KHE
Member
- Feb 28, 2012
- 238
- Boat Info
- 1997 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer
- Engines
- Mercruiser 5.7L EFI alpha 1 Gen 2 drive
I am going to winterize my '97 240 Sundancer (5.7 EFI Alpha One drive) next week in preparation for indoor storage. My initial checklist is:
Is there anything I have overlooked? Do I need to remove any hoses on the power steering unit to drain any water or will it empty when I remove the engine plugs? This is the first time I will be winterizing this boat and don't want to miss anything. Thanks!
- Drain freshwater tank
- Blow out water line to sink
- Add some RV antifreeze to the sink pump via water line and cycle pump
- Pump out the porta-potty
- Drain the water from the porta-potty supply tank
- Fill the fuel tank adding stabil to the fuel
- Change the fuel water separator filter
- Start engine on hose muffs - let it warm up to operating temp.
- Change engine oil and filter
- Fog the engine
- Drain the water from the engine block, exhaust manifolds and fuel cooler. Per the Mercruiser diagrams online, I counted 5 plastic drain plugs - one each side of the engine block, one for each exhaust manifold and one for the fuel cooler. I am thinking about replacing the o-rings on the blue plugs.
- Disconnect four hoses at front of engine and pour RV antifreeze into the hoses until it comes out of the nipple where each hose was disconnected.
- Clean/scrub the bilge
- Remove the serpentine accessory belt
- charge the batteries
- Remove the outdrive and install a plate over the opening. That way, the bellows will be in the compressed state vs. extended state. I can't trust the storage facility to lower the drive for me or raise it in the spring when they move it out of the building when I pick it up.
- I planned on leaving the batteries installed - they will be fully charged and I'll turn the battery switch to OFF unless it is better to remove them. The engine compartment is pretty tight and I'd rather just leave them in there.
Is there anything I have overlooked? Do I need to remove any hoses on the power steering unit to drain any water or will it empty when I remove the engine plugs? This is the first time I will be winterizing this boat and don't want to miss anything. Thanks!