Last week, I offered James from North Carolina some general winterizing tips for his boat. Today, I address a more detailed question from Phil in New Jersey, who writes, "I have a single, inboard gas engine. I plan to have the boat pulled and stored at a boat yard for the season. What do I need to do to prepare the motor for the New Jersey winter?"

This is a great question, Phil. When dealing with inboard engines, the procedure is easy to remember if you follow these four simple steps: FUEL; CHANGE; FLUSH; WIPE.

The first step is to make sure your engine is full of FUEL. Some people recommend only keeping the tank three quarters full, but I would recommend anywhere from three quarters to completely full is just fine. Also, but sure to add a fuel stabilizer, so no separation occurs during the months in winter storage.

Next, run the engine to warm it up and CHANGE the oil while it's warm (not too hot, though). This tends to drain away impurities. You should also change the oil filter(s) during this stage. After the oil's been changed, run the engine again for about 10 minutes to get the oil heated up and dispersed throughout the engine. In the final minute or two, add engine fogging oil into the air intake and shut down as you start to get a heavy discharge of smoke. This will leave a film of fogging oil on your cylinders, which protects them from rust. Changing the oil protects the bottom of the cylinders, while the engine fogging oil protects the top.

After fuel is added and oil is changed, FLUSH the engine with fresh water. This is particularly important if you boat in coastal areas with exposure to salt or brackish water. Circulate antifreeze through the manifold by using a pickup hose from the water pump to a bucket of antifreeze. Start the engine and allow antifreeze to course through until water begins exiting the exhaust. This process varies slightly from engine to engine, depending on whether you have a "raw water" cooling system or an "enclosed fresh water" cooling system.

Since you're already in the engine room at this point, you might well consider changing the fluid in your transmission and replacing spark plugs as an added winter precaution.

Lastly, I recommend you WIPE down the engine with a shop towel sprayed with fogging oil or WD-40.

So let's review. Keeping your inboard engine primed for winter is as easy as FUEL, CHANGE, FLUSH, WIPE. Follow these rules-of-thumb, and you can't go wrong!

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