will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

bowman316

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When it gets below 30 degrees or so, will your engine block crack if you don't fogg your carbs? I kinda think winterizing is more just for Inboard motors. Gas does not freeze, right? So how would the block crack?
 

ondarvr

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Fogging has nothing to do with freezing, its so the internal parts don't rust or corrode, which can happen any time the motor sits for a long period of time whether its warm or cold.

If you use your OB during the winter then there's no need to winterize it. If its going to be below freezing you should store it in the down position if possible, or at least raise and lower it a few times to make sure the water has drained out of it.
 

Chinewalker

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Outboard blocks can't freeze up - unless something is done to prevent them from draining properly (tilted up, laid on side before draining, etc.) You can use an outboard in subfreezing temps without issue - as long as you have liquid water you can use the outboard. If you have water intruding into the gearcase, you will want to make sure the unit is drained and refilled often - or at the very least the unit is left submerged to prevent water inside the housing from freezing. A significant amount of water can pop the housing.

Inboards and I/Os are prone to block cracking if not drained as they have cavities that can remain filled with cooling water. The outdrive portion is fine, though... Some people use a heat lamp in the engine box to keep things from freezing if they're leaving the boat in late/early season.

Fogging simply leaves a coating of oil on the internals of the engine itself to prevent corrosion due to condensation over the winter. Short term, there is usually enough oil residue from your fuel to prevent this, but long term the oil in the fuel isn't "sticky" enough to keep things coated. I've torn down many outboards that weren't winterized properly only to find water marks and chatter marks on the crankshaft journals where the needle bearings and crank surface contacted and where moisture made its mark...
 

kenmyfam

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Agree. Fogging is to stop any corrosion within. There must be remaining water in the block for it to have a risk of cracking.
 

j_martin

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Fogging your motor gums up all the internals with an oily goo that doesn't readily drip off. That protects things from corrosion, which will be rampant if the engine is in cold or wet surroundings.

Fresh gas when you start up washes it all off and most of it burns. sometimes you'll foul a plug on startup. That's a small price to pay for the corrosion protection.

hope it helps
John
 

scoutabout

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Yep - you can certainly use your outboard in the winter...assuming you can push the ice outta the way...

Here's a shot of a local contractor on our lake running his twin o/b powered barge on what you could call a frosty day. With a 40 ton gross capacity he can push a bit of slush.

(And you can just see waaay in the distance the shoreline where my avatar pic was taken...On a much warmer day of course...:D )

bennettbarge_cropped.jpg


As long as you let the motors drain in a vertical position, you're fine. The guy with this barge actually has an adjustable jackplate kind of system that allows him to pull the motors out of the water vertically so they clear the surface without having to be tilted.

I've also heard some people say your thermostats might freeze up but will let go again as the temp comes up on your next run.
 

Gary H NC

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Being we have a shorter winter season in my area and the motor is not setting up for 5 or 6 months i just shoot a little fogging oil in each spark plug hole and never had a problem on spring start up.
Come spring i fire it up on the muffs for a few minutes then put in fresh spark plugs...good to go.
 

Home Cookin'

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

If my boat (OB) is in the water and calling for freezing temps, I leave the lower unit in the water overnight to keep it from freezing.
I've had gas lines freeze when the motor was fine.
 

jay_merrill

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

While I know that those posting here will understand the distinction, I think there's a point that needs to be made about leaving outboards in the water in freezing temperatures. I bring this up for the benefit of people who may be reading the forum, but have no experience in such conditions.

A motor left in the down position in the water should be fine as long as the water temperature is above freezing. That can, and often does occur, even though the air temperature is below freezing. The powerhead will be fine, because the water passages in it will drain, as will the intake tube, down to the level of the warmer water.

The problem lies in the possibility of the body of water dropping to a temperature that will cause it to freeze. If the water outside of the lower unit freezes, I would think that it will freeze on the inside too. Obviously, that would not be a good thing.

I am nitpicking a little to be sure, but I would hate to have someone read this thread, right after moving to the "northern climes from somplace like Florida," and then think its OK to leave a motor in water that will freeze over!



???
 

Chris1956

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Jay, let me nit-pic even further.

