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7 Steps to Keeping your Outboard Kicking

Ed Sherman takes us through 7 steps to keeping the outboard running like a champ.
  • Updated: December 14, 2010

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winterizing an outboard motor Gretchen Thor

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Remove the screw-in plug for the water flush and insert a hose adapter, then run your engine with the fuel stabilizer added to your fuel. If your engine doesn’t have a flush port, use an engine flusher (looks like ear muffs) Gretchen Thor

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winterizing an outboard motor Gretchen Thor

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After removing the top gear-case plug you should see gear oil slowly seep from the access hole. If not check your levels by using a matchstick or a pipe cleaner inserted into the hole, at the same time you can check for any signs of water mixing with the oil; it will show as a milky white color and indicates a lower-unit seal leak that must be attended to immediately by a qualified mechanic. Gretchen Thor

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Lubricate the engine tilt and steering points. Gretchen Thor

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Make sure you check for engine corrosion, if the sacrificial anodes are correded more than 50% they should be replaced. Gretchen Thor

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After removing the spark plugsspray the fogging oil into each cylinder for a few seconds, preferably while turning the engine over with teh pull-start cord. Gretchen Thor

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winterizing an outboard motor Gretchen Thor

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winterizing an outboard motor Gretchen Thor

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Inspect the propeller for dings and dents. Gretchen Thor

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Four Strokes: Tilting the engine up to it’s maximum will help drain the old oil with the least amount of mess. Gretchen Thor

outboard maintenance polish

After all of the maintenance is done a good wax job finishes up the project. Gretchen Thor
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