winter lay-up
 

Did I do it right?

I have a 454/330 b1.

I ran the motor until it was at 160, shut it down and drained the block, manifolds, and risers. I then mixed 3 gallons of antifreeze with 1.5 gallons of water in a tub. I have an electric pump I hooked muffs to and ran the motor until antifreeze came out the pipes. I put some 2 stroke oil in the fuel filter and when I shut it off the motor was starting to smoke. Now all I need to do is take my batteries out and put the cover on. Such a sad day

Our method is the same... sort of.

Run the engine to temp (160)
Shut down and drain engine of water
Run -100 rv/marine antifreeze throught the engine with rabbit ears... no pump needed (we use a 5 gallon tank; gravity fed from the swim platform)
While engine tank is draining... spray fogging oil in the air intake for the last bit of the running cycle...
Shut engine off when the antifreeze tank is empty.
Drain the outdrive gear lube and refill.
Remove batteries...

Might not be a bad idea to change outdrive fluid and make sure there is no chance of water being in there?

Next year get some carb spray and fog it so you don't have to mess with the 2 stroke oil thing....

...or you can follow my method: pull the engines, tear them all the way down, and build them back as 540s...:party-smiley-004:

Why mix the antifreeze with water? If you used -50 or -100 RV/Marine antifreeze you're screwed, the water will freeze!! :eek:

Plus 1 more step for all. Drain the antifreez mix too after done. Truth is that short run time does not always allow antifreeze and any left over water in the block to mix properly. I'm anal and even drain my intake at the power steering cooler.

I leave my blocks full of AF so no air is in it. An empty block will rust.


Did you use RV/Marine AF or automotive AF? The RV stuff is on sale at Menards @ $2.34/gal.
The Automotive stuff will get you dirty looks, unless you catch next spring and dispose of properly or save for next winter.

I just pull the block drains and exhaust drains and the sea strainer hoses. Then replace the plugs and pull all 4 hoses from the thermostat housing, fill them with -50 RV antifreeze until they are full, fill the sea strainer as well, and button her up. Oh yeah...don't forget to stabilize your fuel!

Thanks for the replies.

I used automotive AF; the thought of -50 RV makes me pucker when I saw that it turns to slush. I could not find the blue -100 anywhere around here so I used the green stuff and I will catch it and save it for the next season so I won't have to buy it again...for some time anyway. I left the AF in the engine so the insides of the block would be protected from rust. I have seen fist hand what happens when a block rusts out from the inside. I did stabilize the tank, filled it up and put it in the barn last night, saw some ice this past weekend in a small puddle next to the house.:eek:

I hate putting the boat away but it simple has to be done. It's always a sad day. I drain the raw water side of my engines and suck up the RV stuff. I run fuel stable in the tank on my last run, fog the engines and shut them down. I jack the trailer and put it on blocks and put the batteries on a trickle charger. The last thing I do for winterizing is move the thermostat switch from AC to heat. Then I sit at the bar and stare at my baby till the warm weather returns. Also on the first of every month, I pull the kill switch and crank the engine over for about 5 to10 seconds just to keep things from taking a set.

Leave the anti freeze in the engine - it has anti corrosive properties.....

I've read on one of the RV antifreeze websites a couple yrs ago that the stuff does turn to slush, but it does not expand.

Quick question regarding draining the block/manifolds/oil cooler:

I read all replies to this thread and it seems that even the guys who suck the AF up through the drive with muffs, hose and bucket, drain the block before doing so. Is that absolutely necessary?

The reason I ask is because, before running the AF thru you should get the engine up to operating temp, correct. So if you get the motor hot on the hose, then take the time to drain everything, put the plugs and hoses back on, and rig up your AF plumbing system, by that time the motor would be cold again.

If you didn't drain it first, wouldn't all the water be blown out by the time all the AF went thru anyways??

Thanks.

Shameles bump......:kiss:

Why are you all leaving out the other most important part of winterizing? You must change the oil and filter as part of your winterization. Why? Because using an internal combustion engine the becomes contaminated with hydrocarbons and it turns to an acid. This oil will acid etch your engines internal bearings causing premature engine failure. One hour or fifty, it gets changed at the winterization.

Also if you are using E-10 fuel it can not be properly stabilized. Pump the tank dry. I have been using this method since we switch here with all my customers and have had no issues. I have seen many others have problems in the spring even using a so called E-10 fuel stabilizer.

I coudn't believe no body had mentioned that (oil). I always change my water seperating filter as well and then after I run the first full tank of fuel through it in the spring I change it again to make sure there isn't any moisture.

The other biggie is I fully detail the boat so It is put away clean. Usually I will wash it a time or two throughout the winter when we get some nice days.

Fellas, I think oil change and detail are kind of a given, but thanks for stating the obvious. The thread was started to give a little insight/tips on freeze protection.

I don't detail anything in the fall. It'll need to be done in the spring and I'll be enthused about doing it. I run the pink stuff through the muffs and shut her off when pink comes out. I check my engine antifreeze and make sure it is good to -25f. I run stabil through while winterizing. I change the oil at the end of the last outing. Over the winter I suck the remaining fuel out to use in the cars. I leave the fuel/water seperators on and after the first startup of the next season change them. I remove the drives and grease the ujoints and drain/refill the lube. Fogging kills spark plugs so I discontinued that. If I get a chance over the winter I will turn the engines over to get the camshaft at a different spot. Thats all you need to do.