I have owned outboards for nearly 40 years. Fogging oil has not been available that long, so obviously I did not use it. I also never had an issue with rust on the internals of a 2 cycle outboard. I have owned outboards from 5HP to 150HP(24::1, and 50::1 mix), and never used any fogging oil, and never had any issue. My apologies to Chinewalker, who's opinions I respect. I seem to have questioned the cause of the watermarks and chatter he is seeing on the journals.

I first started using fogging oil on my 4 cycle sterndrive, to keep the rust on the inside of the cast iron intake and exhaust manifolds under control. I also mixed some 2 cycle oil into the gasoline (about 300::1) for the same purpose. I felt that some of the oil would settle in the low places where condensation might collect, during normal running, thereby keepting the mannys from rusting out quicker.

I must admit that recently I have been using fogging oil on my 2 cycle outboards, however, I consider it a case of clay feet on my part. Outboards probably have enough residual oil from the fuel mix(like my experiences from the past 40 years), where fogging oil is overkill. However, not using fogging oil is simply accepting a small risk, which is eliminated with the use of fogging oil.

I guess my biggest objection, and the reason I write the nit-pic posting, is that I simply believe one should understand why you are fogging the motor (and other rituals) and what the quantifiable risks are.
 

Chinewalker

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Chris - I believe some of the watermark issues I've seen can be attributed to the environment in which the motor is kept. A damp/humid environment with enough temperature change to result in condensation within the motor, combined with not enough oil sticking to the internals, can lead to more issues than a motor that may not have been "pickled", but is kept in a less volatile environment that may have lower humidity, smaller temperature variance, etc. Some may have been attributable to the brand of oil used, too. Some oils may have better long term "stickyness" than others. My statement wasn't intended to be a blanket one implying that if you don't fog, your motor will die. Many factors involved...

I don't "pickle" many of my older motors - only the ones that get 50:1 mix. The older motors that run a fatter oil mix don't seem to have the same issues due to the extra oil in the fuel. I do make sure the last tank has fuel stabilizer in it just to keep carb problems to a minimum the next time the motor is run...

- Scott
 

bowman316

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

with this el nino year, and all of the rain over here on the east coast, it may be extra imporntant to fog this year. I mean it has been raining every other day for 2 months. I have seen a lot of condensation on my boat, even thou it is inside a shed.
 

robert graham

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Fogging is more important in oil injected motors since the oil pump is injecting a lot less oil at the lower RPM's right before shut-down or idling up to the dock. With a premix motor you get the same oil at all RPM's, so there's more oil left on the shiny bare metal motor internals and needle bearings. My motor is a 2 stroke premix but I still fog it before storage. It only takes just a bit of rust/corrosion on those crankshaft journals, piston wrist pins, and needle roller bearings to fry the motor. Fogging is great, cheap insurance!
Good Luck!
 

Triton II

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Nov 23, 2004
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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Everyone so far has talked about fogging for winter, but it's important in any climate to fog your engine whenever you intend to leave it for more than a few months and that applies to all areas where there's any humidity... here the coldest winter temps only go down to about 15 degrees celcius (60 odd F) but things corrode badly due to the high humidity levels and the proximity to the ocean.
 

allinmygarage

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Apr 19, 2009
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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

I agree with Triton. Here in MN I winterize the boats in the fall and summerize the snowmobiles in the spring. Both get fogged and staybil.
 

JB

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

My old JohnnyRudes survived four Chicagoland and four Minnesota winters without fogging. All cranked up just fine in the spring.
 

Triton II

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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

Yeah, maybe so JB. But we all don't have a direct line to the God of JohnnyRudes!!! :)
 

MercGuy

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Jul 20, 2006
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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

I have always been of the opinion that carb'd 2 strokes don't need fogging. Never done it, and now after 11 seasons my 98 115 Merc has never had any problems.

My success isn't a guarantee for anyone else, and if I had an oil injected 2 stroke or a 4 stroke I would probably fog.
 

Fl_Richard

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Jan 21, 2005
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Re: will not fogging your outboard really hurt it?

All I gotta do is pump the bulb press the primer and fire them up. The smoke that pours out of my 150's is better than any fog.

And... it smells like heaven!
 
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