when it comes time to winterize..

[500dollar744ti]

i've been pondering how i'm going to do this for a while. if my motor were easy to get to i would be opening the drains and letting all the water out manually, air can't freeze right?

well, my engine (1990 MCM 350 Magnum) sits low in the back and it's godawful akward to get to. after removing half the interior, it took me about 2 hours to change the plugs. i felt like i needed to be a contortionist to work on it. i have a feeling the drains are going to be even harder to get to and i'm pretty sure i'll have to remove a manifold and riser to get to the power steering cooler.

is there any reason i can't fill a garbage can full of that pink biodegradable antifreeze, put it under the drive and run it until it has been spraying out the exhaust for a while?

about how long does it take for the cooling system to completely circulate through the block, p/s cooler, heads, manifolds and all that? can i be reasonably sure that once it's spraying out the exhaust there's enough in there to prevent any freezing?

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

to clarify, i want to warm the engine up on freshwater from the garden hose. once good and hot, i want to run pink rv/marine antifreeze through it, about 5 or 6 gallons until coming out of the exhaust, then shut it down for the winter.

fogging looks like a marketing scam to me, i can't imagine any engine being stored for less than 6 months needing to be "fogged".

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

Howdy,


Well a LOT of people do try to use Anti-freeze when they winterize. The problem is trying to get the thermostat open long enough to get enough mixed in the engine to get the desired results.

I think some actually remove the thermostat and do it.

It's "Crap-shoot" unless you can get a big enough tub to match(with anti-freeze) the same amount of clear water already contained in the block and associated plumbing. ...... and THEN be assured that you have mixed with all the water in the block.

Because, if you have a spot in the block that didn't "mix" and you have a REALLY hard freeze, the "mix" might still freeze. (You live in Fairbanks? I was there once when it was -55F and it had warmed up from -65F the previous day!!)

My winter season goes from about SEP to about JUNE and I have never "fogged" but my boat stays in a closed dry garage. If you leave it outside and it's damp/wet etc, Fogging is probably a good idea (and recommended by Mercury/Volvo/OMC/etc)

I have closed cooling on my boat and everything drains well after shutdown............ but if I didn't, I would drain it.

 

[Bondo]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

to clarify, i want to warm the engine up on freshwater from the garden hose. once good and hot, i want to run pink rv/marine antifreeze through it, about 5 or 6 gallons until coming out of the exhaust, then shut it down for the winter.
fogging looks like a marketing scam to me, i can't imagine any engine being stored for less than 6 months needing to be "fogged".

Ayuh,..... That's almost a Gauranteed Cracked block...

The T-stat will close as soon as that cooler antifreeze hits it.....

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

^^^ how about doing it with the thermostat removed?

in my area (Fairfax, VA) it never gets below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and rarely below 20F. i would be significantly more concerned if i lived somewhere where it was -55F for long periods of time.

i can remove the thermostat and run to operating temp then flush 5 or 6 gallons of pink stuff through it, i can't imagine it would need more than that for the temps we see here. that's also a good excuse to replace the thermostat and gasket as a yearly maintenance thing.

i'm a bit worried that even if i can get to the block drains and don't break my back doing it, that they may be clogged or stuck in place. if i break one of them or it's clogged and i can't get to it well enough to clear it out i might make it even worse of a situation for myself.

i've been in situations working on cars where something completely simple turns into an absolute nightmare because of a broken bolt or unique part that comes apart while making the repair.

 

[stonyloam]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

i have a feeling the drains are going to be even harder to get to and i'm pretty sure i'll have to remove a manifold and riser to get to the power steering cooler./QUOTE]

Am not in a very good mood this morning so here goes. Why don't you figure out exactly what you need to do to drain your engine and just do it right, rather than bellyaching about how hard it might be.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

i have a feeling the drains are going to be even harder to get to and i'm pretty sure i'll have to remove a manifold and riser to get to the power steering cooler./QUOTE]

Am not in a very good mood this morning so here goes. Why don't you figure out exactly what you need to do to drain your engine and just do it right, rather than bellyaching about how hard it might be.

Don't "sugar-coat" it Terry........Tell us what you REALLY think!!

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

Reality Check........

1. Cracked Block = $2000.00 +
2. Take it to someone and it have done right = $100.00 = or so
3. Try the antifreeze flush thing and gamble if the themostat opened = ? Wont know till spring
4. Buckle down and quit your winning and take the interior apart….. Get to the drains on the manifolds and engine block…Drain all water out …poke a coat hanger in the holes to remove rust build up. Take your thermostat housing off and pour pink stuff in block and watch it come out of the drain holes then plug them back up…. Bolt thermostat housing back down with new thermostat and gasket. Done

 

[rowlex]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

ive used this method for years(on sea-water cooled(~4 times), and closed cooling boat(once)). I am no expert like the rest of the guys here are. so take it with a grain of salt.

fill with antifreeze, hook up hose and muffs, run til the motor is hot. switch the valve to turn off the water and turn on the antifreeze. I also spray the fogging oil into the carb.

this kit was 25$ at the store. (http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...0-Do-It-Yourself-Winterizer-Flushing-Kit.html)

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

Reality Check........

