Gravity system for winterizing???

[tony1b2000]

What an awful system! I d not feel like you are getting the right amount of antifreeze in the system. Also get overheat alarms!

Better ideas ?

BTW: 280 Sundancer, 4.3 mercs

 

[wish2fish]

Where did you have the container? I had alarms last year and I was told you have to run a little faster than idle to avoid the alarm. My container and hose were not the best.

I just made a new container this year with a bigger hose. Used it on my brothers 1981 Merc 5 liter and it worked great.

I'm hoping to to mine this weekend. I'll let you know if it works for me and then post some pics.

 

[avguy]

I bought the "winterizing kit" at West Marine which is basically a five gallon jug & a piece of clear garden hose. Set the jug on the swim platform & it worked great.

 

[gerryb]

I bought the "winterizing kit" at West Marine which is basically a five gallon jug & a piece of clear garden hose. Set the jug on the swim platform & it worked great.

+1 - many years with no issues

 

[Alex F]

What an awful system! I d not feel like you are getting the right amount of antifreeze in the system. Also get overheat alarms!

Better ideas ?

BTW: 280 Sundancer, 4.3 mercs

As others stated, place the container properly having the hose pointing down on the drive. Alpha I should have no trouble providing enough flow. Check your impeller if you're getting bad flow. On BIII I had to apply some throttle to get the flow going.

 

[JVM225]

I bought one of the kits from West Marine and wound up not using it. After I bought it I read some conflicting opinions about it. Most seemed to agree that draining the blocks and then filling them with AF through the big hose off of the thermostat housing until AF starts to come out of the thermostat housing is a bit more reliable.
I'm not sure which is better or worse, but I decided to do it the old fashioned way.

 

[Lazy Daze]

What an awful system! I d not feel like you are getting the right amount of antifreeze in the system. Also get overheat alarms!

Better ideas ?

BTW: 280 Sundancer, 4.3 mercs

If you want to be absolutely sure, do as suggested directly above by JVM.

In fact, what you can do is run your fogging mixture through and then shut off the engine. No need to start up the engine again until Spring. Drop the water out and then re-fill with pink. Into the block hose, then the two exhaust hoses and then the drive hose. This way you are guaranteed to have 100% pink inside.

Plus, you're assured that you've fogged correctly and haven't actually diluted the fogging mixture too much by running the engine longer than you have to.

I'm not saying the bucket method is necessarily bad - but it does leave more to chance. That's my opinion, anyways.:smt001

 

[JVM225]

If you want to be absolutely sure, do as suggested directly above by JVM.

In fact, what you can do is run your fogging mixture through and then shut off the engine. No need to start up the engine again until Spring. Drop the water out and then re-fill with pink. Into the block hose, then the two exhaust hoses and then the drive hose. This way you are guaranteed to have 100% pink inside.

Plus, you're assured that you've fogged correctly and haven't actually diluted the fogging mixture too much by running the engine longer than you have to.

I'm not saying the bucket method is necessarily bad - but it does leave more to chance. That's my opinion, anyways.:smt001

That seems to be pretty much the consensus. I wish I had saved my West Marine reciept.

 

[Riptide III]

I don’t bother with the muffs. I disconnect the hose at the back of the engine from the drive. Stuff a garden hose into that hose. Run the engine up to temp with a garden hose. Drain it quickly! Then run a few gallons of the pink stuff thru it with a five gallon jug that has a ball valve and a 4 foot section of garden hose on it (stuffed into the engine hose)(engine running). Then I drain the pink stuff out and leave the plugs out. The pink stuff will freeze up North here if the temp gets cold enough. The last step was at the guidance of the local marinas. The less fluid in the engine the better. You can never get 100% of the water out. What little is left is guaranteed to be anti freeze. I would not just drain the engine and fill it back up at the thermostat housing. When you drain it, you won’t get all the water out. When you fill it you will have a non-circulated/unmixed solution in the block. Very capable of freezing.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I don’t bother with the muffs. I disconnect the hose at the back of the engine from the drive. Stuff a garden hose into that hose. Run the engine up to temp with a garden hose. Drain it quickly! Then run a few gallons of the pink stuff thru it with a five gallon jug that has a ball valve and a 4 foot section of garden hose on it (stuffed into the engine hose)(engine running). Then I drain the pink stuff out and leave the plugs out. The pink stuff will freeze up North here if the temp gets cold enough. The last step was at the guidance of the local marinas. The less fluid in the engine the better. You can never get 100% of the water out. What little is left is guaranteed to be anti freeze. I would not just drain the engine and fill it back up at the thermostat housing. When you drain it, you won’t get all the water out. When you fill it you will have a non-circulated/unmixed solution in the block. Very capable of freezing.

