Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hello All.
We and our boat reside in the great Northeast... It gets real cold here... We retrieved our boat last evening and it now is safe in our back yard... The end of a great boating season, thank you Jesus!

Question. When do you change your beloved engine fluids? I have changed lower unit at the close of the boating season and have changed oil at the start of the next boating season. Is there any reason to change this procedure i.e., change both at the end of the boating season or store the boat (fog the cylinders, stabilize the remaining gas...) and change the fluids before first launch of next boating season? Thanks so much for your answer and suggestions.

Sincerely,
Rich

I do all of the maintenance at the end of the season. No particular reason other than I don't want to mess with it in the spring. Chances are it will be warmer now than in April. This will allow the oil to drain faster. Pulling mine in another week.

Change fluids in the fall before storage.

Normal operation produces acids and other contaminants in the oil(s). You don't want these acids sitting in the cases for months on end. Corrosion can and does occur on crucial parts and shortens the engine and drive lifespan.

After you drain, flush and fill, run for a couple of minutes to ensure that new fluids are circulated throughout the engine and drive.

Many change the fluids but forget and leave their batteries in the boat. If you're in a very cold climate, your battery will last longer if it's brought inside and put on a Battery Tender for the winter.

Mine gets everything changed out, filled and double checked as part of the process of getting it ready for winter.

Then, I keep the batteries hooked to a tender, and since it's stored inside, all the compartments are opened up, emptied out and cleaned up.

Come spring, everything gets put back where it belongs, I double check to ensure that fluid levels are correct and it's ready to launch and slide into the slip.

BoatCop wrote:Change fluids in the fall before storage.

Normal operation produces acids and other contaminants in the oil(s). You don't want these acids sitting in the cases for months on end. Corrosion can and does occur on crucial parts and shortens the engine and drive lifespan.

After you drain, flush and fill, run for a couple of minutes to ensure that new fluids are circulated throughout the engine and drive.

and why i have all ways changed mine when i pull it for the year

Thank you All.
I appreciate your wisdom. Makes sense to me... Now I need to get the appropriate oils and lube and get to it. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Rich

Or you could just do what I do, and run it all year long, just doing regular scheduled maintenance.


Oh Yeah..........

Not all of us get to live in Arizona.

Thanks for reminding me...

BoatCop wrote:Or you could just do what I do, and run it all year long, just doing regular scheduled maintenance.


Oh Yeah..........

Not all of us get to live in Arizona.

SC here but we run all year. Last bow rider had an enclosure that I designed and sewed and it was a must have on the new boat. We are going into our favorite time of the year for boating. Not much better than tailgating for a college football game out on the lake before going home to watch it on TV. Many people don't realize how much an enclosure pays for itself by adding to the boating season. Even when it gets into the high 40's for the high during the day it's fairly warm inside even without the heater inside during the day because of the greenhouse effect. At night we just run a Mr. Buddy heater and we are warm and toasty.

Back on topic - I agree if you are doing the changes do them in the fall, run the fluids through the engine on the muffs, and then fog the engine and shut her down.