[townsley4]

Hey I jus got my 1999 yamaha 1200gp back from getting a new engine put in, and I'm ready to winterize it. I got some fogging oil and fuel stabalizer but I got a few questions on how to winterize it since it will be the first winter I've had it. For the fuel, should I leave the tank full or should I drain all the gas out? The other question I have is about the antifreeze. Would regular peak RV and marine antifreeze work? And how would I go about using it? Do I just pour it into where I hook the water hose to and run some in it? Any info would be great, thanks

 

[Ernest T]

Full gas tank with fuel stabilizer leaves less room for water condensation.

I recommend no antifreeze. Antifreeze is more important for some SeaDoo skis with the closed cooling system. Antifreeze is NOT needed on Yamahas. Here is what I do: run the ski for 15-20 seconds dry to flush out any water in the system. Repeat the 15-20 second dry run the next day or wait 2-3 hours for the engine to cool completely until no water comes out. It helps to tilt the back of the ski down. If you use this process there will be very little water left in the ski. The heat from the engine evaporates what little is left, and it will not cause a problem if it freezes. I've stored my ski in an unheated marina building in sub 0 degree temps. with no problem.

If you insist on antifreeze it can be difficult to get in on some skis since it would have to be under pressure. You can try a funnel, but don't be surprised if all you do is get it all over your ski. Some guys use a drill driven pump. I would use the RV type, cause you are going to get it all over the ground around the ski.........the other type is deadly to animals..............better to skip the antifreeze IMO.

 

[townsley4]

hey thanks for that info. i live in illinois, the temp gets below 0 degrees in january-feb. but i will be keeping it in the garage with the truck, or in the unheated shed with our boat. it doesnt sound like to hard of a job to winterize these waverunners. i saw a guy at the dealer when i picked up my jet ski from getting worked on, he was pouring antifreeze in one and using compressed air trying to shoot it in/or out coudlnt tell. but since i dont have a closed cooling system, it isnt a necessity to do on my waverunner?

 

[Ernest T]

Yamaha skis are built to be self draining. I've got a friend in Connecticut and he uses the procedure that I mentioned and stores his Yamaha ski covered outside with no problems.

If you follow that procedure of using multiple dry runs until no water comes out, you will have no problems. I forgot to mention that it also helps to blip the throttle when you do the dry runs to blast out the water. Just keep the run time under 20 seconds each time and let the engine cool completely before the next run and it will be fine. There may be a very small amount of water left in the water box and other places, but there will be plenty room for expansion, and it will cause no problems.

I also forgot to mention that a lot of guys don't realize that if you put antifreeze in the ski through a funnel with no pressure, unless you pinch off the inlet water hose, almost all the antifreeze goes onto the ground and very little actually gets circulated. There are a lot of guys out there that think they are putting antifreeze in their skis, and are really only getting into the tail end of the exhaust system. What saves them is that Yamaha skis pretty much drain on their own, and have plenty of room in the cooling system for residual water to expand.

 

[townsley4]

thanks for all the helpfull info, it is great. i got it winterized, and took the battery out. when i was taking the battery out, i noticed like a air vent hose under the passenger seat that is not connected to anything. i found it going from the whre the edge of the seat site, down to under the exeaust. i dont know if that is where its supposed to be hooked onto something under there, but where it is connected its a little plastic piece with a hole in it like a air vent hose, and the hose does say vent on it. the other end that was under the exhaust, has a clip on it, but im not sure where it goes or came from. any idea? i could get a pic of it if it would help. but again, thanks for all the info

 

[Ernest T]

when i was taking the battery out, i noticed like a air vent hose under the passenger seat that is not connected to anything. i found it going from the whre the edge of the seat site, down to under the exeaust. i dont know if that is where its supposed to be hooked onto something under there, but where it is connected its a little plastic piece with a hole in it like a air vent hose, and the hose does say vent on it. the other end that was under the exhaust, has a clip on it, but im not sure where it goes or came from. any idea?

That hose went to the original Yamaha battery, which was a non-maintenance free type with a vent port. It was designed to vent the build up of gas in the battery. The original battery was probably replaced long ago with a maintenance free type which doesn't need to be vented, so don't worry about the hose.