Winterizing my OptiMax 225

[longbow]

Ok new to Great Lakes fishing this year, maybe a bit more than a month ago purchased a Pro Line salt water edition with a Mercury 225 Optimax for power.  Older boat but well kept.  I mean the fella that owned it was fastidious up the ying yang about it.  Anyways I likes it and obviously in a couple of weeks maybe a month more I need to get it ready for winter.  The boat has a hose and water pump on it to hose the deck down.  I know I have to drain those lines but do I add anti freeze to them?  The other is the lower unit on the motor.  I assume I need to change the gear oil and in my bagger I've always run Mobil 1 Super Syn 75-90 in the tranny, will thise work in the lower unit on the Optimax motor? Or should I just say screw, bite the bullett and have someone do it for me and watch them the first time?  thanks for any and all advice, and if anyone is off Pultneyville-Hughes Marina tomorrow p.m. I'll be flat lining some plugs and Suttons.  thanks

 

PS  forgot to  mention the Optimax is a saltwater model also but I think that just means it has more s.s. parts in it correct?

Edited September 23, 2013 by longbow

[Sk8man]

You should use premium high performance lower gear case lube from the marina in it and you should also be running the special synthetic Optimax Oil in the oil injection system routinely (according to the factory techies anyways). It is best to use antifreeze (the type used in campers) in your system wherever water may be trapped including any live wells etc. The marinas usually add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel tank and then run the fuel through the gas lines and engine briefly. Basically the main difference in the salt water Opti is related to corrosion protection in the parts that might be subject to it. The factory manual also recommends that the impeller be changed out every two years. Mine went this year and cost me a derby so you may want to have it checked to avoid problems.

Edited September 24, 2013 by Sk8man

[K Gonefishin]

Definetly use mercury lower gear lube, put marine stabil in fuel and run through engine, do NOT fog an optimax they are direct injected.

[longbow]

Thanks fellas.  Appreicated. 

[JeffM]

Are you doing your winterization yourself?  I also have an opti and I am thinking of doing it myself this year.  It seems nobody in the area knows how to properly winterize one.  The instructions say to drain the fuel filter chamber and then dump a blend of fuel/quckleen and stabilizer in the fuel filter hole.  And then prime the fuel system (whatever that means).  After that they suggest dropping 1oz of Optimax oil in each of the spark plug holes and the rotating the flywheel.  Alot of marinas just run a thicker blend and then turn the motor off.  I heard this can clog the injectors plus what a ripoff for 100+ dollars.  Just curious what you are doing because I am confused.  

[longbow]

I don't know what I'll do yet.  Maybe have a guy come down to the Marina and do it and just watch him.  I know you are supposed to drain the fuel filter and I figured the lower unit oil and refill it.  It's direct injection so I don't think you should fog the engine cause of that.  I was thinking getting some Stabo and dumping that in the tank and running the engine to circulate it and be done with it.  It's fuel injected and there ain't much to them save the computer so what's to do really.  One fella told me put the Stabo in it, empty the fuel filter and be done with it.  I mean how much water gets in the top end?  Maybe dump some Mystery oil in it and ciculate that and then the Stabo.  Beats me, maybe I"ll just call Mercury.  thanks

[NitroMusky]

Winterizing a merc opti is pretty straightforward. Yo bascially want to get all the water out...

1 drain and refill gear case with high perf merc gear oil to ensure no water in the oil. Remove both top and bottom plugs and let it drain (make sure you dont lose the o rjngs on the plugs - they may stay on the casing when removing)

2 remove and refill the water separating fuel filter, again to eliminate any water. Ideally replace filter too. Add some marine stabil in the process of refilling. (Best to add marine stabil to the main tank before your last trip of the season to ensure its made its way throughout the system, but if not, then add now). Prime the system via the bulb on the fuel line and run brielfly on the muffs (to ensure no trapped air that could cause water to form from the ethanol). I usually just do the filter drain and add stabil prior to my last trip and avoid this last step.

3 tilt motor all the way up and down 3+ times to remove all water from the cooling system.

4 store motor completely down (so that all water that might get in via the prop area drains out of the LU) - particularly if you're storing it outside over winter.

Dont forget:

5 in the spring, not fall...replace the water pump impeller - every year. These are displacement pumps at idle speeds and after the impeller takes a set over winter it will be ineffective. Particularly important if you use it to troll, since optis are designed to run hotter near idle for emissions, and need to have a good pressure so as not to overheat.

Lastly, not winter maintenance per se but since you use it to troll...always run merc quickleen or techron in your fuel to prevent carbon buildup on the pistons and plugs. I was going through plugs more than 1set/year bit since starting this, its been well over the recommended annual or 100 hours since i have replaced them. (Probably 3+ years). Pretty cheap insurance given plugs are about $15 apiece, times 6.