Unfortunately, your marina gave you some bad advice. While "-50*" AF turns slushy and may freeze before -50*, it won't actually start to expand until lower than -50*. Whatever water may be left in the block might drop the rating to what... -45*? It doesn't get that cold in MA.

Besides, one could always use -100.

While you certainly won't crack a block doing it your marina's way, you are rusting/corroding the inside of your engine. The second purpose of AF is to protect against corrosion.

Just offering this as some advice as it seems you got some bad advice.

 

[wish2fish]

Used my new gravity system today. I can't get to the blue plugs because of the tightness of my engine compartment. I brought the boat up to operating temp. Changed the oil and outdrive lube and then ran the boat again getting it back up to temp (170). Disconnected the hose, let the system drain and then connected my gravity system. Worked great and I hdidn't have the alarm problem I had last year with a different set up. This hose is bigger and stiffer so there are no flow restrictions. Ran 6 gallons in to be sure to get as much diluted out as possible.

Here is a picture of my device. I got the clear container out of neighbors garbarge. It wis a 3 gallon water container. I cut the sphigot off and put the clear hose on. I inserted a garden hose fitting on the other end. I already had the hose end and tubing but it probably cost me $10.

[/IMG]

 

[Lazy Daze]

Wish,

Glad it went well for you. But.... one problem. If the AF you used is the stuff in your picture, it's the wrong stuff. It contains alcohol - no good for the inside of your engine - it will cause corrosion. You want the "Freeze Ban". It is propylene glycol based and is the one for engines (it will also work in fresh water systems). Sorry! Don't hate the messenger!

Can't get to the blue plugs? Awww, c'mon! Just unhook your arm from your shoulder, drop it down into the engine bay, bend your elbow backwards and you'll have it!

 

[Riptide III]

While you certainly won't crack a block doing it your marina's way, you are rusting/corroding the inside of your engine. The second purpose of AF is to protect against corrosion.

Just offering this as some advice as it seems you got some bad advice.[/quote]


I agree with your explanation of the freeze and slush ( I assume that to be common knowledge). However please explain to me how an engine that has just been flushed with a glycol based anti freeze will rust. Not trying to be a smart a$$! Just looking to expand my knowledge base.
Thanks
Phil


P.S.
My main point I was trying to make was that I didn't think it to be a prudent Idea to just simply pull the drain plugs, drain it, plug it and fill her up with anti freeze. you wont get all the water out and the anti freeze may not perform as advertised. I think that got lost in translation.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Hi Phil,

It's really such a small amount of water that is left in the block when you drain it that it won't even do any damage - it will just expand into the immense air cavities that are left. Meaning, even draining it via the blue plugs and not filling with AF will not cause the block to freeze.

So when you think about the minimal amount of water that is actually left in the block, it's really not affecting the temperature rating of the AF much. In fact, I was probably even over-exaggerating the -45* above.


As far why the "Arctic Ban" (in Wish's pic) is bad, I'll let someone with a Chemistry background explain the specifics. But, it contains alcohol and that is not something you want to be putting in your engine - mainly for corrosion issues. Now, whether it's because it will actually cause corrosion or jut not prevent it... I'm not sure. But it does not belong in an engine. Aside from not having alcohol in it, Propylene Glycol has additional rust and corrosion inhibitors in it (along with lubricating properties for seals).

Draining via blue plugs and filling with AF through t-stat or hoses is the way one's Merc manual says to do it, along with specifically calling for Propylene Glycol.

There's probably some articles out there on the internet that can explain it in more detail.

Hope this helps to explain it a bit better,
Dennis


PS: Phil, which one are you in your avatar picture? And... THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE AND WILL DO!!!!

 

[Riptide III]

Thanks Dennis. Im the handson one on the left in the back row.
Phil
Im back in Iraq right now bouncing this off a satellite.
Home away from home. Fifth time is a charm!

 

[JVM225]

I'b be afraid that the alcohol portion would either dry out rubber hoses, evaporate, or a combination of both.

 

[wish2fish]

damn Dennis! why does it have a picture of a boat on the label??? I can't read the label without my glasses. Hard part is oil/lube change anyway. I can get it done quickly. thanks for catching that.

 

[Lazy Daze]

damn Dennis! why does it have a picture of a boat on the label??? I can't read the label without my glasses. Hard part is oil/lube change anyway. I can get it done quickly. thanks for catching that.

It can be used for a boat's fresh water system... But I understand your pain! It is a bit misleading. :smt101

Practice makes perfect, right?:smt001

 

[BonBini]

An interesting note on Rust. It is the oxidation of metal and needs oxygen to take place.

Engine coolant leaves a protective film on metal. Get the metal hot and the film will take to the metal a little better.

Empty unprotected water jackets are gona rust. JM2c ...Ron