Other Florida "winter" storage

jjchambers

jjchambers

got me my braaapp!!
Location
Sarasota, FL
So I don't have time to ride during the fall /winter and I only ride with the family and the water is too cold for them. So the SJ and GP800 sit on the side of the house until almost May.

What can I do to keep the engines nice and lubed and ready to go for next spring? They both have covers and I cover the entire trailer with a tarp. There are maybe 3 days where it gets in the 30's during the winter.

Should I just dump a bit of oil in the cylinders and roll it over by hand to get stuff all lubed up, spray the engine bay down with a silicone spray and say good night? If I pulled the batteries they would just sit in my garage which is the same temp as they would be outside in the ski. I already keep the engine bays cracked so it can breath and no gasses buildup. I keep considering selling them since we only take them out a hand full of times each summer... but the kids have such a good time when we go...

Thanks for any ideas!

Jeremiah
 
JetManiac

JetManiac

Stoked
Site Supporter
Vendor Account
Location
orlando
Jeremiah, you should fog your motors with fogging oil. Dry out the bilge and waterboxes and then close them up.
Call me if you want the correct fogging procedure.
 
jjchambers

jjchambers

got me my braaapp!!
Location
Sarasota, FL
I wont' bother you with a call, but do you just run the motor and spray the fogging oil in until you choke the motor? Any fogging oil you recommend?
I dry the bilge completely and blast as much water out of the exhaust before I put them away every time as is, so they should be good in that sense.
I have minimal gas in each tank so I'm not going to worry about getting every bit out.

J
 
Vumad

Vumad

Super Hero, with a cape!
Location
St. Pete, FL
You could start them once or twice a month and let them run on the hose for a while. I'm down in tampa so I don't have to worry about leaving water in the lines. I suppose if you are further north you might have to get them dryer.
 
Snivilous

Snivilous

Location
SW UT
You gotta be joking. I just go and do the standard winterization you find online then leave the two skis on the trailer in the driveway (each has it's cover) but no tarp over all of them. Then in the winter it will be dropping below freezing almost every night, and often go below zero (and if it's like today have 20" of snow on it). I don't see why you would have to do anything fancy, my two 650sx fire right up on the first go in the spring and will never have been touched from October-March/April.
 
JetManiac

JetManiac

Stoked
Site Supporter
Vendor Account
Location
orlando
jjchambers said:
I wont' bother you with a call, but do you just run the motor and spray the fogging oil in until you choke the motor? Any fogging oil you recommend?
I dry the bilge completely and blast as much water out of the exhaust before I put them away every time as is, so they should be good in that sense.
I have minimal gas in each tank so I'm not going to worry about getting every bit out.

J[/QUOTE

Basically yes, but then remove plugs and spray some in, then turn motor over while holding the stop button. Add fual stabilizer like sea foam to the gas also.
Click to expand...
 
jjchambers

jjchambers

got me my braaapp!!
Location
Sarasota, FL
Snivilous said:
You gotta be joking. I just go and do the standard winterization you find online then leave the two skis on the trailer in the driveway (each has it's cover) but no tarp over all of them. Then in the winter it will be dropping below freezing almost every night, and often go below zero (and if it's like today have 20" of snow on it). I don't see why you would have to do anything fancy, my two 650sx fire right up on the first go in the spring and will never have been touched from October-March/April.
Click to expand...

Not too concerned w/ the GP800, but my 95SJ has a brand new Jetmaniac/Blue ported motor in it so I'd like to over-protect it so it lasts as long as it can. The last 2 winters I've just left them as is after riding and cleaning and I lost a battery and I think it contributed to the demise of the previous motor.
 
surfjunkie

surfjunkie

Location
deland fl
i will volunteer my services to keep the sj nice and lubed and ready to ride for spring. ha

i would just go with remembering to start them once every couple of weeks and add some fuel stabilizer. our winter's not that long
 
yamanube

yamanube

This Is The Way
Staff member
Location
Mandalor
If you fog it you don't have to worry about starting it periodically (technically if you fog it then start it up a few weeks later you should re-fog if its going to sit for a while). A motor is a stupid machine, it doesn't feel neglected if you don't give it attention. Lube it up and let it sit.
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
When I bought my first ski I was told by a friend that fogging creates a buildup inside the engine that never really cleans out. He was a very established mechanic and knew what he was talking about so I had/have no reason to disbelieve him. since then, I have never done any more to an engine than run it a couple times to get the moisture out, run some antifreeze into the cooling lines and then stick them in storage with the hoods cracked and the poles in the up position.

I also stored mine in a shed so I never used the covers. I have always felt the covers trapped moisture and did more harm than good. The humidity back home was alot lower than it is here down south so what worked up north may not work as effective in the south.
 
eeerieski

eeerieski

Location
NW PA
You will need 2 products to winterize in a non-freezing area, stabil fogging oil and stabil fuel stabilizer. Add the suggested amount of fuel stabilizer to the FULL tank and shake the ski to mix the stabilizer. Then run the engine with the flame arresters off and spray fogging oil into the carbs until the engine dies, remove the spark plugs and spray a 2-sec burst of fogging oil in each cylinder, re-insert plugs but leave the wires off and let it crank for a few more seconds. Disconnect batteries and place them in the garage off the concrete floor.Treat the inside of the hull with your favorite corrosion preventer if you ride salt and prop the hood up a bit with a scrap of 2x4on it's shortest dimension.
 
icecoled007

icecoled007

Captain of this ship
Location
Colorado
Ive heard both keep tank full and keep tank empty as possible....

Ive also heard to cover your tail pipe to prevent mice and other rodents from getting inside.
 
Wolf Child

Wolf Child

Just Another Octard
Location
All over C. FL
the tank full/tank empty argument is based on old metal tanks in bikes and boats. the metal creates condensation and you end up with moister in the fuel unless you keep them topped off. in plastic, this is a non issue. what you DO get with plastic taks is vapor bleed through and fuel degradation when it sits too long. drain the tanks and top off with fresh fuel when the season starts again.
 
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