Another Winterizing Thread.....well sort of.
 

With this being my first winter with the new boat I have a few questions that I need answered. I have twin 496 Mag H.O. motors and I got out my little blue pump and pumped away. Here is my problem only one of the green nipple thingys popped out. The other stayed in...? Also when I did that only one of the motors had water draining out of it while the other motor had water barely dripping out..? Any help would be greatly appreciated

This is what I have always done and I live up in watertown where it probably is just as cold if not colder. I run the engines to operating temp to ensure the thermos pop. At that point I run 3-5 gallons of pink rv anti freeze through the engine ensure pink stuff comes out both exhaust exits, I have carbs so I fog the engines the last gallon or so. Never any freezing and if some water is by chance trapped I know its dilluted enough with pink stuff to not make a difference. I have been doing this on the fountain for 3 years and in total on boats since I was a kid and never an issue. I know some guys like to pull the freeze plugs and what not and not knocking it, but I think the method I have is the easiet and leaves out any doubt. I also lower the lower units all winter this ensures water or liquid can drain out. Never use green anti freeze in a boat as its toxic, unless you are going to catch it in a containment system in the spring.

You can make a jug with a hose that goes to muffs to hold the pink stuff, or just buy one from like west marine, I think mine was like 20 bucks.

496HO's are NOT to be winterized with the air-pump system! There are many, many threads on this. The air-pump system is designed to extend your boating season. This system leaves pockets of water in the sea-water side. The system can also have air-leaks which will not open the drain valves; and this will really screw you over. The air-pump is NOT pressurizing the sea-water side of the system like you might think. It's pressurizing a closed air system that pushes against two springs and opens two valves on the bottom of the engine's cooling system. If you don't have water pouring out, your valves are not opening.

You need to do a full winterization with anti-freeze run throughout the system ESPECIALLY at a NY state latitude. 600 miles south, maybe not so much. There is no thermostat on the sea-water side of the 496/HO, so you don't have to worry about warming it up as mentioned in the previous post. See this thread: http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/d...terizing+496HO ... or do a search on " 496 winterizing. "

+1 on running the antifreeze through the raw water section.

As its your first winter with the boat and you're pretty far north, its not a bad idea for you to test the coolant in the closed cooling system with a hydrometer. You want to make sure what's in the block itself will protect it over the winter.

Sorry, I can't help you, I gave up winterizing, looks like you've got the info, good luck.

+1 I do the same minus the FOG. No issues and take less than 30 minutes.

Yup didnt know about the thermo on the 496 so its even easier.

But crane its the easiest and most proven in my mind. 20-30 bucks in pink stuff and 20-30mins and your done. What takes me the most time is getting my dang batteries. I know theres some other methos and knocking them if it works, but pink stuff ensure protection if you not get every last drop of water out. I also put dryer sheets through out to protect from rodents and moth balls underneath on the ground or concrete. You also should probably put some stabil in the fuel.

Thanks for all of the info guys. On all of my other boats I always ran antifreeze up through the outdrive and into the motor until it came out of the exhaust. Never had any problems doing it that way. I just wasnt sure with these newer style motors the best way to do it.

I still dont know why my other green nipple never popped out..?

On my boat I have 2 ports when I open the engine hatches where you can hook up a hose to run the engines. I am going to run the coolant through there with a tank that I made up for my other boats. My other question is does the outdrive have a place where I should put muffs on it to suck the coolant up instead of the 2 ports in the engine compartment..? I just want to make sure that the outdrives do not have any un-treated water in them also..?

My boat is older but I beleive on my fountain those are for flushing. Hook the muffs to the slits on the lower unit on the lower part of the drive and let it go, just like normal, this should suck pink stuff from the bottom all the way to the top and out. Unless you dont have bravos or have some closed cooling system that im not getting here.

I dont know if it matter but always open up the through hull exhuast as well, to let pink stuff go out the top and bottom exhaust

Don't worry about the outdrives as long as you do not have salt water in them. When you hook up the water hose to the fitting the engine compartment; it flushes backward out the drives; until you start the motor. When you start the motor, the SWP will pull the fresh water into the motor; same goes for the anti-freeze.

You probably have an air leak on the actuator air pump system. It happens. I took those little air pumps off and threw them away. Use a battery powered air compressor. (The kind of small air compressor built in to a jump-start-box.) Right next to the schrader valve is an air pressure pop-off valve, which is how you release the air pressure before you start the engine again. If you put to much pressure in the air system, it pops off right there.

I think sydwayz posted a link to another thread but this is the process I followed for my 525EFI's and I'm sure it would apply for you as well. I have a freshwater flush hookup as well. For each engine I did the following:

1) Ran the motor on fresh water for 15 minutes; ran Salt-Away through for the first minute and then let the motor run for another 14. (we boat in saltwater, I want to make sure it's ALL out).
2) Changed oil and oil filter.
3) Shut valve on fuel line then hooked up my 6 gallon external fuel tank containing fogging cocktail (5 gals of 89 octane gas, 1/2 gallon of 2 cycle oil and 5 oz of Mercury Fuel Stabilizer)
4) Ran the engine on the fogging mixture while still hooked up to fresh water (ran the engine at idle for 5 mins, 1200 RPM for another 5 minutes, and then back at idle for another 3-4 mins); basically until it was smoking pretty good.
5) Let engine cool off, then opened drains on headers, oil and fuel coolers to get as much water out as possible
6) Hooked up my air compressor to the fresh water flush with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._email_1p_4_ti that I had connected to a tire inflator so I could control the bursts of air through the system and pushed as much of the water out of the system as I could.
7) Closed all of the drains and hooked up one end of short hose to freshwater flush; the other into the bottom of a 5 gallon pail filled with antifreeze
8) Ran 6 gallons of antifreeze through the engine still connected to fogging cocktail (had to pour a few gallons in while the engine was running) and made sure it was coming through the exhaust.
9) Filled sea strainer with anti-freeze
10) Drained gas tank by hooking up small 12V fuel pump to the fuel line I had disconnected and empyting into a bunch of gas cans.

On point #10, there are differing opinions on leaving the tanks empty or full because of condensation. I've been told by a few surveyors and other knowledgeable people that if your gas contains ethanol which most does, you want as little of it left as possible as no matter how much stabilizer you add, you cannot stop the water absorption due to the alcohol and the less you have the better. Then in the spring, you add a full tank of fresh gas and a water emulsifier like MDR e-Zorb and you're good to go.

This is my 4th boat and every time I winterize, I pull the plugs to drain my block and manifolds and unhook waterlines from my water pump. I winterized my houseboat generator with antifreeze one time and it deteriorated the impeller so I don't use antifreeze anymore. What are the draw backs by doing it this way? I have a 500 blue motor.

I think thats a solid method. One draw back is are you sure you got every drop of water out, what if some got stuck. Anti-Freeze ensures protection and as as long as you use antifreeze that is for RV Im not so sure that caused the issue with your impeller,which to be honest should be switched every year or two anyways. But I have put RV pink stuff in my travel trailers for years, and drink out of the same lines, the stuff is non toxic and I find it hard to beleive it would eat rubber.


You also live in KY, where you can probably get away with some water in the block, but live up north with sustained temps in the low teens to below zero, you need anti freeze in the engine.

I always drained my block and headers then ran the pink stuff through the motors.

I put a small air fitting on the tank I used and would put 2-3 lbs on it, this way it would force anti freeze through the outdrives before I changed the valves and ran it through the motors.

BTW

I used the stock factory flush fittings that fountain had installed.