Winterizing Big Blocks

[electricaldoctor]

I plan on winterizing myself this year. I have valves set up between the seacocks & the strainers for both engines, the generator & the A/C pump. That way, I can just shut off the seacocks & connect a hose from my anti-freeze tank to this new valve to easily allow me to introduce the anti-freeze for each phase of this process. I also have a valve set up at the water pump to assist me pump the "pink" throughout the fresh water system. Is it necessary to firstly warm up the engines to open the thermostats or can I just start up one engine at a time & pump the antifreeze through until I get good colour out of the mufflers.

Thanx ~ Ken :huh:

 

[kindredspirit]

If the thermostats aren't open you won't get antifreeze through everything. Are you fresh water cooled or raw water? Makes a difference on how you do it, but it doesn't sound like you have closed cooling.

If you don't have closed cooling just shut off the sea cock for your engines once they are warmed up and at operating temp. Plumb your antifreeze into the sea water pump, I do mine through the strainer, if you don't run a/f through the strainer make sure you drain it. I always drain the water out of the blocks at this point so I don't dilute the antifreeze I'm running through the system. Make sure you have a piece of wire handy to poke through the block drains, rust and other crap can block the valve. There should be at least one drain on each side of the block and maybe on the risers also. Check your engine before you start the process, you want to get as much of the water out as you can and you need to do this fairly quickly-before the block has a chance to cool down. The water draining out should be hot, hot enough you don't want to let it run over your hand for long. If it isn't hot enough to make touching it uncomfortable, your thermostat may not be open. Close the drains when they water stops coming out. Shouldn't take more than a minute or two. Start the engine and run about 5 Gal. of non toxic antifreeze through the system. I get a buddy to help me with this. He starts the engine and stays at the helm. Keep the engine at low idle only. I monitor the antifreeze in the bucket and fog the carb at the same time with one can of fogging oil. When I only have about a gallon of a/f left I grab another can of fogging oil and spray both in the carb and try to stall the engine. If I can't stall the engine I have my buddy shut off the ignition before I run out of antifreeze, I usually can't kill the engine with 2 cans of fogging oil spraying in there at the same time. When the engine is done I always open the block drains and check the a/f with a guage, just to be sure. When everything checks good I open the seacock to allow any water that was between the sea cock and the strainer to drain back out.

One engine is probably plumbed to your water heater. You should have 2 hoses that go from your engine block to the water heater. Those hoses probably won't get enough a/f through them. I always take the hoses off the water heater and drain them. I do this at the same time that I drain my water heater and bypass it to winterize the water lines running through the boat.

For the air conditioner pump I do this the same way I do the engines. I plumb my a/f bucket into the strainer with the sea cock closed. I only run about a gallon through the system. Once your plumbed up to the strainer, plug in to shore power and turn on your air conditioner. Let it run long enough to get a good pink flow out of the discharge port. Shut everything off and open the through hull for the a/c. Drain the water that was caught between the strainer and the through hull and your done. Clean filters, etc.

I always put the "good" antifreeze through the engines, the stuff rated to -100. We are in Ohio and it gets fairly cool here in the winter. I use the pink for the water lines and head.


This is how I do mine, never had a problem. Hope this helps.

 

[electricaldoctor]

If the thermostats aren't open you won't get antifreeze through everything. Are you fresh water cooled or raw water? Makes a difference on how you do it, but it doesn't sound like you have closed cooling.

If you don't have closed cooling just shut off the sea cock for your engines once they are warmed up and at operating temp. Plumb your antifreeze into the sea water pump, I do mine through the strainer, if you don't run a/f through the strainer make sure you drain it. I always drain the water out of the blocks at this point so I don't dilute the antifreeze I'm running through the system. Make sure you have a piece of wire handy to poke through the block drains, rust and other crap can block the valve. There should be at least one drain on each side of the block and maybe on the risers also. Check your engine before you start the process, you want to get as much of the water out as you can and you need to do this fairly quickly-before the block has a chance to cool down. The water draining out should be hot, hot enough you don't want to let it run over your hand for long. If it isn't hot enough to make touching it uncomfortable, your thermostat may not be open. Close the drains when they water stops coming out. Shouldn't take more than a minute or two. Start the engine and run about 5 Gal. of non toxic antifreeze through the system. I get a buddy to help me with this. He starts the engine and stays at the helm. Keep the engine at low idle only. I monitor the antifreeze in the bucket and fog the carb at the same time with one can of fogging oil. When I only have about a gallon of a/f left I grab another can of fogging oil and spray both in the carb and try to stall the engine. If I can't stall the engine I have my buddy shut off the ignition before I run out of antifreeze, I usually can't kill the engine with 2 cans of fogging oil spraying in there at the same time. When the engine is done I always open the block drains and check the a/f with a guage, just to be sure. When everything checks good I open the seacock to allow any water that was between the sea cock and the strainer to drain back out.

One engine is probably plumbed to your water heater. You should have 2 hoses that go from your engine block to the water heater. Those hoses probably won't get enough a/f through them. I always take the hoses off the water heater and drain them. I do this at the same time that I drain my water heater and bypass it to winterize the water lines running through the boat.

