Step by step winterizing 5.7 - my method

andyr

Member
Feb 14, 2010
182
Connecticut
Boat Info
1989 30' Sundancer
Engines
5.7 with alpha 1 drives
Here is how I winterize my '89 Sea Ray with twin Mercruiser 5.7's and Alpha 1 drives. No need to start the engine, have the thermostat open or pull the thermostat.
- Drain the manifolds and risers and leave the drain open. There may be 1, 3 or no drains, just the hose depending on the year.
- Drain the engine block, first one side then the other. Poke with a wire to move the scale to get it started. When the water stops, don't assume it is drained. It may be clogged. Poke again, and again.
- Pull the 6 hoses off the thermostat housing
- Pull the lower hose off where it attaches to the water pump, let a slug of water out, reattach and tighten.
- Close one block drain. Leave other open.
- Pour not toxic antifreeze in the top of the water pump hose until you see pink coming out the drain. You did tighten the lower, right.
- Close that block drain and repeat with the other side and close.
- Pour antifreeze into the water pump hose until it comes out the thermostat housing port where the water pump hose was connected. Hold the hose equal or higher than where it connects. It will take about 2 gal. The thermostat does not have to be open. Here is why: You are pouring into the water pump. Water goes from the pump into the block then out of the block up to the thermostat housing and, if the engine is cold, back to the water pump. So there is no need to remove the thermostat. If you doubt this, look carefully at the Sea Ray thermostat housing flow diagram or just try it. If the thermostat is open antifreeze will come out the exhaust manifold and water pump ports on the housing. Remember - pour into the water pump. People get in trouble when they pour into the exhaust manifold port. That only works if the thermostat is open. If closed, the antifreeze doesn't go into the block. Or, they pour into the riser hose and the balls block the antifreeze.
- Pour antifreeze into the riser hose until you see pink coming out the manifold drain, close manifold drain or reconnect hose if no drain and pour some into the riser and manifold hoses and into the riser and manifold ports on the thermostat housing. Reconnect all hoses.
- Disconnect the sterndrive water intake hose under the engine where it connects to the power steering cooler. Hold low and let a slug of water out. Hold the end of the hose high enough so that it is higher than where the hose connects to the transom. A funnel helps. Pour antifreeze in until pink comes out the outdrive. Doesn't take much. If you are alone, just look for pink on the intake of the drive. If the hose fills up and doesn't drain, turn the engine over just a bump, half a revolution, to move the water pump vane in the sterndrive from blocking its port. You can turn the engine by hand if the battery is out. I've not found it necessary to bump the engine. Reattach the intake hose.
- If your engine has hoses going from the water pump to the hotwater heater, disconnect at the water pump, and hold lower than the heater to drain them.
- Make sure you have reconnected all the hoses correctly and tightened.
That's it. You are done. It really doesn't take long. One person can do it alone. Only takes 3-4 gal. and, you positively know the block is full of antifreeze.

I used to winterize running antifreeze through the muffs. Now the EPA says we can't let non-toxic antifreeze on the ground which means we need to collect the antifreeze coming out of the outdrive when running the engine - a pain. Also, one year an engine overheated using a winterizing kit with a tank on the swim platform.
 
Andy, thats basically what I do with mine, I know that after the water is drained that the AF is extra insurance and corrosion inhibitor. Now if I could just invent a hose clamp that wouldn't shread your knuckles like blade wire, I'd be a rich man.
 
Our Sea Ray gets winterized next week. Do most of you REMOVE your batteries and take them in doors to put on a battery tender, or just unhook the negative side of the battery cable and leave them in the boat?

I don't want to hook up shore power and put a charger in the boat, since we won't be around often enough to keep an eye on things.

My initial thought was to remove the batteries, take them to our (permanant home) and put them on battery tenders for the winter.

any suggestions?

thanks,
 
I leave them in and not on a charger. They always work fine in the spring. Just make sure that they are full of water and fully charged before you button her up.
 
Do you do this same process when boat is winterized on the water. Probably be the same process for block and manifolds but what about the drives in my case previous owner pulled inlet water hose to stern drive empties all water in hoses then attached hose back together poured gallon A/F from T house that goes to drive then pulled inlet hose back off zip tied to risers to keep above water line. Im curious how the A/F just doesn't dump back right in to lake leaving drives and lower unit lines not winterized. I have twin mercrusier 260s alpha one gen 1 drives Any advice Thanks also the marina that i keep my boat at has a bubble system so water never freezes where all the boats are docked.
Thanks Jon
 
Our Sea Ray gets winterized next week. Do most of you REMOVE your batteries and take them in doors to put on a battery tender, or just unhook the negative side of the battery cable and leave them in the boat?

