Bringing an Outboard out of Storage

By: Ken and a host of other contributors

Introduction

First get yourself a manual, there is a ton of help out on the WWW, but to be fair, and so that you can learn, a reference book is a must. They can be found for sale on many sites, a few of which are this site, kencook.com, marineengine.com theoutboardwizard.bizhosting.com, maxrules.com, and iboats.com to name a few.

Although some folks use Seloc or Clymer manuals, they cover a range of engines and sometimes the finer points of your particular engine are omitted. The reprints of the OEM manuals are the most specific to your particular engine. Get one of them. If any steps prove challenging or if there are questions about any of the processes, post a question here or at www.aomci.org in the Ask-a-Member board. You will receive an answer from one or more of the many experienced veterans.

What follows are recommended steps for resurrecting a motor that has been in storage for a couple of years or more. Not all steps are necessary, but the more you skip, the greater the risk that the motor will disappoint you by conking out in some remote spot and treating you to a tow or row home (you do have oars and flares, don’t you?).

For those motors that are pulled out of storage regularly, the most important steps to follow are lower unit lubing and fuel system cleaning. However, you should go through all procedures every couple of years. Careful attention to maintenance is the reason that so many outboards have survived over the last 95 years – more so than automobiles.

Tools

Read carefully and determine what kind of tools you need. Most procedures require nothing more esoteric than a socket wrench set, others such as flywheel removal require some specialized, but not so expensive tools.

General

If possible, use a camera to document all disassembly for later use.

Inspect all outlets and inlets for SoC – Signs of Critters. Remove wasp, spider and mouse nests and any debris they’ve left behind. In the case of rodents, carefully inspect all wiring and tubing for signs of chewing.

Ensure the weep holes below the water pump are free of debris.

If so equipped, the water pump telltale (often called the pee-hole) may need cleaning out with a fine wire.

Lower Unit

Remove the prop and any fishing line that may be tangled, wound around the prop shaft. If the fishing line is embedded in the propshaft seal, that seal may leak so consider replacing it now.

If the shaft is splined, apply a coat of marine bearing grease to it before re-installing the prop.

If an inspection of the prop indicates any damage that could cause a vibration or imbalance, replace it or have it repaired – the vibration from such damage can result in secondary damage as severe as a thrown connecting rod.

The rubber bushing securing the hub to the prop itself may also need replacing, but that probably cannot be determined until boat-tested. The symptom of a ‘spun’ hub is where the motor turns at high rpms, but the boat doesn’t seem to be moving all that fast. It generally occurs just as the boat is going on plane.

Remove the drain screw (bottom) from the lower unit and observe the quality of the lube as it exits. If it is milky, there has been water intrusion. If you observe metal shards, there may be gear damage requiring a re-build of the lower unit. If it is empty, there may be multiple problems.

Remove the vent screw (top screw) to allow complete draining. If none of the above mentioned situations exists, fill with lube from the bottom screw hole until lube emerges from the vent hole. Lube should be available from any oil outlet and labeled as suitable for outboard lower units. Sometimes the tubes are difficult to manage with only two hands (one hand has to be ready with the screw, right?!); consider buying the inexpensive lube pump; it’s often sold in the same location as the hypoid lube bottles.

Note1: The above pertains to gearshift units. Most 1950 or later outboards above 3hp. require hypoid 90 oil (see Note 2). Older, non-gearshift units require grease, the most popular being Lubriplate 105. Marine grease is acceptable but is so thick it steals horsepower in cold weather. Consult your owner’s manual for the oil vs. grease choice.

Note 2: Electric shift lower units require different lube than manual shift units.

After the unit has been filled, replace vent screw using an appropriate new filler screw gasket (usually a nylon ring). Then do the same for the fill screw, trying to prevent as little loss of lube as possible.

Water Pump

Using your manual as a reference, replace the water pump – if not the complete pump (which means housing, impeller and wear plate); by all means replace the rubber impeller. This is absolutely necessary on motors of unknown history or on motors that haven’t had a new one in a couple of years. Any cracks in the impeller material are sure signs it needs replacing. Before re-assembling mid-section (lower leg), see next step.

Once you have replaced the impeller, DO NOT run the engine out of water as even a few moments without water will melt or break the impeller blades.

Cylinder Walls

If not done already, lay the motor so the sparkplugs are up. Remove them and put in a few squirts from an oil can filled with TCW-3 oil. Move the engine around so that the oil will contact cylinder walls. If the engine is seems to be resistant to rotating, allow it to soak for a day or two. By hand, rotate the flywheel a couple of times. If it still resists rotating, allow to soak longer. When flywheel finally rotates freely, install new sparkplugs.

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