# Winterizing 9.9 Mercury



## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

First winter with an outboard. Have had diesels last few years.

When do you winterize if leaving the boat in the water in Long Island Sound.
Any tricks to doing it in the water?


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

2 stroke or 4 stroke?


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

Here are steps I would take:

1) Empty fuel tank. 
2) Drain all the fuel lines *COMPLETELY*
3) Disassemble the carb and clean it thoroughly...all the jets (saves time in the fall) then reassemble and remount
4) Put dry lubricant or spray grease on all throttle parts/linkages
5) Flush the cooling system
6) Flush the lower unit
7) Change the lower unit oil and top up fluid

Some have said that once you're ready to put the engine to bed, that to put a tiny bit of fuel in the tank...run it till it starts sputtering then put some oil in the tank so that oil goes into the block and coats everything evenly. Personally, I prefer pulling the plug and shooting some fogging oil in there instead.


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

night0wl said:


> 2 stroke or 4 stroke?


2


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

And it is possible to do all this while the boat is in the water?
I'm assuming you have to do it from a dinghy.

Sounds like more steps than doing a diesel.


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

davidpm said:


> And it is possible to do all this while the boat is in the water?
> I'm assuming you have to do it from a dinghy.
> 
> Sounds like more steps than doing a diesel.


Take care of your two stroke and it wont cut out on you when you need it the most...maybe!

These 2-stroke Mercurys (basically a Tohatsu) are bulletproof engines, but can be pretty stubborn and ornery if they're not used frequently. Ethanol fuel really messes them up on the inside too. The steps outlined above are what I take to make sure my Mercury 5 hp 2-stroke plays nice...and even then, it quits for no reason once or twice a year, marooning me on the dink, usually in the middle of the New River as a 120 ft. megayacht is bearing down on me.

A two-stroke, 9.9 hp mercury is probably around what...100 lbs? Sure it can be done on the boat...but likely not while the engine is in the down position. It would be more comfortable and convenient however, to do the annual service on land. Lot less chance of losing some small, expensive part overboard. And since so many things in these outboards are spring loaded, its very likely you'll lose a part overboard while unscrewing various parts 

Its amazing how a teeny tiny idle nozzle being lost can render your entire engine useless/a paperweight.

While it may seem like a lot of work...none of these tasks are particularly hard or time consuming. Just a series of 30 minute projects that when sequenced together can be done in a day. Just watch a lot of YouTube videos on how to do all the various things. Its not rocket science, these engines were designed to be worked on by the backyard mechanic. When you get into the bigger horsepower ranges (25, 35, 100 hp, etc)...thats when I'd get a serious mechanic involved. You could just drop this off to a mechanic to do and he'll probably charge you $300-$500...but for me, thats 30-40% of the the purchase price of a new 5 hp engine!!


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

davidpm said:


> First winter with an outboard. Have had diesels last few years.
> 
> When do you winterize if leaving the boat in the water in Long Island Sound.
> Any tricks to doing it in the water?


A 9.9 Merc 2-stroke only weighs 65 lbs. Why would you leave it on/in the boat? Buy yourself a stand, set it up shore-side in a trash-can filled with fresh water and a little Salt-Away and run it for 10-15 minutes to flush the sat out of the cooling system, disconnect the fuel line to let the engine run out the fuel in the Carb. Once it runs out of fuel/shuts down, empty the trash-can and let the motor drain, and while that's happening, pull the bowl off the carb and clean/dry it out, pull the plugs and spray fogging oil into the cylinders and turn the motor over with the starting lanyard a few times which will distribute the oil on the cylinder walls and clear and water left over in the cooling pump and then clean, oil and reinsert the plugs. You can clean the jets and do all of that but I'm not sure that's really necessary. Then set the thing up in the corner of the garage and wait for spring. You can do all of the foregoing aboard the boat, and leave the motor laying on its side in the boat for the winter, but I would not.

FWIW...


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

Agree with SV. If left tipped up on the boat some water may remain in the engine and could freeze, causing damage. Suggest you take it home which may also keep it from being stolen, in addition to being a whole lot easier to work on.

