Re: How to winterize a 1980 80 HP Mercury
Presuming te Houseboat is stored on land over the winter, winterizing the motor is easy.
Put some fuel stabilizer (enought for the fuel present) into the fuel tank. Run the motor to allow it to get to the carbs. I usually add the stabilizer at the dock and run the boat to the ramp.
Pull the boat and remove the prop. Now run the motor on the flusher device, and when it is warm, spray some fogging oil into each carb throat. Try to stall it out, but make sure the motor stops when the smoke(from the fogging oil) is pouring out. Now let the water drain from the motor, and then drain and change the gear oil, using new gaskets. Pump fresh grease into the grease fitings, and grease the steering rod. Spray owerhead with corrosion blocking stuff, if necessary.
