06-23-2004, 03:30 PM
So much for my friends idea of "pour some octane boost in, hook up the jumper cables, and crank away" :biggrin.:

gold-n-rod
06-23-2004, 03:57 PM
So much for my friends idea of "pour some octane boost in, hook up the jumper cables, and crank away" :biggrin.:

Since you didn't personally know what was done to winterize the boat 2 years ago, my advice is to pay to have a shop do the work. If you haven't a clue how to change oil, you may want to work up to the task. You could have hoses left disconnected, drain plugs left out, etc. that you know nothing about.

You could save yourself thousands of dollars of damage by spending 1 or 2 hundred before you launch her.

my 2 cents worth,

another Randy

Cuda
06-23-2004, 04:02 PM
Gasoline indeed loses it's octane rating when it gets old.

Cuda
06-23-2004, 04:11 PM
From a web site
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

8.6 What is "stale" fuel, and should I use it?

"Stale" fuel is caused by improper storage, and usually smells sour. The
gasoline has been allowed to get warm, thus catalysing olefin decomposition
reactions, and perhaps also losing volatile material in unsealed containers.
Such fuel will tend to rapidly form gums, and will usually have a significant
reduction in octane rating. The fuel can be used by blending with twice the
volume of new gasoline, but the blended fuel should be used immediately,
otherwise teh old fuel will catalyse rapid decomposition of the new,
resulting in even larger quantities of stale fuel. Some stale fuels can drop
several octane numbers, so be generous with the dilution.

Cuda
06-23-2004, 04:12 PM
You can also add xlene or toulene up to 30% for octane boost.

Cuda
06-23-2004, 04:12 PM
Bad gas always smelled like linseed oil to me. :yes:

Kelly
06-23-2004, 05:56 PM
Thanks for all the help, I think I'll just have a BBQ (Beer-B-Q) at the house sometime soon for some of the local boys, and we'll tear into her and see if we can't get her running.

Kelly

MXRoadster
06-25-2004, 07:57 PM
Kelly, let me know when and where you plan on the Beer-B-Q :beer: and I'll try to make it up to help out. If you don't know about the maintenance that was done to the motor and outdrive then I would suggest stocking up on motor oil, gear oil, fuel filter, oil filter, new battery... I'm sure I missed something. E-mail me a phone number and we can talk about getting the boat running.

MOP
06-25-2004, 09:53 PM
Another good idea for any engine that has been laid up that long is to pull the spark plugs and shoot a few squirts of Marvel oil into the cylinders, let it sit for an hour or so then crank it over. When they sit that long all the oil drains down leaving the cylinders dry. I would pump all the fuel out and put fresh in along with a new filter. It would also be good to change the water pump, by now the blades have taken a set and more than likely are pretty dried out. Just firing one up after a long layup may make your season real short and a lot more expensive than going over things now.

Phil

Cuda
06-26-2004, 05:04 PM
Another good idea for any engine that has been laid up that long is to pull the spark plugs and shoot a few squirts of Marvel oil into the cylinders, let it sit for an hour or so then crank it over.

Phil


Hmm, is there an echo in here? :)

MOP
06-27-2004, 03:28 PM
Hmm, is there an echo in here? :)

As you can see I am not an astute reader :yes:

Kelly
06-27-2004, 07:59 PM
Projects delayed, still trying to get the boat out of the estates hands.....ugh, what a fawkin mess.

Kelly
07-12-2004, 11:38 AM
Update:

























Still nothing. Its hard to get a boat, when you work 2 days a week :yes: .
I'm trying to make the point to the estate that I should have the boat, and its emotional attachment is what I really care about (which is true....). Anyone a lawer?