Dabnis


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

I agree with HyLyte. It's an hour job the first time you do it and faster thereafter. 

Depending on circumstances you might buy the brackets for homemade saw horses in lieu of an engine stand. It won't have wheels unless you are really creative but takes less room in season and is very much cheaper. I service my dinghy engine on a saw horse with 2x4 legs and 2x6 cross beam on the dock and leave the engine on a pushpit bracket for the winter.


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## donlofland (Dec 8, 2008)

That's the engine I have-the winter before last I brought it home with the intention of cranking it up hooked to the water hose every couple of weeks. That went well at first, then we got some snow, and the plan fell by the wayside. So when I tried to start it after mybe two months, it wouldn't, and I had to dissaemble the carb to blow out a teensy weensy speck-then it did fine.

Last winter I kept it on the boat, started it every couple of weeks, and it did fine. But the water doesn't hardly ever freeze at my dock, (Everett, WA), so I don't have to deal with ice around the boat.

Pickling it for the winter is the other way to go, but I'd vote for starting it up periodically...


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

*How many weeks will the water actually freeze-in around the boat?*

If only a few weeks or a month, wouldn't you go out on occation, in December and March at least? The engine would not be unused for more than a month, so nothing needs to be done at all.

I have left outboard-powered boats in all winter for 25 years, and I do nothing, other than make certain I start the motor each month and run it for at least 15 minutes. Piece of cake. I can't imagine fogging and lugging and draining tanks, Yuck.

We do freeze in for about 3 weeks, since the water is relativly fresh in my creek. It may be similar.


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## Cptken (Apr 23, 2008)

It can be below freezing for several days or more, unless you are sure all the water is out of the cooling system, why take a chance? If you are running ethanol gas, drain the tank and either run the carb empty or drain the carb bowl. I use an old steel craftsman hand truck with the removable handle as an engine stand, just the right size. I have never fogged my engines, but it doesn't hurt. I generally do squirt some 30wt into the cylinders to coat the walls. If it has been a couple years, might be a good idea to change the impeller before you recommision in the spring.


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

Cptken said:


> It can be below freezing for several days or more, unless you are sure all the water is out of the cooling system, why take a chance?


Could happen... but I doubt it. hasn't happened to me and I've had perhaps 50 engine-years of freezing winters. Honestly, an outboard design that can't handle freezing weather is piss-poor and the working men would let the makers know.

Do we know of anyone who has frozen a block on a small outboard?


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

pdqaltair said:


> Could happen... but I doubt it. hasn't happened to me and I've had perhaps 50 engine-years of freezing winters. Honestly, an outboard design that can't handle freezing weather is piss-poor and the working men would let the makers know.
> 
> Do we know of anyone who has frozen a block on a small outboard?


Am I hearing you right.
An outboard will not be damaged by being left outside all winter as long as it is started once in a while.

The boat is for sale and I check on it at least once a week so doing nothing except running the engine which I could do every week would have a lot of advantages.
It starts and runs very well which will make it easier to sell the boat.

I'm in long island sound so we can get really hard freezes for a few weeks at a time. Does that matter?


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

I found this on the Mercury site:
"What precautions should I take when operating my engine in freezing temperatures?
When using your outboard or having your outboard moored in freezing or near freezing temperature, keep the outboard tilted down at all times so the gear case is submerged. This prevents trapped water in gear case from freezing and causing possible damage to the water pump and/or other components.

If there is a chance of ice forming on the water, the outboard should be removed and drained completely of water. If ice should form at the water level inside the outboard drive shaft housing, it will block water flow to the engine causing possible damage."

I always lift the motor. It does not tip up but it lifts straight up and clears the water.
I think they are saying to leave it submerged.
It will get barnacles pretty fast that way, yes?
Or do barnacles not grow in the winter?


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

I found this too"
"If you keep your boat moored in the water, always tilt the outboard so the gear case is completely out of the water (except in freezing temperature) when not in use."


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

davidpm said:


> I found this too"
> "If you keep your boat moored in the water, always tilt the outboard so the gear case is completely out of the water (except in freezing temperature) when not in use."


