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Posts: 100
| Anyone winterize their own Optimax motor? I usually bring mine in, but was just wondering how simple it would be to do it myself. Just looking to save some money these days. |
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | its easy to do yourself, do everything you would usually do except you do not fog that motor. you put 1 oz of opti oil into each cylndr, change the lowerunit gearoil, and run a good dose of seafoam and marine stabil coctail. thats 2oz of sf and 1 oz of ms to 6 gal of gas and run the motor for a while to make sure its gets into the motor and thats basicly it....bill |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Are you puting the oil in the cyl before or after running the seafoam/ stabil it would seem to me it would have to be after |
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Posts: 247
Location: Uxbridge Ontario | horsehunter - 9/25/2011 10:08 AM
Are you puting the oil in the cyl before or after running the seafoam/ stabil it would seem to me it would have to be after
That would be after wards.
I know the Optis drain well (at least my old 75hp did), but I have a 225 ProXS on my new boat. Should I flush the water out of the system? and how too? |
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | it should drain out but if you want to make sure, just take the flush plug out and force air through there and also put your finger over the pee hole too . that puts more air through the system...bill |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | Turn the motor over by hand with a wrench or socket on the flywheel after you oil the cylinders before re-installing the plugs. You have to remove the plastic cover that encapsulates the top of the motor to get to the fly wheel. While there check your air filter. |
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Posts: 100
| I was doing some Internet research on winterizing the Opti and was curious if anyone has used the second alternative listed below. I was thinking about trying this method to avoid dealing with a few hard to remove lower spark plugs on my 135. Any thoughts?
First Alternative: Remove spark plugs, squirt approximately 1 teaspoon of oil into each cylinder, and spin the engine over a few revolutions (3 seconds or so with starter.... REMOVE LANYARD AND GROUND PLUG WIRES FIRST).
Second alternative: Portable fuel tank with a "winterizing concoction" of stabilizer, quickleen and premixed fuel (32:1 mix - approximately). Run the engine on this mix for 10 minutes, under load, in the lake (similar to fuel stabilizingabove). |
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Posts: 677
Location: Twin Cities, MN | I got this from Don on BBC. Some good tips here.
Many have asked about Winterizing and/or performing Annual Maintenance on their Optimax Engines.
Here's a list of what we perform here in our shop (and recommend) as "Once per year, or EVERY 100 HOURS, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST":
-Computer Diagnostic (to read Run History and Freeze Frame "Fault" History). Run cylinder misfire test (*A compression test here is also a good idea).
-Ensure fuel is properly stabilized
-Test run engine long enough to get stabilizer through system. At idle: 30 minutes! In the water, under load: 10+ minutes.
-Test or inspect Thermostats. Verify proper cooling (including telltale stream)
-Verify Engine Mounted oil tank COMPLETELY full (if not, BLEED AIR from the tank)
-Inspect fuel lines, oil lines, belt and tensioner
-Replace water separating filter (inspect for water and debris)
*While filter is out.... it's a good idea to add about 2 tsp of Quickleen & 2 tsp of Mercury Quickstore to the filter housing. Pump primer bulb firm, and run engine for at least 5 minutes on flush attachment.
-Replace spark plugs if needed ***
-Grease all zerks on engine with 2-4-C Grease
-Grease balls on ends of trim rams (short trim rams)
-Remove propeller
-Change Gear Lubricant w/Mercury High Performance Gear Lube
-Grease Prop Shaft, and Retorque Prop Nut
-Retorque Engine Mounting Fastners, Jackplate Hardware, and Steering Hardware
-Check fluid level in Hydraulic Steering (if equipped)
-Replace water pump impeller and gaskets (at a minimum)
Check gearcase mounting hardware (ALL) with a TORQUEWRENCH.
-Perform a careful visual inspection of the engine
-Drain water from speedometer and water pressure tubing (blow backwards through tubes to expel water)
-Treat/Protect livewells and pumps to prevent freezing damage
-Park boat with engine in the "full down position"
-Turn off, or disconnect batteries (unless you choose to charge them regularly).
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| Don is the man. Listen to what he says. |
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Posts: 797
Location: North Central IL USA | Pal - 9/29/2011 6:40 PM
-Replace water pump impeller and gaskets (at a minimum)
Huh? Every year? Bit of overkill, don't ya think? |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | Pal - 9/29/2011 6:40 PM
-Drain water from speedometer and water pressure tubing (blow backwards through tubes to expel water)
That's a good one I always forget to do. One spring the dam thing was peeing all over my leg because the hose cracked from ice over winter. |
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Posts: 677
Location: Twin Cities, MN | gregk9 - 9/30/2011 3:35 PM
-Replace water pump impeller and gaskets (at a minimum)
Huh? Every year? Bit of overkill, don't ya think?
Yes, maybe not for everyone, but remember these are meant to cover a wide range of boat users. Based on who will see this list Don is trying to cover all areas he can that tend to bring boats into his shop each year with issues that maintenance can prevent.
Also, Don lives down south, and a lot of people do use their boats year round and put more hours on them each year. |
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