[NitroMusky]

Oh and on the gear oil, buy the pump with adaptor to to attach to your LU. You fill from the bottom hole till it runs out the top hole (preventing under filling from trapped air)

[longbow]

Thanks so much.  Now that is what I call some good INFO!  thanks man

[jimski2]

Fogging the engine is something I have never done for forty years now on my two stroke engines. Drain the water and crank it over with Stabil type treated fuel. Shut her down after a few seconds. Leave the battery in the boat as cold air is better than heated air.

Charge the battery in the spring and go.

[lost a lure]

Leave the battery in the boat as cold air is better than heated air.

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[jimski2]

Outside storage is better than indoors in a heated area. Reports of batterys bursting in sub zero weather are rare and you save your time and back leaving them in the boat.

[Sk8man]

I've had my Opti for 11 years now and I've had it serviced at the marina for ten of those years and I've stored it inside all but last year (plastic wrapped). The one year I neglected to have it done and just used triple strength Marine Stabil  and ran the water out etc. the following Spring I had to pay about $600 to have the lower unit serviced because there was a small amount of water apparently that got in somehow (that was undetected) and messed up the seals despite being inside an unheated barn. The tech manual for Opimax's indicates that the impeller needs to be changed every 2 years. I found that out this season and apparently the marina guys didn't know it either because it was in there for 11 years (without problems) but when it did happen was on the first day of the Trout Derby which I had spent the bulk of the winter preparing for and it required that I be towed 12 miles or more for the first time in all the years of boating (after overheating but luckily shutting off in time) and couldn't fish the rest of the 3 day derby. It sucked!

 

Nitromusky's information is spot on for the Opti. It is a little different than some other outboards in that it is a high performance engine that in some ways requires a bit more attention to detail than some others to keep it running the way it is supposed to run....especially if i t is used to troll some or all of the time.

 

P.S. I also run the triple strength Marine Stabil year round as well as periodically add Sea Foam to the gas tank and use non-ethanol gas these days.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Sk8man

[longbow]

Did the winterizing thing myself.  Actually pretty simple.  Put the motor in the down position for a week and made sure all the water drained out.  Drained the gear oil out and refilled with the correct gear oil, 90 wt Quicksilver synthetic.(just a note here, the gear oil that drained out looked perfect to me, no discoloration, no build up on the magnets at all.  I am wondering why I changed it?) Then took the cowling cover off, and looked at the fuel separator and it was put in just before I bought the boat, end of July is marked on it.  Frankly I had no clue as to how to get to the bottom line coming into it to take that off.  Nor did I have a clue as to how to actually get the filter off of it without a tool which I don't have.  Added marine stabo, about 22 oz. and hooked a hose up to the motor and ran it for about 10 minutes.  I am going to put trickle chargers on it for the winter as that is what the original owner would do and he never had a problem.  Re washed the boat and waxed it.  I think I am good to go.  Stored in a pole barn with a large loose tarp over it thanks to Mackeral.  thanks

Edited October 15, 2013 by longbow

[NitroMusky]

Glad it worked. The reason you changed the gear oil is that its cheap insurance. If bad seals had allowed water in there, freeze damage would have run many hundreds of dollars damage minimum (vs a $20 bottle of oil). (The high performance oil right?)

Hopefully there is not water in the water separating fuel filter but no biggie. Worst case, it blows out the filter and you have a mess to clean and a filter to replace. You didn't mention either way but just make sure you also have marine stabil in the main tank too.

[fisherdee]

Guys dont forget to remove your prop..  Clean the shaft and re lube with anti-seize lube so it does not chaf and bind.  And when its off make sure there is no line behind the hub.  One of the major causes of seal failure.  Dont neglect the air filter on top.  fuel/water separator/filter are neglected often.  mercury quickstore in the tank with marine stabil especially if you run any fuel at all with ethanol,   make sure it runs through the motors.  Top off the tank so it full and less chance for condensation.  I back feed rv antifreeze in livewells, bilge line, wash hose and pour some in the bilge area. crack open hatches to prevent mold.  If it sets outside with a cover, do a 5min check after every winter storm.

Edited October 31, 2013 by fisherdee

[Xxx]

Do you mean the raw water pump in the lower unit has to be changed every 2 years? That's crazy if it's like the old style, where you have to pull the lower unit. Not to difficult but geez every 2 years, what happened to the years people ran boats for 10 years, then had a over heating problem, when was the last time you changed the lower water pump uuh whats that? take it to a marina and a hour later good to go. For another 10??? doubt it.  Newer is better right??