July, 2011 | Outboard Motor Oil - Part 2

Cod with Escarole and Lemon

Simply thinking about cod makes my mouth begin to water. This tried and true recipe is sure to delight even the pickiest of eaters. All you need are 2 lemons, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium red onion thinly sliced, 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves, 2 pounds of coarsely chopped escarole, salt and pepper, and, of course, 4 boneless skinless cod fillets. Begin by slicing one lemon into 8 thin slices, and squeeze out the juice from the leftover lemon into a bowl and set aside. Next, add the olive oil into a heavy-duty pot and heat over medium-high. Add the onions and garlic and brown both (approximately 6 minutes).

Add in the escarole and ½ cup water to the pot. Place cod on top of the liquid and season with salt and pepper, then add two lemon slices to each fillet. Cover and cook the cod for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the fish and serve with escarole covered in the leftover lemon juice. The cod should flake perfectly and look quite beautiful with the lemon slices as garnish. You’ll be glad you stocked up on the bulk outboard motor oil that allowed your cod fishing trip in the first place.

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Steamed Whole Fish

This recipe works with a variety of fish, including red snapper, black bass, striped bass, and flounder. You will need 2 ½ to 3 pounds of cleaned, scaled fish, 2 large lemongrass stalks, 1.4 cup cilantro leaves, 1 piece peeled fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons of lime zest, 2 sliced garlic cloves, 4 scallions, and 2 tablespoons of Asian fish sauce. You will also need a wire rack, a large roasting pan and cover, and foil.

Place the wire rack in the bottom of the roasting pan and add one inch of water to the bottom of the pan. Put the pan on the stove (it will cover two burners) and bring the water to a boil. Lay out the fish on a large piece of foil. Take the cilantro, half of the lemongrass, and a third of the ginger and place it inside the fish cavity. Scatter the remaining ingredients on top and then place the fish with the foil into the pan. Steam the fish on medium high for 10 minutes per inch of thickness (so if the fish is two inches thick, steam for 20 minutes). Once the fish is cooked place it on a platter and serve it to your guests. Obviously, to catch such a beauty in the first place, you needed to use 2 stroke oil in your fishing boat.

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Welcome to Fish Week

Much has been written about techniques used to catch fish, but this week, which I’ve dubbed “fish week,” will focus on how to prepare your catch into a delicious meal. Let’s kick the week off with one of my favorite dishes: poached salmon. This simple recipe requires 1 to 1.5 pounds of salmon fillets, white wine, water, one small yellow onion, fresh or dried dill, parsley, black pepper, and a skillet.

Slice the small yellow onion into thin rings and place in the skillet along with a few sprigs of parsley and a sprinkling of dill. Cover the onion and seasonings with a half cup of water and a half cup of wine. Bring the liquid to a light simmer on medium heat. Once the liquid is bubbling nicely, place the fillets in, skin side down, cover the skillet and allow the fillets to cook for five minutes. Take the fillets out and sprinkle with black pepper, and now your dish is ready to serve! Of course, to catch beautiful salmon in the first place, you’ll want to make sure you’re using the proper 2 cycle oil on your fishing boat.

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Changing Oil in Honda Outboard Motors

Four-stroke outboard motors by Honda rank highly for reliability. In this post we’ll go over how to change the oil in a four-stroke Honda outboard motor. Start by taking the cowling off the motor; in some models there is a latch on the front and two on the back of the motor. Once the cowling is off look for the removal panel on the right side. Remove the panel to reveal the oil drain bolt.

At this point you’ll want to have a bucket and funnel handy to drain out the old oil. Replace the drain screw bolt and panel, then find and remove, and replace the oil filter. Add new synthetic oil outboard motor ready, typically about eight quarts. Put everything back in place and then check the new oil levels with the dipstick.

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Testing a Snowmobile Oil Pump

When it’s cold I can’t wait for warm weather, and when it’s boiling hot, as it is today, I can’t wait for the return of cool weather. I’ve been daydreaming about the snowmobile that is currently summering in my shed, and thought I’d use today’s post to explain how to test a snowmobile oil pump. An oil pump, for those unfamiliar with the mechanism, keeps the engine properly lubricated.

To test a snowmobile oil pump, start by disconnecting the threaded fitting on the oil pressure sending unit tube. You’ll want to use a wrench. Take your oil pressure test gauge and attach it to the port on the engine block. Start the engine and take a read out of the test gauge. A normal reading means you’re good to go whereas a low reading may indicate that the pump needs to be replaced.

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Sharing is Caring

My wife and I own a summer home on a lake. Things are pretty crazy at the office this year, so I am not able to go out to the lake house as often as I’d like. Usually, I purchase a Mercury oil 55 gallon drum to last me the season, but since I won’t have as much time to tool around on my boat I wasn’t sure that such a purchase would be worth it.

Thankfully, a neighbor at the lake mentioned that he too would only be at his place on weekends. We decided to go in on the Mercury oil 55 gallon drum together. This saved us both a lot of money and aggravation.

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Mixing Fuel for a Mercury Outboard Motor

Older two-stroke Mercury outboard motors require hand mixing of oil and gas. Newer models like the OptiMax motors have an oil injection system that keeps the ratio of gas to oil correct. If you are using an older model two-stroke outboard motor, here is some advice for mixing fuel:

As a general rule of thumb, add three ounces of Mercury 2 stroke premium outboard motor oil for each gallon of gas. Pour the gas and oil into a singular container. Close the gas container tightly and then shake the container vigorously to ensure that the oil and gasoline mix thoroughly. Once you are confident that the solution is properly mix, add it to your boat’s fuel tank.

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Troubleshooting a Two-Stroke Outboard Engine, Part 2

Yesterday, we left off with checking and fixing ignition wiring. Once you’re confident that there are no lingering wiring problems, turn the engine on and listen for the engine turning over, and failing that, clicking. Turn off the engine and locate the starter mechanism or solenoid if there isn’t an engine starter.

Tap the starter or solenoid with a screwdriver handle, and then try the ignition again. Next, pull the spark plug cap off and use a socket wrench to pull out the spark plug. If the spark plug is covered in gunk, replace the old spark plug, and add in new synthetic 2 stroke outboard oil. Finally check the fuel tank, vent, and fuel line for leaks.

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