Quick winterizing question regarding mercruiser 165 l6

[Cbastuan]

Hi guys,
I just have a question concerning winterizing my mercruiser 165 straight 6.
I just bought the boat this year and this is my first time wintering an I/o.
The main question I have has to do with draining the block and exhaust manifold.
I pulled both hoses off the thermostat housing first, I then drained the block anf kept track of how much water came out, it was roughly 4 liters that drained from the block.
I then drained the manifold, and when I pulled the drain plug, the water didn't come out in a steady stream, just a slow drip, I stuck a thin wire up into the hole thinking it was possibly clogged but it wasn't.
As i said this is my first time doing this so I'm basically wondering if that is typical when draining your manifold? I expected it to come out in a steady stream as opposed to a slow drip?
Any insight would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you had already pulled the hoses to the manifold, that should have drained some of the water.

 

[Cbastuan]

you had already pulled the hoses to the manifold, that should have drained some of the water.

I was thinking that, but don't really see how that's possible, as the water enters the manifold from the top at the thermostat side, and exits from the top at the riser/elbow at the back, right?

 

[Cbastuan]

I guess what I am wondering, are the water passages so tight in an exhaust manifold that when you drain it, its not a steady stream just a slow drip? Or is it possible my exhaust manifold is full of crud/scale/rust and that's causing it to drain slowly?

 

[Alumarine]

Seeing you have the hose off maybe pour a quart of water in and see if it all comes out.
Or, if it backs up and comes out the hose.

You could pull the riser off to see the condition of both.

 

[Cbastuan]

Seeing you have the hose off maybe pour a quart of water in and see if it all comes out.
Or, if it backs up and comes out the hose.

You could pull the riser off to see the condition of both.

Hi,
I did end up pouring some concentrated antifreeze down the hose connected to the manifold, it did end up coming out the drain hole, but again it was a very slow drip from the drain hole, not a steady stream.
Is that normal?

 

[Scott Danforth]

the manifold could be plugged with rust. may be a good time to pull the riser and inspect

 

[Cbastuan]

the manifold could be plugged with rust. may be a good time to pull the riser and inspect

Ok, I'll check it out tonight. I did warm the engine up and changed the oil before draining the block and manifold,.
Had it idling for about 10 minutes on the muffs, ran nice, didn't over heat at all, and there was a good steady stream of water coming out through the prop and the other 2 weep holes at the bottom of the gimbal housing plate (I think that's what its called?)

Would a plugged up manifold/riser not cause me to overheat? Or would I notice restricted flow of water through the prop?

 

[Bondo]

I stuck a thin wire up into the hole thinking it was possibly clogged but it wasn't.

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,.... Use a big nail or large deck screw/ drywall screw to poke, 'n prod the holes,....

You could do it while runnin' on the muffs to really flush out the crud build up,....