Fogging

[Sagbay32]

Is it necessary to fog? The reason I ask this, is because my nextdoor neighbor has never fogged his boat in the 13 years he has winterized it. He says it is already lubed a little from the regular running of the engine. He also does not want to pour oil in his carb for fear of gumming it up. We always store inside for 4 or 5 months.

I know it sounds crazy but I had to ask.

[mikev]

You can skip fogging it if you pull the plugs and squirt about a tablespoon of oil in the cylinder and turn it over. this will keep the rings from sticking. I am looking forward to fogging mine this winter will be a whole lot easyier than pulling plugs.

[Ranman]

Personally, I don't fog. The cylinders are coated in oil and the chances of them rusting in 5 months are slim and none. I cover the intake on mine to prevent any add'l moisture from entering. I guess I'm lazy, but I've never had any problems.

[Sam]

For 2.99 and a few minutes what can it hurt. The worst that can happen is your plugs may get gummy, I always do it.

Sam

[Forrest]

Top offshore race-engine builder Keith Eickert (http://www.keith-eickert.com) likes fogging . . . in fact he like it so much he recommends that you fog your engine every time you run it!

Check it out under Tech Tips (http://www.keith-eickert.com/tech_tips.htm) on his website at: http://www.keith-eickert.com/tip_clean.htm

Here is a quote taken directly from his website:

"From what I've seen, barring outright breakage of a part, most engine failures are because of poor maintenance. Some people think that maintenance is what to do when a boat is put in storage. I think that maintenance is something you do every time you start the boat." Keith Eickert


Maybe I should by a few cans of fogging oil myself. :eek:

[Blewbyu]

Sagbay-Normally you don't pour the oil INTO the carb body-you shoot it down the venturi with a pressurized can,and it doesn't get into the carb.It's really easy to do,and one of the best things you can do for your motor.Besides that-your neighbors will love the "smokeout",especially those that appreciate your open exhausts in your driveway.Do make it short when you fog in the interest of neighborhood relations.

[PaulO]

A great thing to do in addition to fogging is to crank your engine over on several occasions over the storage period. When the engine comes to its final stop, at least one exhaust and one intake valve are open allowing moisture in the atmosphere to enter a cylinder or two. If you crank it over on several occasions, you are making sure that one or two cylinders don't spend the entire layup time exposed. Even if you want to seal off the carb/intake and exhaust, you will still trap quite a bit of condensation in the exhaust pipes allowing it to enter the cylinder(s) with the exhaust valves open. Crank it over and get that lube spread out over the cylinder walls again!
Paul

[RedDog]

PaulO - that sounds like a smart tip I have never heard before. Guess I need to re-install the batttery 2 or 3 times to turn over through the winter.

[Sagbay32]

Thanks Paulo,
I have learned a lot this year and I am sure I will do things differently next year. I think that I will start with building a garage on my property so i can monitor my baby all winter.

[MarkGT]

We use to pour light weight oil down the carb 20 years ago til the engine stalled. It works fine but we progressed to using 2 stroke oil so it would burn off easier in the spring. Now that you can buy fogging oil just about anywhere its hard to beat.
I agree with PAULO about cranking the engine, as I usally do with my cars. Also Before spring start up crank that engine & runup the oil pressure on the gauge before starting. This may take awhile but plenty of lube is nice to have before spinning a winterized engine up to 1200+ RPM. ;)

[alljet]

Mike,
I just fogged (and winterized) about 150 boats and jetskis at my shop during the past 12 weeks. I never put one away for the winter without fogging. It's so cheap and easy (except for some F.I.) models. If plugs are easy to get to, I also give each hole a 5 minute squirt, then turn the engine over a few times. A couple of other tips for you guys in the northern regions: NEVER rely on the brass block and manifold drains to get rid of all of the water by themselves. Always run a wire or screwdriver through the hole. Just a tiny bit of sand blockage can cost you a bundle in the spring. Sometimes a bunch of water will run out before crud blocks the drain and water backs up behind the clog. Also, RV antifreeze in the power steering cooler is a good idea, because they don't always drain well. You can just poor it in the top hose until it runs out by the transom.

[Forrest]

Mark, that's probably a good idea to crank engine to get oil pressure up prior to starting - that is provided that you are running a roller cam; however, I'm not really sure if that would be a good idea to do that with a flat-tappet camshaft since it essentially runs with high friction until the engine actually starts. Camshaft lobes (and cylinder bores) are lubricated by oil "sling" as opposed to pressurized bearings and journals.

[PaulO]

My father who was an auto mechanic prior to and immediately following WWII told me many times about the cars that were layed up for years by servicemen during their periods overseas. At the time, (before fogging oil) they would slowly pour marvel mystery oil down the carb and induce a stall. They would then pull the plugs, pour more of that juice into each cylinder and spin it over a few more times. Drain the fuel from the carb bowl and fuel system and that was that. The success rate was very high after years of sorage. We are probably a little more cautious than we need to be and I am fine with that.

Years ago I bought a 30' trojan convertible that was powered by twin 318 Chrysler inboards. The boat had been sitting for at least 5 years. Immediately follwing the deal (very cheap price since it didn't run) I pulled fresh batteries and gas out of my truck and started those suckers up. Those two engines ran absolutely flawlessly for years after. The boat had been winterized by the boat yard and I am sure nothing special was done for the extended layup since it was not anticipated at the time.
PaulO

[Digger]

PaulO, that brought back memories--as a kid I would help my Pop do the marvel mystery oil routine on his antique Chris-Crafts--he'd yell "just keep pouring son!" as the motors would belch thick smoke into the boathouse and then finally cough like crazy and die. he swore by the stuff. thanks for bringing back a great memory!

[Ranman]

OK, I retract my previous post. I bought the Mercury Fogging Oil and fogged my '97. Hopefully, what I did was OK.? Since I don't have a carb and spraying through the throttle body is difficult, I pulled the vac line that goes to the PCV and shot the fogging oil up the vac line at idle. After half a can, the boat smoked up something fierce and stalled. I'll manualy rotate the engine mid winter.

[anotherScott]

I too do the "slow pour" of marvels mystery oil. In addition I also seal the carb and exhaust pipes. Been doing this for 19 years with no problems so far. And it does put on a great smoke show in the spring.
Scott