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Winterizing a 4-stroke outboard
Petrus	#1  Posted on 10/27/13 - 10:41 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 179 Comments: 0 Joined: 10/08/12	I'm thinking of putting a cheap mineral oil in the engine for the winter and then change to the new more expensive oil in spring before launching. Can't be good for the oil to be in the engine all winter as I have the engine outdoor. Am I right or doesn't it matter? Edited by Petrus on 10/27/13 - 10:44 AM 1997 Montauk 17, Suzuki DF90A
kamie	#2  Posted on 10/27/13 - 10:56 AM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 2975 Comments: 3 Joined: 11/04/05	use the correct oil in your outboard, it doesn't hurt the oil to be outside all winter.
Tom W Clark	#3  Posted on 10/27/13 - 12:09 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	Good lord, why would you put mineral oil -- or anything other than motor oil -- in an outboard motor for storage?!
Petrus	#4  Posted on 10/27/13 - 12:21 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 179 Comments: 0 Joined: 10/08/12	Sorry for maybe wrong translation. Of course I mean motor oil but not an expensive fully synthetic oil. 1997 Montauk 17, Suzuki DF90A
kamie	#5  Posted on 10/27/13 - 1:00 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 2975 Comments: 3 Joined: 11/04/05	synthetic oil will not go bad because of the cold. Most manufactures tell you not to mix oil types, especially if your engine calls for full synthetic
paky	#6  Posted on 10/27/13 - 1:05 PM
Member Posts: 30 Comments: 0 Joined: 10/24/13	I think he wants to do conservation for winter ??? use spray for conservation, I think it is the easyest way. Let engine work on minimum and spray oil in air filter until engine stops working. Than remove spark plugs and put some more spray inside and put spark plugs back. Edited by paky on 10/27/13 - 1:07 PM
Silentpardner	#7  Posted on 10/27/13 - 1:47 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 593 Comments: 1 Joined: 06/12/11	My opinion: Leave the same oil in the engine over the winter that it is shut down with at the end of the season. No need for the expense incurred to change the engine oil at this time unless you have a problem with condensation of water, or fuel deposits in it that you know about. I would definitely NOT fog a four stroke engine with oil via the air cleaners until the motor stopped running. The resulting sludge from this fogging oil could clog the sensitive fuel injector system, or carbs, and actually cause damage to the sensors within a modern system. The spark plugs in a 4-stoke could also be ruined due to burning of the oil on the electrodes. All this would create possible issues next spring when you are ready to use the motor again immediately. Removing the plugs, spraying the inside of the cylinders, and then re-installing the spark plugs should be sufficient. It should not harm your engine for the same oil to remain in it that it was shut down with, unless you have KNOWN ISSUES WITH FUEL DEPOSITS OR WATER CONTAMINATION. Edited by Silentpardner on 10/27/13 - 1:49 PM
Petrus	#8  Posted on 10/27/13 - 1:52 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 179 Comments: 0 Joined: 10/08/12	I will remove spark plugs and spray cylinders with conservation spray. I will also put some stabilizer in the feul and run the engine for a while, then remove the fuel line and run till it stops. Then drain what's left of the fuel in the engine. I 've been tol not to spray through the air intake on a direct injected 4-stroke. I will empty the old engine oil and fill up with new. Only question was if I could use a cheap one for the winter (not for running the engine), I would then change to the new better quality motor oil in the spring before starting the engine. I will not mix any oils. I will also use a correct classified motor oil for the winterizing but a lot cheaper. But probably it's like kamie says that the oil wont go bad because of the cold. 1997 Montauk 17, Suzuki DF90A
Petrus	#9  Posted on 10/27/13 - 2:03 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 179 Comments: 0 Joined: 10/08/12	Silentpardner, That was my first thought to wait and change oil after winter. But a mechanic that talked to said it's better to remove the old oil before the winter as it could have some moisture in it. 1997 Montauk 17, Suzuki DF90A
Silentpardner	#10  Posted on 10/27/13 - 2:07 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 593 Comments: 1 Joined: 06/12/11	I do not use synthetic oil in any marine engine. I was privy to actual testing of synthetic lubricants in differentials on class 8 trucks in my past where it was observed that as long as the trucks were used every day, the synthetic lubricants would work better, and were clearly superior to the mineral based lubricants for parts longevity. The catch was that when the trucks were not moved at all, the internal differential parts that were not actually submerged in the synthetic lubricants actually oxidized, (rusted), where the parts that were not submerged in the mineral based lubricants were not oxidized after a 3 month sitting test. This testing was performed by a nationally recognized fleet carrier. The theory that developed in the industry was that the synthetic lubricants were so slippery, the oil would completely slide off all the unsubmerged parts without leaving a coating of lubricant over them. The mineral based oils did not appear to do this. Edited by Silentpardner on 10/27/13 - 2:13 PM
Petrus	#11  Posted on 10/28/13 - 12:02 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 179 Comments: 0 Joined: 10/08/12	Manual says, for longer storage, first change oil then run engine with fuel stabilizer for flushing the water passages an then finally at 1500rpm for 5 minutes to distribute the stabilized fuel. 1997 Montauk 17, Suzuki DF90A
Petrus	#12  Posted on 10/28/13 - 11:04 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 179 Comments: 0 Joined: 10/08/12	I decided to go for a semi synthetic motor oil (below half price but still recomended by Suzuki) for the winter storage. Then I will change to a better oil before launching. As I keep the engine outdoor I see a risk of getting some condensation (even if it is small) when temperature varies quite a lot. It's only $25 for this extra oil change. 1997 Montauk 17, Suzuki DF90A