Marine Engine Maintenance

As a boat owner, protecting your engine from potential damage is crucial for ensuring longevity and reliability on the water. One of the most effective ways to safeguard your marine engine is by installing a remote fuel/water separator. This essential component acts as a guardian for your engine, preventing water and contaminants from wreaking havoc on your fuel system. In this article, we'll explore why you need a fuel/water separator, the benefits of a remote installation, how to choose the right one, and provide a comprehensive guide on installation and maintenance.

As a boat owner, one of the most common maintenance tasks you'll encounter is replacing worn-out or cracked bellows and hoses. These rubber components are crucial for connecting rigid piping and allowing movement, as well as for various fluid transfer applications on your boat. Over time, exposure to heat, sunlight, and the harsh marine environment can cause these parts to deteriorate, leading to potential leaks or failures.

As the boating season winds down, it's crucial to prepare your outboard motor for winter storage. Proper winterization not only extends the life of your motor but also ensures it's ready to go when the next season rolls around. This guide will cover the essential steps to winterize both 2-stroke and 4-stroke outboard motors, with explanations on why each step is important.

Before diving into the winterization

In this video, we show how to correctly identify your Suzuki outboard motor.  If you want to ensure that you get the correct parts for your engine, identifying the correct model is key!

In this video, we show how to correctly identify your Yamaha outboard motor.  If you want to ensure that you get the correct parts for your engine, identifying the correct model is key!

The transition from summer to fall is not just about the colorful foliage and cooler temperatures. For many boat owners, it's a crucial time to prepare their vessels for the colder months ahead. Among the myriad tasks to undertake, one that shouldn't be overlooked is the care of the boat's fuel. Properly treating and storing boat fuel in the fall is paramount to ensure smooth sailing when the warmer days roll back around. Let's dive into why this is essential and how to get it done right.

With spring right around the corner, boating season is about to begin! Of course, if you want to have a truly enjoyable year on your boat, you need to make sure it is in good working condition.  A big part of that task is making sure you conduct a thorough tune up of your engine before you hit the water.  In this article, you'll find some tips to help make sure you have covered all the steps of a proper tune up on your boat's engine.

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Troubleshooting your boat's alternator can be difficult and unsafe. Learn the basics of the different styles and alternator circuits so that you have a better understanding of what type of alternator you have on your boat.

Most outboard engines don't require a lot of repairs in their lifetime.  Simple maintenance is usually sufficient for a long-lasting, well-performing engine.  However, one area that you may experience some trouble with is the outboard ignition system.  Most modern outboards use ignition systems consisting of a variety of electrical components.  As you can imagine, any time that there is potential of exposing electrical components to water, there is the potential for damage. Similarly, normal use can eventually wear out some components and require repair.

Troubleshooting an outboard ignition system is not so simple. When people are repairing their outboard's ignition system, one frequent issue we see at Marine Parts Source is that people will end up purchasing several different components trying to guess where the source of the problem is.  We have found that having a better understanding of the entire ignition system and how each component works can help

There aren’t many things more frustrating than waiting for that first perfect day in spring to get the boat back on the water only to realize you have a dead battery. Proper battery maintenance and storage should be an essential part of your winterization procedures, and it can help you avoid additional costs and headaches along the way. Here are a few tips to help make sure when the weather is ready for boating, your battery is ready as well.

1. First off, make sure you are performing regular maintenance on your boat’s battery. Clean the battery tops and battery posts of debris and corrosion, filling the electrolyte, check the voltage and recharge on a monthly basis.
2. Disconnect the terminals to remove all the electrical loads from your batteries. If you aren’t removing the battery from your boat, you will want to make sure all your switches are turned off. Or, simply remove any equipment that may cause a drain on the battery. Many electronics have