I want to winterize my outboard motor,mercury 9.9 ,could there be water that will need to be drained out.?

Question

I want to winterize my outboard motor,mercury 9.9 ,could there be water that will need to be drained out.?

Answer 1

I'm not familiar with the motor, but my inboard has water in the block, manifold and ballast system.  Since I use my boat year round, I do not winterize but instead keep the engine warm by hanging two 100 watt bulbs on either side of the engine compartment.  The temp rarely drops below 40 degrees, even when temps drop into the single digits and low teens.  Unless you have an closed cooling system, there will be water in the engine and you should drain it.  Best idea would be to have it professionally done if you need to winterize and have never done it before.  Ask if you can observe the procedure.  Good luck.

Answer 2

YES. All you should have to do to drain the water from a 9.9 Mercury is to let the motor down as though you are running it. Water will then drain from the block, inlet, and out the prop. I suggest also emptying the carberator of all the gas. Some older Mercs had drain plugs on the bottom of the carb. I usually just run mine out of gas either before I leave the lake or in a water tub at home. Do not run it out of the water. Some people do not recomend running 2 strokes out of gas, but experience has shown me that it causes no detrimental effects. Your outboard's gas tank needs to be either emptied or add a fuel stabilizer such as the brand name "Stabil" to the gas. Lastly, you can drain the fuel from your fuel line from tank to motor if you really want everything to last.