Merc Winterizing

[jcurrier]

OK first off i have searched these forums and Google and found plenty of conflicting answers as to how to properly winterize a 2000 speedster with 240 merc. Some people fog it some people mix something and run it through without fogging. Called a dealership and they said fog it.

Crazy stuff. I am asking if anyone else has this boat or motor what they would recommend.

LOL I hope I am not opening up a can of works.

 

[Dr Honda]

If you are going to keep the boat from freezing... then at minimum... put Marine Stay-Bil in the fuel, and fog the engine. First... into the throttle body while it's idling, and then into each of the spark plug holes.

 

[jcurrier]

any other suggestions. I live in Michigan so I do have to keep it from freezing.

 

[Dr Honda]

any other suggestions. I live in Michigan so I do have to keep it from freezing.

Huu?

Not exactly sure what you are saying. Is that a statement, or a question?

I like to put them in a warm garage. That keeps them from freezing. BUT... if it's going to live the winter outside... then you MUST make sure that every drop of water is out of the boat. I know that the Merc engines are self draining... but I would get a little anti-freeze into it to make sure that any leftover water won't crack the engine.

Also... if it is going to sit outside... then a pump service is a must. Water will destroy the bearings anyway... but if it freezes, then it will crack the housing.

 

[jcurrier]

Sorry that was statement. i thought i should be more specific. it will be stored outside in lovely michigan winters.

 

[WAJetboating]

I had the same problem when I first bought my 240EFI powered boat. As many opinions as owners. So I called Mercury directly, talked to their technicians, and now I do what the factory techs told me to do.

If you too would like to do what Mercury themselves recommend, then go here for the engine:

http://articles.richardhartman.net/jetboat/mercury240efiwinterization.htm

...and here for the jetdrive:

http://articles.richardhartman.net/jetboat/mercurym2winterization.htm

Otherwise, just pick your favorite online "expert" and hope they're correct. Me, I do what the manufacturer told me to do via a direct phone call and it's worked flawlessly through at least five winters. And yes, we get plenty of snow and cold weather (19.5 inches in 24 hours two winters ago, -21F for a while a few before that).

Hope this helps!

 

[RFoster130]

Damn that seems like a lot of work. Another reason I am glad I have a rotax powered boat. I was able to winterize 2 engines in an hour.

 

[WAJetboating]

It takes about two hours to do the entire engine and jetdrive after you do it the first time. And no antifreeze required, since the Mercury engine is entirely self-draining.

I have two Rotax engines as well and doing them properly takes about as long as the Mercury. They're just different.

 

[challenger01]

WAJetboating,
I am going to winterize my challenger this weekend and want to follow the same procedures you suggest.

How much gas, what octane, and how much Premium Plus oil do you mix into the "witches brew"?

Do you fog the engine as well?

Is it safe to assume that the 2001 challenger 2000 does not need antifreeze since it was not mentioned in the manuals? If it needs it where are people adding it on this boat?

 

[WAJetboating]

How much gas

You'll need about 2-3 gallons of fresh, premium (around here that means 91-92 octane), stabilized, non-ethanol gasoline in an external (i.e. outboard) tank witha pressure bulb and fuel hose.

and how much Premium Plus oil do you mix into the "witches brew"?

Double the normal amount. Whatever the label on the bottle says for the amount of gasoline you're mixing up, double that. It will noticeably darken the fuel in the tank.

Do you fog the engine as well?

No, fogging is not required on these engines. Follow the instructions and when it dies for lack of fuel, the cylinders are adequately protected.

Is it safe to assume that the 2001 challenger 2000 does not need antifreeze since it was not mentioned in the manuals? If it needs it where are people adding it on this boat?

No, you do not need antifreeze. Unlike Rotax engines, the Mercury is designed to be entirely self-draining. If you pour antifreeze in, it will just drain all over your driveway or garage. Don't waste your time nor money.

Hope this helps!

 

[John in Valley Forge]

Damn that seems like a lot of work. Another reason I am glad I have a rotax powered boat. I was able to winterize 2 engines in an hour.

It does SEEM like a lot, but really isn't. I helped my buddy do his (he has a Sugar Sand Sole) with a Merc (one thing I have learned from him is that there are several varieties of Merc 6cyl direct inject motors), then we went back to my house and did my twin 717 Rotax. Maybe two or three hours for both .


Oh, and his definitely called for running antifreeze through. Heck, the stuff is like $5 a gallon, why would you skip that part, no matter how it is designed?

 

[WAJetboating]

Oh, and his definitely called for running antifreeze through. Heck, the stuff is like $5 a gallon, why would you skip that part, no matter how it is designed?

Because it makes absolutely no improvement. Virtually all of the antifreeze you run into the engine will run right back out onto the driveway. The powerhead is basically an outboard mounted onto a jetdrive. You don't run antifreeze through outboards because they're self-draining by design. Save your money and the cleanup hassle!

 

[buckeye_paul]

Non-Ethanol

You'll need about 2-3 gallons of fresh, premium (around here that means 91-92 octane), stabilized, non-ethanol gasoline in an external (i.e. outboard) tank witha pressure bulb and fuel hose.



Double the normal amount. Whatever the label on the bottle says for the amount of gasoline you're mixing up, double that. It will noticeably darken the fuel in the tank.



No, fogging is not required on these engines. Follow the instructions and when it dies for lack of fuel, the cylinders are adequately protected.



No, you do not need antifreeze. Unlike Rotax engines, the Mercury is designed to be entirely self-draining. If you pour antifreeze in, it will just drain all over your driveway or garage. Don't waste your time nor money.

Hope this helps!

What do I do if I can't get ethanol free fuel? As far as I know all gas in the Midwest is a 10% ethanol blend.

 

[WAJetboating]

What do I do if I can't get ethanol free fuel? As far as I know all gas in the Midwest is a 10% ethanol blend.

Use Marine StaBil with the E10. It will mitigate some of the effects. Marine StaBil is the BLUISH stuff, not the standard red fluid that you can use with non-ethanol gasoline. Available basically everywhere.

 

[challenger01]

Use Marine StaBil with the E10. It will mitigate some of the effects. Marine StaBil is the BLUISH stuff, not the standard red fluid that you can use with non-ethanol gasoline. Available basically everywhere.

If I used the red stabil is there a problem with that and should I add some blue stabil or just let it go?

 

[WAJetboating]

It's probably fine, but if you don't mind the expense you could drop some of the blue in there too. You can't "overdo" StaBil although at some point more doesn't make it better.

 

[Irish1800]

I would put it in. Effects of ethanol fuel is very bad on fuel system.