1. Cracked Block = $2000.00

yeah, it's definitely $100 for me to get another short block at the yard however, it will be about $2000 worth of my time to replace it.

i guess i can get down there with some mirrors and find all the drain plugs, how many are there? i've never done this myself and i want to make sure i drain everything.

there's how many plugs on the motor? and what other items do i drain?

i've been going through the mercruiser manual but this computer is just too damn slow to process the pages of that manual the way they have it setup, would be much better in a PDF file.

 

[Don S]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

this kit was 25$ at the store. (http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...0-Do-It-Yourself-Winterizer-Flushing-Kit.html)

Yes, that is a kit that so many people use, then in the spring the come here and ask why they have water in the oil, only to find a cracked block.
Some people get lucky, probably have a thermostat stuck open, or no thermostat at all.

I'll bet the people that sell remanned engines designed that kit.

 

[achris]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

...would be much better in a PDF file.

Here you go.

Engine -> https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1TAvwZ3TjhfdVNLbWdZMTRQTkE
Drive -> https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1TAvwZ3TjhfOVRUNEk0anBUR3lQYTkwcUh5RElUQQ

Chris......

As far as the winterizing goes, I'm with the other guys... Stop griping and pull the damn plugs out, but don't put them back in until spring. And don't forget the big water pump hose at the front of the engine, and pull the drive off too. Take the batteries out, and don't forget to drain the water out of the power steering cooler...

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

^^^ thank you sir, you are a scholar and a gentleman.

now,. what is it i do with the big water pump hose? i can pull the drive, can i store it outside? i am removing the drive to let excess water drain out, correct? draining the p/s cooler, how is that accomplished? i know the cooler exists but i have yet to see it, i guess i am going to have to feel for it to find out where it is?

 

[emoney]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

500$....I've got the easiest solution as I was facing a similiar issue back in the late summer of '98.

Move to Florida, south of the "freeze line" and fuhgehtaboutit.

 

[NHGuy]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

You warm up the motor on muffs, partway. Shut it down, suck out the old oil, change the oil filter, refill the oil. It has to be warm or it will be hell to suck out.
Remove the 2 water hoses from the cooler on the port side of the motor. Remove the 2 where they attach to the elbows, 2 to the exhaust manifolds and the bottom end of the big hose on the starboard side of the front of the motor. That one goes to the bottom fitting on the water circulating pump.
Remove the pipe plugs on the sides of the exhaust elbows (2), remove the petcocks from the bottom of the exhaust manifolds (2) and remove the 2 petcocks from the lower center of the engine block. With the petcocks and plugs out run a coat hangar into the block, manifolds and the elbows. Wiggle it around really well to make sure to break up any rust scale and get all possible water out of the block, manifolds and elbows.
I use a pair of pliers to turn the petcocks on the motor, there is one on each side. They also work on the manifold petcocks.
Put all the little bits in a ziplock bag for next year.
I'm 30 lbs over weight and way past 50 years old. I have to lean way into the bilge to reach this stuff, but it's worth it to have a boat with an Alpha 1 and a 5.7 Mercruiser in it.

 

[airshot]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

I was smart and read about all these things on this forum and when I chose my boat I made sure it would be easy to work on. Drains are easy to get at and I can slip a drain pan under the engine to change oil. Boating for over 50 years and my Starcraft islander is the best watercraft (easiest to work on) I have ever owned. "Do it right or Do it over....the choice is yours.

Airshot

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

you all have convinced me there's only one way to do it right so let me get a list of what i think is necessary then...

-drain port side engine petcock
-drain starboard side engine petcock
-remove plug to drain port side riser
-remove plug to drain starboard side riser
-remove p/s cooler water hose to drain (1 or 2 hoses?)
-remove large hose at circulating pump to drain
-remove manifold water input hoses to drain?
-remove outdrive for remaining water to drain (can re-install after?)

make sure drains are clear by continuously poking with coat hanger and do i need to remove the t-stat housing to fill with pink stuff? should i leave the drains open all winter and re-install in the summer? the merc manual said to close it all up after draining but i've heard on here to leave it all open and put it back in the summer?

thanks all for your input, first time winterizing an I/O for me and i don't want to mess it up.

 

[straightleg]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

I have always pulled mine. Coat hanger, when all water was out reinstalled them.
That is what my manual said.
Have had boat 23 years, has worked so far

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

You can put the pink stuff in if you want!

As Bondo always say's AIR WILL NOT FREEZE!

Good Luck

 

[Don S]

Re: when it comes time to winterize..

Have you read the stickies? http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=288430