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Spring maintenance protocols


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Tell us your spring run-up protocols... curious what everyone out there does each spring.

Usually have the dealership winterize and store mine. Had it stored at a heated indoor facility this year so it wasn't winterized. Debating what i'm going to do if anything at all this spring.

Maybe an oil change and check the plugs...

thoughts?

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I'm in the same boat this year. Boat I bought was in heated storage and not winterized because they knew it was being sold. Normally I'd do an oil change before putting it away and trans fluid if that was on the schedule.

This week - oil change, impeller change, check the trans fluid and put the knock sensors back, reconnect the manifold drains. That'll be about it since it is a newer boat.

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For me, I have to reinstall the battery (its been on a battery maintainer in the garage of my lake house), replace the impeller, and replace the fuel filter. I quickly double check that I didn't forget

to put all hoses back together after I winterized. Then, I drop her in the water and start her up. I recheck hoses for leaks/drips, as well as the raw water pump. After warming up to operating temperature, I recheck oil and transmission fluid levels. After that, I'm good to go.

I do the oil and transmission fluid changes when I winterize, so that's already taken care of.

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As I am a new Bu owner this is a great thread for me right now. As I have no idea what was done to the boat inprevious years I am going to assume everything needs to be replaced. I am planning on changing all oil, replacing spark arrestor, Plugs, wires, cap, fuel filter, clean fuel tank, inspect all fuel lines, Carb rebuild, shaft packing, rudder tightness...........anything else you guys can reccomend?

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As I am a new Bu owner this is a great thread for me right now. As I have no idea what was done to the boat inprevious years I am going to assume everything needs to be replaced. I am planning on changing all oil, replacing spark arrestor, Plugs, wires, cap, fuel filter, clean fuel tank, inspect all fuel lines, Carb rebuild, shaft packing, rudder tightness...........anything else you guys can reccomend?

I wouldn't bother rebuilding the carb unless it has issues.

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Yesterday
Fired her up for the first time for the 2014 season games......lol :rockon: Sunshine come on down.....

Last fall I changed the oil and trany fluid, drained the block by pulling a few hoses off, etc. not to crucial
as my baby cuddles in a heated garage for hibernation.

Yesterday, keyed in my code....lol....took me awhile trying to remember what it was, 1-1/2 cracks she fired.
What a great sound.....This coming Sat. forecast is Sun....Cultas Lake here we come!

Dry suits of course! :frantic:

post-20239-0-58243200-1396901198_thumb.j

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ahopkins22LSV

Yesterday

Fired her up for the first time for the 2014 season games......lol :rockon: Sunshine come on down.....

Last fall I changed the oil and trany fluid, drained the block by pulling a few hoses off, etc. not to crucial

as my baby cuddles in a heated garage for hibernation.

Yesterday, keyed in my code....lol....took me awhile trying to remember what it was, 1-1/2 cracks she fired.

What a great sound.....This coming Sat. forecast is Sun....Cultas Lake here we come!

Dry suits of course! :frantic:

I will be firing mine up tomorrow or the day after! I can't wait to hear it!! Should be skiing by the end of this week and or this weekend.

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am I the only one who doesn't change the impeller here?? call me crazy/lazy but the last time I did after a season, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Seems like a waste of time to me unless you know you ran it dry or something of that nature.

oil change and check tranny fluid for me... I didn't even drain anything last year as the boat sat in a climate controlled building with about 40 other boats of much greater value than mine that weren't winterized either...

Probably gonna pull her out, change the oil, check the plugs and get after it

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am I the only one who doesn't change the impeller here?? call me crazy/lazy but the last time I did after a season, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Seems like a waste of time to me unless you know you ran it dry or something of that nature.

oil change and check tranny fluid for me... I didn't even drain anything last year as the boat sat in a climate controlled building with about 40 other boats of much greater value than mine that weren't winterized either...

Probably gonna pull her out, change the oil, check the plugs and get after it

Problem is that there isn't a way to know if you have a shredded vane or if it hardened up without pulling it.

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I do all of my maintenance in the spring........Some here say they would rather have fresh oil sitting in it all winter instead of used oil.

Personally, I do mine in the spring for the exact opposite. This way I know the oil hasn't been sitting exposed to temp changes etc all winter long.

I also change my tranny/vdrive fluids in the spring along with impeller and fuel filters. Usually I start out by pulling every cushion out of the boat that will come out. Then do all of my fluids etc, then clean the cushions then the inside of the boat. Entire process usually takes me 2 days. My wife and friends say I am crazy and obsessed, but hey, they sure do comment on how nice and clean everything is ALL year long!!!!

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am I the only one who doesn't change the impeller here?? call me crazy/lazy but the last time I did after a season, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Seems like a waste of time to me unless you know you ran it dry or something of that nature.

oil change and check tranny fluid for me... I didn't even drain anything last year as the boat sat in a climate controlled building with about 40 other boats of much greater value than mine that weren't winterized either...

Probably gonna pull her out, change the oil, check the plugs and get after it

Rubber components dry rot. You can probably push it to 2 or 3 years, but, eventually, having sat all scrunched up in the housing through hot and cold temperatures, most of it while dry, the vanes are going to crack. If you're paying close attention to the engine temperature all of the time, maybe, when it does fail, you will catch it before you get a significant engine overheat.

But for me, heck, its a $30 part and takes less than 10 minutes to change out, which I do yearly. That way, I sleep better at night, and relax more while out on the boat, especially since, if I were the one out there surfing or skiing or wake boarding when an unexpected overheat occurred, I would have to be relying on my wife or daughter or friend to catch it early.

Even if I were the one driving, and I'm pretty darned OCD, is it possible that I could still miss the early signs of an impeller failure if it happened? Sure, but that is a whole lot less likely if I've got a fresh one in there.

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am I the only one who doesn't change the impeller here?? call me crazy/lazy but the last time I did after a season, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Seems like a waste of time to me unless you know you ran it dry or something of that nature.

oil change and check tranny fluid for me... I didn't even drain anything last year as the boat sat in a climate controlled building with about 40 other boats of much greater value than mine that weren't winterized either...

Probably gonna pull her out, change the oil, check the plugs and get after it

I don't usually say this because everyone will call you/me crazy, but I've gone something like 7+ years on the normal Johnson impeller before having a failure. Personally I think changing every 2-4 years is probably sufficient. If I had a DD I'd probably change it every year, but in a V-drive I don't find it as convenient as everyone else claims it to be to change.

Since I've not so scientifically determined that 3-4 years is about half it's life expectancy, that is enough piece of mind for me to stretch that maintenance out a few more years... and find myself punching fiberglass less often.

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