For the air conditioner pump I do this the same way I do the engines. I plumb my a/f bucket into the strainer with the sea cock closed. I only run about a gallon through the system. Once your plumbed up to the strainer, plug in to shore power and turn on your air conditioner. Let it run long enough to get a good pink flow out of the discharge port. Shut everything off and open the through hull for the a/c. Drain the water that was caught between the strainer and the through hull and your done. Clean filters, etc.

I always put the "good" antifreeze through the engines, the stuff rated to -100. We are in Ohio and it gets fairly cool here in the winter. I use the pink for the water lines and head.


This is how I do mine, never had a problem. Hope this helps.

Thanx "kindredspirit" for the advice. Roughly how long do you have to run your engines to get the temperature up sufficient to open up the thermostats? That must take a lot of anti-freeze. I guess that I could catch it in a pail & keep recycling it until the engine gets hot enough & then pour some good stuff through.

~Ken

 

[techmitch]

Kindreds' post is spot on!!!... To answer your ? , reread his entire post especially the first sentence (second paragraph).
I.E. Once they are warmed up

 

[electricaldoctor]

Kindreds' post is spot on!!!... To answer your ? , reread his entire post especially the first sentence (second paragraph).
I.E. Once they are warmed up

Thanx for those "pearls of wisdom" techmitch. Contrary to what you might think, I can actually read. Your invaluable response to my harmless question wasn't "spot on". I really look forward to viewing your advice to other boater's basic questions in the very near future. Lighten up man!!

 

[BonBini]

A lot of valuable info here. Being only my second winterization of a boat I'm learning more than I'm sharing. I think the engine off, drain, then manually fill with antifreeze is what I'll do.

I can share some fuel system storage info: From sumerizing my own snowmobiles, snow blowers and plow trucks; gas left in the carb will dry up, dry out rubber parts and plug ports. Last year with my 230 I filled the new fuel filter part way with Seafoam, ran the engine until it started to choke on the Seafoam, throttled it a few times to get accelerator pump circuit doped up and then killed her with fog. ...Ron

 

[electricaldoctor]

A lot of valuable info here. Being only my second winterization of a boat I'm learning more than I'm sharing. I think the engine off, drain, then manually fill with antifreeze is what I'll do.

I can share some fuel system storage info: From sumerizing my own snowmobiles, snow blowers and plow trucks; gas left in the carb will dry up, dry out rubber parts and plug ports. Last year with my 230 I filled the new fuel filter part way with Seafoam, ran the engine until it started to choke on the Seafoam, throttled it a few times to get accelerator pump circuit doped up and then killed her with fog. ...Ron

Good point about the fuel BonBini. I dumped the appropriate amount of "Stabil" in both tanks. Gummed up carbs will be one less thing to worry about in the spring.

 

[kindredspirit]

First of all, are you pulling the boat at the marina with a lift? If so, will they let you winterize the engines immediately after is clears the water? You'll have to be in the boat as it comes out and some marinas don't like this. I'm sure some will frown upon riding out like this, but I've been in marinas where the walls were so high you couldn't get out any other way!

If they will let you "ride" out with the boat just make sure your engines are at normal operating temp. For me it is almost 170 but that depends on your thermostat. We always run the boat at cruise speed prior to pulling, one last cruise for an hour or so. I've topped off the fuel tanks prior to this and added treatment and this cruise allows that treatment to get into the carbs and I don't like storing the boat with the fuel tanks plumb full as the gas expands on warm days and makes a mess! Anyway, As soon as the boat is in the lift and the hull clears the water I shut off the sea-cock to both engines and winterize per the prior post. Do it quick, have someone ready at the helm to start/stop the engines and have someone down below to drain the blocks/monitor antifreeze level/and fog.

If the marina won't let you "ride" out with the lift it isn't a big deal-pull the thermostats. It is only two bolts and a gasket. Once the thermostats are out run the antifreeze through per prior post.

Either way I'd check the blocks with a refractometer.

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Mustangous]

The marine max by me has big blue 55 gallon drums that are cut in half with antifreeze in it. They put the drum under the out drive and let the pump suck and recirculate the antifreeze like it was in the water. This seems the easiest.

 

[kindredspirit]

The marine max by me has big blue 55 gallon drums that are cut in half with antifreeze in it. They put the drum under the out drive and let the pump suck and recirculate the antifreeze like it was in the water. This seems the easiest.

A 390 with outdrives?????? Still, it would require alot of antifreeze to do 2 engines and you would have to make sure the antifreeze wasn't dilluted by any water left in the engines. If you had a few buddies that also wanted to winterize there engines at the same time in the same place it may be worth it. But, you would have to find a way to move 25 gallons of a/f(200 +/- lbs.) and dispose of this when your done.

 

[electricaldoctor]

First of all, are you pulling the boat at the marina with a lift? If so, will they let you winterize the engines immediately after is clears the water? You'll have to be in the boat as it comes out and some marinas don't like this. I'm sure some will frown upon riding out like this, but I've been in marinas where the walls were so high you couldn't get out any other way!

