The best way to prepare your outboard for winter storage or if your outboard seized during storage, how to get it running without any new parts or special tools.
Best way to prepare a two stoke outboard for winter storage in a warm dry place is to disconnect the fuel line and let the engine run at a very slow idle at the dock until it stops. Gas and oil residue are all you need to keep the engine through the winter season. For four stokes be really careful! They run so clean they want to rust up! For years people never did anything differently for a four stoke than a two stoke as far as preparations for storage. Run it out of gas at the dock, change the oil and put in a warm basement for the winter. Maybe during storage crank the motor once or twice. That's all you need.
Now because of the large population of four strokes out there a new problem has arisen. Stuck valves! A couple weeks unused tied up at a marina or parked in the drive way is all it takes depending on the weather. A few hot heavy days with high humidity are all that's needed to cause your valves to seize in their guides. Often an easy to solve valve related problem leads the local motor Doctor to believe the pistons have seized in the engine. A reliable diagnosis can be arrived at by just removing the engine valve cover and checking the rocker arm clearances. Usually valves that are half open or half close are the once that stick in place. Using a brass drift a firm light blow from a no bounce hammer on each rocker arm on the adjustment side is all it takes. Free valves are alive and bounce back when the rocker is struck. Sticky valves are dead; don't bounce back enough to touch their rocker arms. These are the dead ones that should be looked at.
Searching the internet, do it your self sites, how to blogs, etc are full of great information that claim is to be useful for solving all kinds of mechanical problems but no useful information for un-seizing a seized outboard motor. Suggestions of pouring Coca-cola into the cylinders as well as olive oil or transmission fluid, are very helpful if you want to make a salad or need a beverage with your meal but won't solve your motor problem.
A little more time searching the net could bring you to the seized engine site A very funky place! They call it the site of last resort for seized engines of all types. It's the only site that takes your seized engine seriously! They have the no parts required liquid solution for engines that have seized during storage. Not only do they sell their magic juice but provide clear simple how to instructions that will help get a seized engine running easily.
