Mooring and Hunting - When moored in freezing or near freezing temperature, keep the mud motor tilted down at all times so the lower outdrive is submerged.
When you park your boat overnight and during hunting, park in a location where the waves are not splashing against the engine. This will cause severe
ice buildup on the outdrive and trim assembly. This can prevent your motor from turning and trim can freeze in position. If this happens, don't hammer
the ice off the trim unit since this can break the wires and seal surfaces.
Throttle Cable - If any water enters the throttle cable it will freeze and prevent you from running your motor. If you thaw out the cable with your hands
or some other type of heat, I guarantee it will freeze when you are driving and you will have an unpleasant surprise. The throttle will stick and you
will need to turn the key off or use the safety kill switch to stop. On short transom boats, the sudden stop will cause a wave to come over the transom.This
is unsafe.
Prevent water from entering the cable by elevating both ends all the time. We elevate the engine side cable and you need to elevate the throttle end when
you receive and install the handle on new motors. Use a tight wire tie 6" from handle to elevate the cable slightly.
Remove water in the throttle cable by removing the cable, hanging it vertically and insert anti-freeze. The best way is to slide a tight fitting rubber
hose over the throttle cable and pour antifreeze into a container and use the hose to funnel the fluid into the throttle cable until it runs out the
lower end. Now install the cable with both ends elevated.
Cover the throttle and handle controls with a plastic bag in freezing rain. The ice will build up and cause the switches to freeze in place. If you hammer
the ice from the switches this can cause breakage.Carry a zip-lock, cover, or handle cover when in these freezing rain conditions . Protect your fuel
by removing ice and snow from your fuel tank. Shine a flash light into the fuel tank at night and the little diamonds floating in the bottom of the
fuel tank are water droplets. Don't allow ice and snow to enter the tank when refueling. Use moisture dissipating fuel additives in cold weather. One
small ice particle in the tank, fuel line, filter or carb will make for a very short or long day on the water.
Carb Freezing can occur when running on mist or foggy water when temperatures fall be low 35 degrees, not 32, 35 degrees. The accelerated damp air moving
through the intake system will cause a sudden temperature drop and ice will build up in your carburetor. This will cause loss of power, exhaust smoking,
accelerated fuel consumption and a headache. The Vanguard engines have cold weather icing problems; turn the air filter intake towards the exhaust
so warm air enters the motor.
If your engine in take freezes, shut off the warm engine and cover with a motor cover, decoy bag, jacket or anything to keep the engine heat on the carburetor.
It will thaw out in 10 minutes.
Parking a boat on steep snow covered shorelines can be dangerous. Approach a snow covered bank slowly. The boat will power up the snow covered shoreline
easily and when it slides back into the water, the transom can submerge.
Snow and ice is the boat and motor's worst enemy. Cover your boat and motor when not in use. When the boat and motor become full of snow and ice builds
up, it is necessary to garage the boat and completely thaw out all the components. Ice builds rapidly in the boat, adds weight and affects the stability
and safe operations of the boat. Ice covered wires easily breaks. We have lots of fun when the weather gets very cold, but preventative maintenance
is imperative.