I don't want to hook up shore power and put a charger in the boat, since we won't be around often enough to keep an eye on things.

My initial thought was to remove the batteries, take them to our (permanant home) and put them on battery tenders for the winter.

any suggestions?

thanks,

Here's a thread on that subject...
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/47057-Battery-storage
 
Do you do this same process when boat is winterized on the water. Probably be the same process for block and manifolds but what about the drives in my case previous owner pulled inlet water hose to stern drive empties all water in hoses then attached hose back together poured gallon A/F from T house that goes to drive then pulled inlet hose back off zip tied to risers to keep above water line. Im curious how the A/F just doesn't dump back right in to lake leaving drives and lower unit lines not winterized. I have twin mercrusier 260s alpha one gen 1 drives Any advice Thanks also the marina that i keep my boat at has a bubble system so water never freezes where all the boats are docked.
Thanks Jon
 
Here is how I winterize my '89 Sea Ray with twin Mercruiser 5.7's and Alpha 1 drives. No need to start the engine, have the thermostat open or pull the thermostat.
- Drain the manifolds and risers and leave the drain open. There may be 1, 3 or no drains, just the hose depending on the year.
- Drain the engine block, first one side then the other. Poke with a wire to move the scale to get it started. When the water stops, don't assume it is drained. It may be clogged. Poke again, and again.
- Pull the 6 hoses off the thermostat housing
- Pull the lower hose off where it attaches to the water pump, let a slug of water out, reattach and tighten.
- Close one block drain. Leave other open.
- Pour not toxic antifreeze in the top of the water pump hose until you see pink coming out the drain. You did tighten the lower, right.
- Close that block drain and repeat with the other side and close.
- Pour antifreeze into the water pump hose until it comes out the thermostat housing port where the water pump hose was connected. Hold the hose equal or higher than where it connects. It will take about 2 gal. The thermostat does not have to be open. Here is why: You are pouring into the water pump. Water goes from the pump into the block then out of the block up to the thermostat housing and, if the engine is cold, back to the water pump. So there is no need to remove the thermostat. If you doubt this, look carefully at the Sea Ray thermostat housing flow diagram or just try it. If the thermostat is open antifreeze will come out the exhaust manifold and water pump ports on the housing. Remember - pour into the water pump. People get in trouble when they pour into the exhaust manifold port. That only works if the thermostat is open. If closed, the antifreeze doesn't go into the block. Or, they pour into the riser hose and the balls block the antifreeze.
- Pour antifreeze into the riser hose until you see pink coming out the manifold drain, close manifold drain or reconnect hose if no drain and pour some into the riser and manifold hoses and into the riser and manifold ports on the thermostat housing. Reconnect all hoses.
- Disconnect the sterndrive water intake hose under the engine where it connects to the power steering cooler. Hold low and let a slug of water out. Hold the end of the hose high enough so that it is higher than where the hose connects to the transom. A funnel helps. Pour antifreeze in until pink comes out the outdrive. Doesn't take much. If you are alone, just look for pink on the intake of the drive. If the hose fills up and doesn't drain, turn the engine over just a bump, half a revolution, to move the water pump vane in the sterndrive from blocking its port. You can turn the engine by hand if the battery is out. I've not found it necessary to bump the engine. Reattach the intake hose.
- If your engine has hoses going from the water pump to the hotwater heater, disconnect at the water pump, and hold lower than the heater to drain them.
- Make sure you have reconnected all the hoses correctly and tightened.
That's it. You are done. It really doesn't take long. One person can do it alone. Only takes 3-4 gal. and, you positively know the block is full of antifreeze.

I used to winterize running antifreeze through the muffs. Now the EPA says we can't let non-toxic antifreeze on the ground which means we need to collect the antifreeze coming out of the outdrive when running the engine - a pain. Also, one year an engine overheated using a winterizing kit with a tank on the swim platform.

thanks so much for this. one question--if the boat is to be stored in the water, how would you winterize the stern drives?
i have an 89 Sundancer 300, too, and i'm in stamford. David. davidleonard2@verizon.net
 
in a climate where the water freezes solid up to the depth where the drive sits its really a bad idea to leave the boat in water during winter , otherwise no need for winterizing the drives since even with air temperatures below freezing the water in 3 feet depth is still liquid so no freeze damage.
 
not sure i understand--your response seems contradictory. the water will be below freezing, certainly, but the bubbler will keep it liquid. i don't think, though, that the bubbler will keep liquid the water that may exist inside the sterndrive unit.
 
i may be wrong but due to my understanding water below freezing will freeze to ice . the bubbler just mixes deeper and warmer water with colder surface water too keep it above freezing . if the drive is submerged in liquid you will not get freeze damage . but i might be wrong - never tried
 

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