One-person winterize/antifreeze
 

Anybody know how fast (gallons per minute or some other standard) the Mercruiser standard impellers pull at idle?
I devised the (attached) bucket mechanism so that I could winterize my big blocks through the flusher installed in the engine bay. Full discloser, my wife helped with the set-up and with the bucket refill...but I COULD do it solo.
I preloaded the white Ace bucket with 3-4 gallons of antifreeze (in case the system sucked it fast) and then refilled (a total of six gallons) as the volume dropped. I warmed the engine on the garden hose until 150F (as I have 140F thermostats). I then opened the bucket valve and shut the water valve and sucked/gravity fed the antifreeze. Once the last gallon was in the bucket, I then fogged the carbs for 15-20 seconds (almost killing the engine) and then shut it all down.
I thought that the antifreeze would suck down fast but I was able to keep up (since I had the antifreeze bottles pre-staged with the caps off and the foil seals removed).
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Did you drain the water from the system of just immediately change from the garden hose supply to that from the 5 gallon bucket once up to temp?

I drain the Fresh water out of everything, then flush with the antifreeze. Any water trapped will dilute the antifreeze minimally, but not to the extent of purging water with antifreeze.

I run a crossover/no stat.. So I dont need to warm up the motor. I pull the hose from the transom assembly (muffs just leak antifreeze all over) and have a garden hose adapter I clamp into the to the pump. I drain the block, the coolers and the exhaust. I fill the container with 5 gallons of antifreeze and fire it up and let it dun un till I have antifreeze coming out the exhaust. As soon as it comes out the exhaust I fog it untill it dies. Takes about 5 gallons, I doesnt suck all that fast, but it does suck hard enough to start collapsing the westmarine winterizin jug even with the vent open.

Back when I lived & boated up north, I would drain the blocks & the exhaust manifolds. Pull the hoses off of the belt driven raw water pump & leave them off, (no closed cooling) & open the t stat housing. I'd then close the block drains, put the plugs back in the exhaust manifolds & fill the engine through the open t stat housing. I'd leave it like that all winter. Always worked like a charm.

I used the same method the previous owner showed me up in NY (but he had inside winter storage...he did it just in case building heater failed). I run on garden hose until open thermostat and then I run 6 gallons of -50F antifreeze through. I know its not perfect (I could probably simplify it by not running a thermostat) but:
1) I'm in Pensacola, Florida
2) I run a dehumidifier/heat stick (Golden Rod) in the engine bay.
3) I back that up with a thermostatically controlled bilge heater.

At idle you can keep up. Burp the throttle a couple times and it will suck that bucket dry.

how cold does it get by you in FL? You would need a hard freeze for a good 24 hrs to maybe start damaging the block. Its the coolers and externals i'd worry about more. Ive got a friend at LOTO that only puts a 100W light bulb in the bilge over night when it gets cold...other then that he doesn't do anything besides making sure he has sta-bil in the fuel. And somehow his boat survives
Ive always ran the boat till its warm then i quickly pull the two engine drain plugs...when its empty i close those then run the bucket of 50/50 antifreeze into the engine(about 5gal) ....then just for my own peace of mind i pull the water lines off the exhaust and pour some more straight antifreeze in through there....(1gal each manifold/side)

I don’t have stats in my 454 MPIs. I have a 5 gallon bucket with a hose spigot installed at the bottom. I connect it to my bunny ears and cover the pick ups on my B3s. Fill it with antifreeze and run them up until the bucket is nearly dry. I dump in another gallon as it’s draining, just for good measure. The bucket is sitting up on my swim platform, so it is above the raw water pumps and engines.

Ive done this about a half a dozen times now. It doesn’t work on speedy lowers with front pick ups, unless you engineer something.

If you like running stats it’s an easy job to pop them out compared to dropping all of the water plugs.

The -77 antifreeze is only $1-2 more per gallon. A no brainer imo. Boat is at LOTO FYI. Which doesn’t get extremely cold.

Id guesstimate my 5 gallon bucket is being pulled through in 30 seconds to a minute. At idle.

I have low water pickups and previous owner taped over them during the short muff/antifreeze job...I added flushers so that I don't use muffs anymore.

Really could only find non-toxic, -55F on Redneck Riviera (although West Marine could order -100F). Love St. Pete!!!

