Winterizing - The Struggle Continues

[wellswa]

Steve, As far as the blue drain plugs go, I manufacture a replacement plug made from stainless steel so that they will never break (common problem)when installing or removing them. I can also make them for use with a hex allen wrench to install them. Send me a PM and I'll send pics and pricing for you. Warren

As expected, winterizing the '99 290 SD I just bought has been a challenge as I learn this particular boat's systems.

I winterized the generator in the water minutes before I was scheduled for haul out. Oops, now how do I winterize the A/C? I picked up a 110>shore power adapter but apparently it lacked the power (amps I suppose) to run the A/C. So now I guess I have to run the generator with a hose running into its strainer so I can power up the A/C and winterize it. After which, I'll have to re-winterize the generator. I'll have to gather up every hose at my disposal to get water to the generator, good thing I'm a pack rat. Unless there's an alternative method for the A/C?

Blue plugs? NFW. Manifolds are no problem but the plugs on the block can be touched but not unscrewed. How important is it to remove them and drain the block? Can you just run more anti-freeze through the engine? I'd gladly run an extra $50 worth of pink through the engine instead of dealing with those four blue block plugs.

Today, as long as I was on-site I figured I'd try to winterize an engine (w/o removing the block plugs). I removed the flame arrester (for fogging), clamped on the relatively well sealed ear muffs and started the port engine. It ran, maybe a minute, but did not seem to be taking much anti-freeze. My surveyor told me the (drained) engine would take 2 gallons of anti-freeze before discharging pink. Since the block wasn't drained I expected at least water to be discharged. With no fluid being discharged and anti-freeze being drawn in very slowly I shut it down. My plan is to replace my bucket's spigot with a gate valve to be sure I get adequate flow from the bucket and try again. The Cummins diesels on my last boat sucked the anti-freeze very quickly, how quickly should my Bravo's be sucking up anti-freeze?

 

[Lazy Daze]

hm... i have the cool fuel gen3 on my 5.0 MPI and there is definitly no drain plug on it.

best regards

The original poster does not have CF3, which is what my comment was aimed at. The earlier CF3's... do as Bennett said. The newer versions have plugs, though. You should have a water manifold with a single point drain... did you verify that the small hoses feeding that manifold were not plugged?