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What steps are necessary to winterize an outboard? For example, a 200 Mercury, 2-stroke? I want the motor to last as long as possible. My dodge has 232,000 without any leaks but has cost me money to keep it strong because of laziness. I need to keep my boat motor in tip top shape so I don't have to put money into it because of lack of....can't think of the word...
And where do you get this infamous Seafoam?
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Checker and NAPA auto parts stores carry Sea Foam. Some steps on winterizing (strange to talk about winterizing during a heat wave) are to make sure the fuel has stabilizer in it. Clean, or better yet, replace the spark plugs. While the spark plugs are removed spray some fogging oil in the spark plug holes. Replace the fluids in the lower unit and replace the seal on the drain plugs. Always best to change the fluid in the fall, because if significant water has gotten into the lower unit it can freeze and break. Lubricate where appropriate, using marine lubricant. Store the outboard verticaly so that water won't accumulate in it from rain and snow. I always crank my outboard a couple quick times to prevent any water from being trapped in the water pump and freezing. If possible, run the fuel out of the outboard (be sure to only do this with water running through the pump) to minimize gumming over the winter. If that isn't practical put stabilizer in the fuel and run the outboard so that the fuel in the outboard contains stabilizer.
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