If they will let you "ride" out with the boat just make sure your engines are at normal operating temp. For me it is almost 170 but that depends on your thermostat. We always run the boat at cruise speed prior to pulling, one last cruise for an hour or so. I've topped off the fuel tanks prior to this and added treatment and this cruise allows that treatment to get into the carbs and I don't like storing the boat with the fuel tanks plumb full as the gas expands on warm days and makes a mess! Anyway, As soon as the boat is in the lift and the hull clears the water I shut off the sea-cock to both engines and winterize per the prior post. Do it quick, have someone ready at the helm to start/stop the engines and have someone down below to drain the blocks/monitor antifreeze level/and fog.

If the marina won't let you "ride" out with the lift it isn't a big deal-pull the thermostats. It is only two bolts and a gasket. Once the thermostats are out run the antifreeze through per prior post.

Either way I'd check the blocks with a refractometer.

Hope this helps.

Chris

Thanx Chris,

Our boat has already been pulled so I think that, for the cost of a few gasgets, I will pull the T-stats & pump the anti-freeze through the strainers until I get good colour coming out of the mufflers. I think that this is probably the safest approach to take. To heat up the engines from cold, it would take a ton of anti-freeze making this whole operation cost prohibitive. Unfortunately, there is no water available where they have my boat stored inside. It sure would have been a lot simpler to just hook up a water hose to warm up the blocks before winterizing. I will probably leave the T-stat covers open for the winter as I will probably just replace the stats next Spring as they are quite old and don't cost all that much anyways.

thanx again for your input, Ken

 

[douglee25]

To avoid the question "are the engines warm enough", just pull the thermostat out completely in the fall to winterize. Reinstall the thermosat back in the spring.

Doug

Edit: I see above that's what was recommended. Do that and you'll be fine.

 

[kindredspirit]

Thanx Chris,

Our boat has already been pulled so I think that, for the cost of a few gasgets, I will pull the T-stats & pump the anti-freeze through the strainers until I get good colour coming out of the mufflers. I think that this is probably the safest approach to take. To heat up the engines from cold, it would take a ton of anti-freeze making this whole operation cost prohibitive. Unfortunately, there is no water available where they have my boat stored inside. It sure would have been a lot simpler to just hook up a water hose to warm up the blocks before winterizing. I will probably leave the T-stat covers open for the winter as I will probably just replace the stats next Spring as they are quite old and don't cost all that much anyways.

thanx again for your input, Ken

Removing the t-stat probably the easiest way for you to do this. Only takes a minute and removes any doubt. It'll cost you a couple dollars in gaskets-no big deal.

Some engines have a "slide" that goes through the thermostat housing that allows water to bypass when the t-stat is closed. You don't want to bend that rod by pulling the housing out of the way with the hoses connected to it. I'd remove the hoses from the t-stat housing the first time you do this and see if the bypass rod tis in here. If you don't have the bypass rod in there you can leave your hoses connected in the future and just slide the whole housing out of the way once you remove the two bolts.

 

[electricaldoctor]

Removing the t-stat probably the easiest way for you to do this. Only takes a minute and removes any doubt. It'll cost you a couple dollars in gaskets-no big deal.

Some engines have a "slide" that goes through the thermostat housing that allows water to bypass when the t-stat is closed. You don't want to bend that rod by pulling the housing out of the way with the hoses connected to it. I'd remove the hoses from the t-stat housing the first time you do this and see if the bypass rod tis in here. If you don't have the bypass rod in there you can leave your hoses connected in the future and just slide the whole housing out of the way once you remove the two bolts.

Is that the SS rod with the spring and white plastc balls on each end of it? I forget what that part is called right now.

 

[Mustangous]

A 390 with outdrives?????? Still, it would require alot of antifreeze to do 2 engines and you would have to make sure the antifreeze wasn't dilluted by any water left in the engines. If you had a few buddies that also wanted to winterize there engines at the same time in the same place it may be worth it. But, you would have to find a way to move 25 gallons of a/f(200 +/- lbs.) and dispose of this when your done.

Well i would doubt they would fill the 1/2 barrel up all the way, then there wouldnt be any room left for the out drive, right? and how would you move it like you said? They said they use ear muffs with a hose in the barrel to let the drive suck it out so i doubt there is that much in there, just enought to winterize. I dont think they would come up with a method that would waste money. I think the MAIN purpose of the barrel is to catch all the antifreeze that runs out of the exhaust without wasting it on the ground especially if your waiting for it to warm up. This gives you plenty of time to run the fuel with stabil in it and to fog the motor. I guess that's why its worth it for the dealer because the can reuse it for more boats, even more cost efficient if you have 2 motors instead of one.

They also use ear muffs that has a bolt running through it so i guess they get a better seal. Not sure on the muffs and i would like to get a set. anyone see these?

Also mine is closed loop and I only have one o/b. This does seem like a really simple way though, no installing valves or tapping into lines and hoping everything has antifreeze in it. This runs the antifreeze through everything without worrying. seems very fool proof.