2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

[SkolVikingsGuy]

Sorry if this is a repeat question, I've done a search of the forums and didn't find what I was looking for.

I have a 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax that I'm winterizing this weekend. Since I've owned the boat I've been pulling the plugs and adding oil to the cylinders, which is what the manual says to do. The problem is that it?s a major pain to do because it?s so difficult to get at a couple of the plugs. I'm afraid that at some point I'm going to get a plug in wrong and mess up the threads. I was close to doing that last year.

I realize I should do what it says to do in the manual. But I've also been told by a couple different boat owners that it's not necessary to add the oil to the cylinders.

Has this been discussed before? Does anyone know for sure one way or the other?

Thanks

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

To be honest I don't do squat to winterize my outboards and haven't had an issue yet. I certainly wouldn't risk strippin' a plug hole.

 

[SkolVikingsGuy]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

To be honest I don't do squat to winterize my outboards and haven't had an issue yet. I certainly wouldn't risk strippin' a plug hole.

Just curious, have you discussed it with a mechanic or anyone on the list? I don't want to doubt you, but it makes me a bit nervous not to do it.

I suppose one option would be to oil the 4 cylinders that I can get to without trouble and forget about the other two. Maybe I could do them every other year.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

No I haven't.

Question, wouldn't fogging sorta accomplish the same thing?

 

[SkolVikingsGuy]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

No I haven't.

Question, wouldn't fogging sorta accomplish the same thing?

Fogging is aparently a bad idea with an Optimax. That can lead to clogging the injectors.

I guess I'm not sure what to do yet, thanks for the input.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

You pretty much have to do what the manual says, it is the correct method. Don't fog it with fogging oil, you will plug up the injectors. It sucks to get those plugs out but you gotta do it. You could take it to a shop and that way they are responsible for screwing up your heads if they do. You could pull the lower cowls off to make it eaiser to get to the plugs.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

I didn't think about fogging with fuel injection. Duh.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

Fogging it will not plug a injector as it never goes thru one! The air injectors use outside air and the fuel injectors use fuel. You do not fog it because you cannot get oil directly into each cylinder due to the design of air handler as most of the fogging oil settles to bottom and fouls #5 & 6 plug. To do this properly you need to add a fuel stabilizer and Quickleen to fuel and run about 10 minutes, after 10 minutes while running take a can of Powertune and spray in the air compressor inlet to clean air compressor and air injectors( about 1/2 can a little at a time) then shut engine off. Remove plugs and spray fogging oil into cylinders and rotate engine by hand 2 revolutions and reinstall plugs and your good to go.

 

[SkolVikingsGuy]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

Well I decide to go for it. I was able to get all the plugs out without too much trouble - this time I had more attachments for my socket wrench which helped quite a bit.

I followed the instructions in the manual and put an ounce of optimax oil in each cylinder and turned it over a couple of times.

I found several references online about Mercury saying that fogging the cylinders can clog the injectors, so I decided against it. Not sure that's accurate but in the end I figured it was best to do what's in the manual.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

I found several references online about Mercury saying that fogging the cylinders can clog the injectors, so I decided against it.

Fogging is not mentioned in the factory manual and you adding raw oil into cylinder anyway, same as a shot of fogging oil from a can thru plug hole. I have been doing customers engines this way for years and never had a problem..

 

[SkolVikingsGuy]

Re: 2002 135hp Mercury Optimax Winterizing

Fogging is not mentioned in the factory manual and you adding raw oil into cylinder anyway, same as a shot of fogging oil from a can thru plug hole. I have been doing customers engines this way for years and never had a problem..

You know more about this than I do, so I'm not arguing with you. I've just read several posts online (never know who to trust) that say that fogging oil is thick and sticky and can mess with injectors, and some say that they've talked to people at Mercury that have told them that.

As I say, I don't know that that's true and you're obviously saying its not. But since that sounds reasonable I decided to do what's in the manual and just use oil.

The other thing that bothers me is that Mercury sells fogging oil so if they thought that's what you should put in the cylinders why wouldn't they have that in the manual instead. They must have a reason to say to use normal oil instead.