It looks like the garden hose handle grafted onto the bucket is the narrowest point...I may get a larger valve in the future.

I've had a winterizing kit that I've used since 1999 or 2000. I always warmed the motor. Then drained all the water out. Then put antifreeze through it.
Years ago, I put a motorcycle shraeder valve stem on the jug, so I could pressurize the jug slightly which jambs antifreeze right into the SWP; no suction required to prime/flow.

I’d agree on the minute at idle pending on the shape of impeller. Also years ago I just tee’d off on each side of the block drain with some 6an hose and joined with a coupler up by the t-stat housing. Made it so simple to drain the block in less than a minute. Yes then pulled the plugs on the coolers and exhaust. Just need to make sure none of the drains are blocked. This also is a good way to flush your blocks a few times during the summer especially if your in shallow water much. Cost about 30.00 an engine for a few fittings and hose.

I got nailed once on a couple of 330’s and ever since this method was just to simple for such a dumb costly mistake. Procrastination is more like it.

I did the antifreeze deal after good warm up for years with no issues whatsoever. Worked great also.

Thats the same kit I got from west marine, the motor sucks faster than the vent vents, the jug and hose were collapsing. I just shut it off for a minute then restarted....

I think the "drain the system first" is my stumbling block as I keep hearing about water trapped here an there.
If I had the boat any further north (than the Gulf cost of west Florida) I'd probably have to refine/upgrade my technique.

I have one of those kits that holds 6 gallons of antifreeze and has the Y connection to run the engine on the hose and get it up to temp, then you switch it over and let it snarf out of the 6 gallon container. Takes less than a minute to drain it. Then I drain some of the water via the block petcocks, enough to fill it up with two gallons of Prestone pure antifreeze. I mainly run the antifreeze solution (2 gallons of Prestone to 4 gallons of West Marine -60 engine-rated (not water supply rated) to make sure the CoolFuel system is protected.
But yeah, those impellers move some water, even at idle.

Another trick is to force feed it, but the thermostat needs to be open to hit everything. I have a bucket with a sump pump that forces antifreeze through everything. I’m closed cooled so I’m only worried about coolers. I drain my headers after they cool to protect the engines from leaks.

Never understood why people don’t use our setup. So easy.

rubbermaid container
hose
sub pump

can run antifreeze on a loop until winterized


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Exactly. Works like a charm.

so you fill the bucket with antifreeze and use a sump pump and pump the antifreeze using outdrive muffs through the seapump through the cooler and through the motor and out the exhaust and back into the bucket and run the pump continuous untill the antifreeze comes out undiluted wouldnt the antifreeze by pass the motor and straight out the exhaust if the thermostat is shut ? what about silent choice and antifreeze collection back into the bucket

Later

God I love closed cooling. Best boating money ever spent. Harbor freight pump, Rubbermaid container, pump until it comes out of the exhaust, walk away.

The engine needs to be run up to operating temp to open the thermostat (or remove it). You have to do that no matter what. You’ll have some dilution at first unless you drain the block prior to adding antifreeze. Just run it through until it comes out pure.

When I had stats briefly in my old boat I could never get them up to Temp to open up on the hose.....

You don’t need to if using stock merc tstat housing and circulating pump. It doesn’t close off anything per say, it just prioritizes (directs percentages) to block until tsat opens

since antifreeze is being heated and cycled…this will open t stat. Reason why it never opened on a hose is because it continuous cold water.

that’s not the case on a closed loop antifreeze tank.

agreed. t stats have holes around the perimeter allowing fluid thru. Albeit not a lot but it allows some.

the best method is just run them up to full temp to be sure.

yes run sump pump to muffs or fresh water hook up. Prior to using antifreeze, remove water plugs on engine to get most of the water out. We actually start engines for 10 seconds with water plugs removed. It burps water out. Put plugs back in and run it on antifreeze using sub pump. there will be hardly any anti freeze dilution.

for normal exhaust you can use pvc pipes with rubber boots for collection. For silent choice just put the bucket underneath the drive. You’ll lose some but not much.

After antifreeze is heated and t stat is open. Fog engine again using antifreeze loop. Shut her down, change oil and you’re done.

I took a video a few years ago…

I just had a crossover at that point so everything was going through the stat.

Yes Moses - my comment was more on the everyday flush when on the lift. Couldn't get stats to open obviously so went back to no thermostat.