Winterizing Outboard

[Jacksonman]

This is my first winter with a boat and I have a 2000 90hp Mercury4 stroke. I plan to use it for the next month or so and then put it away for the winter until March or April. I am not exactly sure what I should be doing with the cold temps coming.

So here are my questions:
1) From what I understand, all I need to do to "winterize" the boat is add stabil/sea foam to a full tank of gas and run through the system, change the lower unit oil, disconnect the gas, run the engine out of gas, and store with the motor down. Is that correct? Is there anything else I should/need to do?

2) If the gas line doesn't disconnect from the engine, how do you run the engine out of gas? Do you even need to run the engine out of gas if you put stabil in the gas?

3) What is fogging the engine? I keep reading about but have no idea what it is?

4) If I fish every week from now until Christmas, what do I need to be doing between every trip or at the end/beginning of every trip?

5) At what low temperature do I need to start worrying about winterizing? 32 degrees or does it have to be much colder?

Thanks.
[signature]

[NatefromOgden]

I just bought a spray can of fogging oil today for my motor from Marine Products, along with a set of earmuffs for putting water into the motor. The gu at the counter said to just open up the front of the motor where the carb intakes are visible, run the motor and then spray in the oil until there's a good cloud of smoke from the exhausts. Then drain the motor with it hanging straight down- running position. The rest of the stuff you mentioned are important as well. The can of fogger oil was ~$7 and supposed to be godd for 3-4 treatments.

I'm not going to drain my carbs by running it out of fuel since I have the Sta-bil stabilizer and ethanol protectant (both) in my fuel tank.

Then it is going out for shrink wrap later this week. Last year I used a fabric cover but it didn't work well enough for the snow.
[signature]

[MERCURYMAN]

If you are going to continue using your outboard, I would recommend adding fuel stabilizer to your gas tank and use the outboard like normal. The only draining of water that needs to be done is to lower the outboard down when you pull it out of the water and let it completetly drain out. Check the gear lube and engine oil and make sure no moisture is present. Then when you are done using it, get it winterized properly change engine oil and oil filter, change the gear lube, change the fuel filter, fog the engine, and put her to bed.
[signature]

[lakepowellnut]

I'm a boat mechanic and if you give me call, I'll walk you through the process. With your motor, if done incorrectly, you can end up with a costly repair.

Just reply to this message privately and I will send you my #.
[signature]