How To Winterize A 115 Hp Mercury

[TURBOSCHILZ]

Kind of new to the whole boating thing, heard a lot of warnings about making sure that I winterize the motor correctly... Could one of you guys give me a complete breakdown of what needs to be done to winterize my 115 hp Mercury?.. Not too sure about the year of the motor, boat is a 1977 17' Mark Twain, engine I've been told is a 1150 Mercury (mid-70's to mid-80's would be my guess)? Thanks a lot, and you guys rock...

[dajohnson53]

There's a winterization FAQ in the FAQ forum. If it doesn't make sense, re-post, but it is pretty straight forward and simple and most/all 2 stroke engines are the same regardless of size or maker.

[Chris1956]

Turbo, Outboard Motors are self draining, so there is no chance of residual water cracking the block. Heck, I never winterized my outboard to any great extend until the last 4-5 years, and I am not really sure if it has any positive effect at all.

You will want to hit the grease fittings and run the motor on the muffs for a few minutes to get all the salt and silt out. if you have a long winter you can put some fuel stabilizer into the tank. I always ran my '77 merc 1500 out of fuel when I put it up for winter, but there is much debate on this. Change the lower unit grease, spray the powerhead with wd-40 or some oil. You can fog the motor, although on a 2 stroke, I would think it already has sufficient oil to prevent corrosion.

[Silvertip]

1) Change lower unit lub.
2) Flush engine thoroughly (muffs)
3) Add Stabil or SeaFoam to fuel.
4) Run engine long enough to ensure fuel treatment has reached the carbs.
5) Fog the engine. (No need to run carbs dry -- fuel is treated)
6) Store engine vertically to ensure self-drainage.
7) Disconnect the battery. Store in a cool dry place. Put on maintenance charge once a month.
8) If in salt air environment, do the WD40 or similar protection on external surfaces.