Most outboards drain pretty well out of the water. If you have a vertical lift it should be fine.

Barnacle and other marine growth is definitely slowed down substantially in freezing and near-freezing weather.

Please PLEASE PLEASE leave your outboard down when tied up at a dinghy dock. It's good manners to avoid the risk of your propeller damaging other boats.


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

pdqaltair said:


> Could happen... but I doubt it. hasn't happened to me and I've had perhaps 50 engine-years of freezing winters. Honestly, an outboard design that can't handle freezing weather is piss-poor and the working men would let the makers know.
> 
> Do we know of anyone who has frozen a block on a small outboard?


Some years back I had a 6HP Evinrude 2 stroke which I kept tilted up when not in use. After a few years I noticed a reduction in cooling water. Long story short, after separating the power head from the lower unit I found an accumulation of salt deposits right where the lower unit and power head water passages join. Apparently everything didn't completely drain out when tilted up, leaving a small amount of salt water to dry and form a blockage. Don't know if this would have caused damage if frozen as there was room for the water to expand?

Dabnis


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

The mfr does recommend flushing with fresh water after every use in salt water. I've never seen anyone do that however.
Not exactly sure of the process. Is that the deal where you hook the hose directly to the engine somehow.


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

davidpm said:


> The mfr does recommend flushing with fresh water after every use in salt water. I've never seen anyone do that however.
> Not exactly sure of the process. Is that the deal where you hook the hose directly to the engine somehow.


On the engines I had I used What I think are called "ears":, first picture,

outboard motor flush | eBay

Also, some motors have a fitting on the motor which would be much easier to use. The "ears" would be difficult to use when the motor is still on the boat.
If used when tipped down it may still suck in some salt water? In any event, I didn't flush. Maybe something like this?

Outboard Motor Flushing Bags

Dabnis


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

dabnis said:


> Outboard Motor Flushing Bags
> 
> Dabnis


Flush bag, who would have thunk.


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

davidpm said:


> Flush bag, who would have thunk.


Right, looks like a pretty good idea. However, on the Coronado 25 we had the motor was kind of buried down in the well. It would have been very difficult to try to place it around the motor. Hose fittings on the upper part of the motor look easier to use but I don't know if when used with the motor on the boat tipped down, if the regular water intake will still suck up salt water?

Dabnis


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

*Generally,this is incredibly bad advise, but they have their reasons.*



davidpm said:


> I found this on the Mercury site:
> "What precautions should I take when operating my engine in freezing temperatures?
> When using your outboard or having your outboard moored in freezing or near freezing temperature, keep the outboard tilted down at all times so the gear case is submerged. This prevents trapped water in gear case from freezing and causing possible damage to the water pump and/or other components.
> 
> ...


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

David,

Last year I ran the fuel dry by pulling the fuel hose out. And I put it up on the storage bracket on the aft rail. This year, with the "ears" that fit around the cooling water intake, I'll be running the fuel dry while rinsing it with fresh water.

Then I'll run it monthly right there on the aft rail, again running the fuel dry. Of course, that assumes the temperatures will be above 32 degrees at some point. My methods may not be the best, but I'll be sailling all winter and I like having the dinghy with me when I do.

Good thread btw, I have to change the oil and grease parts, I'm sure.

Something not mentioned yet.. Get rid of the gasilone! Put it in your car or something, but don't use gas that's more than 2 or 3 months old. That was my big problem last spring. I almost sent the engine in for servicing, but then a new tak of gas cured the problems. (And yes, this fits the category of "my XYZ broke, so now I always check the XYZ".)

Regards,
Brad


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

pdqaltair said:


> davidpm said:
> 
> 
> > Ice in the gear oil? Sure, but if you have that much water in the case you have real problems.
> ...


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## MobiusALilBitTwisted (Jun 25, 2007)

Get a Rail mounted outboard mount and hang it there, use the water bag to flush out the salt, using salt away in the fresh water, stow the water bag in the boat and make sure the motor is bolted and locked up, when ready to stop the motor disconnect the Fuel and let it run dry, if you have Ethanol in the gas use a treatment for that. treat the gas in the tank and have a nice winter.


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