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Posts: 103
| While winterizing my boat and new Merc 115 4 stroke for the first time I discovered I didn't have a long enough extension to get the spark plugs out so I didn't fog the cylinders. Am I asking for trouble next spring? Anything I should be doing before start up to avoid trouble? Would it be worth it to get the right tools and pull it out of storage and fog?
Thanks
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Posts: 1660
Location: central Wisconsin | I wasn't aware that you had to fog four stroke motors. I store my hot rods for six months at a time and have never had any issues. |
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Posts: 303
Location: Not where I want to be! | Aluminum block, aluminum pistons, stainless rings = don't worry about it. |
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Posts: 1000
| I've heard a lot of guys will just fire it up for a couple seconds every few weeks. That's my plan this year. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | In 19 yrs, I've never fogged.
Haven't ever had any problems come Spring....
Jerome |
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Posts: 32922
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I have a 2 stroke. I'll run the gas out and use some Merc oil in all the cylinders. Lower unit is water free. She goes to sleep until Spring tomorrow. |
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Posts: 52
| I have a 2008 175hp Merc Opti Max, and a 2012 15hp Pro Kicker. I just left my long time Mercury dealer to buy some fuel conditioner, and he told me fogging was not needed if they were only gonna set for a few month, BUT, he also said to NEVER run them out of fuel. They both have electric fuel pumps and that will damage them. I did not know that, so I won't run them dry anymore. |
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Posts: 2097
| The optimax manual says to squirt an ounce of opti oil into the spark plug cylinders. |
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Posts: 189
Location: West Bend, WI | I was told there was a service update released that 4 Strokes shouldn't be fogged. |
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Posts: 317
Location: Grafton, WI | I followed the Opti service manual exactly on my new outboard this year.
Prior to this year, I would just stabilize the fuel, run it dry and change the lower unit oil as well - fogged an outboard once, had issues the following spring. |
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Posts: 139
| I never fog my stuff. Never had an issue. I have a few older outboards and a few 2 S snowmobiles and just never do it. |
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Posts: 103
| Thanks for all of the replies. Based on what I have read here I won't worry about it. |
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Posts: 5874
| cave run legend - 11/17/2013 6:25 AM
The optimax manual says to squirt an ounce of opti oil into the spark plug cylinders.
And exactly what does that do, other than puddle on the bottom of the cylinder, and potentially foul your plugs next spring?
If you ran fuel stabilizer in it before you put it up, and checked the lower unit, you should be fine.
Don't fog EFI or direct injected motors. Too great a potential to have adverse effects on the injectors.
Aluminum block yes, but steel cylinder liners. But no matter, there's plenty oil to protect them for a few months.
Edited by Shep 11/19/2013 8:06 AM
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Posts: 2097
| Why does the manual say to put the oil in? I trust what the mercury engineers tell me to do.
Edited by cave run legend 11/19/2013 10:32 AM
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Posts: 5874
| You talked to an Merc engineer? Because that owners manual wasn't written by an engineer.
Think about it. You put an ounce of oil in the cylinder, turn the engine by hand one revolution, and you think that is going to completely coat the cylinder walls? No way. It's going to puddle on the bottom of the cylinder, is all. You're more likely to cross-thread a spark plug(s) than have any rust/corrosion from forming in the cylinders.
I know that every Merc dealer does not follow this procedure when they winterize boats.
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Posts: 2097
| ok, So in the current tank of fuel I am running mercury quick store, I always treat my fuel with quicklean as well. So I just need to change the lower unit fluid when I am done with it for the season as the only maintenance for the motor itself? The motor is now two years old and I don't want to void warranty. |
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Posts: 317
Location: Grafton, WI | Service manual calls for a mix of Quickleen and Stabilizer to be added to the fuel filter opening after draining the fuel filter and float chamber (then priming and running) - I'm sure thats a little higher dose than normal treatment, but not sure how much...
Edited by esoxsmd 11/19/2013 2:53 PM
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Posts: 5874
| cave run legend - 11/19/2013 1:49 PM
ok, So in the current tank of fuel I am running mercury quick store, I always treat my fuel with quicklean as well. So I just need to change the lower unit fluid when I am done with it for the season as the only maintenance for the motor itself? The motor is now two years old and I don't want to void warranty.
That's pretty much all I did. I did open the water separator and got the one drop of water out. Did that with my Opti's for 11 years, and never had a problem. I never fogged my old 2 stoke carbed motors, or my snowmobiles. All fogging ever did was foul plugs.
I think winterizing is really overdone. You have your boat sitting for 3 months, maybe less. I know cars that sit for years with less, and start and ran just fine.
It's a personal choice. Not saying you are wrong if you dump oil in the cylinders, or run it on the mix of stabilizer and quickclean. Just knowing that I run Quickclean through the year, and Stabil in the fall, I'm comfortable with how I do it, |
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Posts: 202
Location: Angola, IN | To the OP, you are running a 4 stroke. Not needed. And Shep is right....pouring oil into an outboard engine is pointless. Maybe even harmful. Now if the pistons would move veritical, it wouldn't be a bad idea....but with horizonal piston movement, very little oil is going to coat the cylinder wall. It's just gonna puddle up.
I fog my engine, but I'm running 45 and 25 year old Johnsons. I'm trying to squeeze every little tiny bit of life out of that old 115 horse engine. |
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