quick winterizing question
 

im winterizing my 500 hps, is there a drain plug on both sides of the block and are they at the front or rear of the block. after i drain blocks and manifolds can i just fill blocks with antifreez thru the thermostat housing and can i use car antifreez.

thanks

Re: quick winterizing question
 

One plug on each side of the block middle rear, just above the oil pan rail.

You can use car antifreeze, but I don't recommend it, as when you start the boat in spring you are gonna spit that toxic stuff out which isn't good for anyone.

Yes you can pull thermostat housing and fill the block that way. Make sure that you drain the water lines that go to the oil cooler/PS cooler and cool fuel (if you have it)

Re: quick winterizing question
 

I use a bucket filled with antifreeze and a extra bilge pump hooked up to rabbit ears, turn the pump on and start the motor till I see the anifreeze come out the exhaust. simple and I know that all the block is filled with antifreeze.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

filling the block from the Stat housing is the exact same thing as sucking it in. it ALL goes into the block in the same place. The benefit of filling it is that you have drained the block first so you know that 99% of the water is out. The problem with running the boat and sucking it in (besides the time involved) is that if your thermostat closes, you have no idea if/howmuch antifreeze went into the block. It could be bypassing and going out the exhaust. when you fill it, an it takes about 3 gallons, you know that its totally filled.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

i remove the t-stat therefore insuring its going thru the block run on hose for 1-2 mins then switch to pink stuff, and reinstall t-stat in spring

Re: quick winterizing question
 

All of the RV/Marine antifreeze brands I have found is for the water system. Says right on the label not for engines, yet everyone uses it for their motors. Curious why not for motor use????

Re: quick winterizing question
 

The pink stuff has little to no corrosion protection. Not meant for closed cooling systems and would not provide protection in pressurized cooling systems. Pink RV antifreeze should be drained out. I use it to make certain that if any spots that did not drain have some AF in it such as oil coolers or pump housing, corner of block with a sand pocket etc.

Best practice is to drain what you can while engine is hot, flush with the pink and drain back down again.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

That is what I have always done and never had a problem. Plus you get a new thermostat each year. I usually run about 5 gallons of pink stuff through each engine.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

Yes, that is also what I had learned last yr while reserching this stuff. But that not really a factor we are conscerned with. Possibly the 'Not recommended for marine engine use' is more addressed to the product being used as a coolant that will be ran in a motor than as the product used just for storing the boats thru the winter, then dumped out.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

The label on the pink stuff West Marine sells indicates it is for water systems or engines. They had 3 different types for different freeze temps.

I pull the thermostats, run the engines for about 10 minutes to warm up the oil, run 5 gals of pink, change the oil and filter, reinstall thermostat.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

I pull all the plugs and drain the water out. Once drained re-install the plugs and hook up the 5 gallon bottle with muffs to the drive. It takes a minute or so to go thru the engine and then it will start blowing pink iut the exhaust. I used to fill thru the tstat but it took much longer. Anyone else ever tried doing it this way?

Re: quick winterizing question
 

If you are only running your engine for a "minute or so" there is no way that the thermostat is opening, so you are just putting antifreeze in your exhaust manifolds and lines. not in the block.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

If you drain the block you don't have to worry about the thermostat opening. It will go into the block. Use the pink stuff that is for engines, -50 or - 100. It has corrosion inhibitors. If you do it this way without running the antifreeze thru the entire system, take the water intake hose off at the transom and pour antifreeze in it while cranking the engine. It will come out the lower hose going into the therm. housing. This way you get the coolers and raw water pump. The plastic housing pump will crack otherwise.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

I think that by draining the block it has to first fill the block before it will go into the exhaust, etc. or am I wrong? I do it this ay and it will take in 4 gallons or so of antifrezze before it will start to come out the exhaust.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

That's what I thought - once you've drained the block the antifreeze has to go into the block first even if the motor is not hot. As for the raw water pump and coolers - isn't the raw water pump the first place it has to go if you are putting the antifreeze into the drive using muffs?

Re: quick winterizing question
 

It goes to the oil coolers and raw water pump only if you run it on antifreeze, not if you drain the block and pour the antifreeze in the thermostat housing.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

How is it gonna get in the block with the thermostat closed? drained or not drained

Re: quick winterizing question
 

in the manual for the 525 efi, it says to take off the upper intake hose on the sea water pump. That appears to let water stay in the pump and lower hose.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

"How is it gonna get in the block with the thermostat closed? drained or not drained"

First off we are talking about doing this without the engine running and the thermostat housing or cover removed. Pour antifreeze into the intake. Or just pull the large hose off of the circ pump and pour the antifreeze into the hose. You really don't have to remove therm hsg at all. When pouring antifreeze in the thermostat doesn't come into play. I still would rather run the engine on garden hose first bring to temp, than run on an antifreeze tank until antifreeze coming out the exhaust is protected to the desired temp after themostat is open of course, then fog.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

I think that you misread one of my posts. This is what I said to do in Post # 2. Then I answered splash and burn who said he drainned the block and then said he "hooked up the 5 gallon bottle with muffs to the drive. It takes a minute or so to go thru the engine and then it will start blowing pink iut the exhaust."

That won't put antifreeze in the block (throught the drive no stat opened).

Re: quick winterizing question
 

It does put antifreeze into the block though - after I did it I opened up the lower two plugs on the block and all I got was pink antifreeze. Even the exhaust drains were filled with pink.

If I let the motor run for a minute or so and antifreeze is being pulled in through the drive and it takes that long for it to start coming out the exhaust then where else could it be going?? There has to be some kind of bypass or something that allows it to go into the block otherwise within the first gallon or so of antifreeze being sucked in it woulod have to start coming out the exhaust wouldn't it? The fact that I have antifreeze coming out the block drain plugs means it has to be getting there.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

There is a bypass, otherwise when the thermostat is closed the engine would not get any water at all. That wouldn't make sense would it? If you look at the thermostat housing you can see where it bypasses the thermostat when it is closed. Believe me marinas have been winterizing big boats this way for years when they come out of the water in a travel lift and the antifreeze goes into the block.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

I know that there is a bypass. I was trying to keep winterizing simple, and not get into the total makeup of the cooling system on a Merc motor :D

Re: quick winterizing question
 

The only drawback relying on the bypass route with the stat in the closed position to allow antifreeze to get into the block, is that it will take more antifreeze as a majority of it will take the path of least resistance.........straight out the exhaust.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

CORRECT :D :D :D

If I was rssteiny who started this thread, I'd shoot myself now, and take it to the dealer :drink:

Re: quick winterizing question
 

Sorry to have taken this thread in another direction - hope I didn't confuse the issue or make any of this sound to difficult because it really isn't that hard.

Re: quick winterizing question
 

OSO technical forum is the Rube Godberg advise line. :drink:


http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/honda-ad.html

I know this is an old thread - but I found it when I was doing my search.

This is my first winter with my boat. So I had my dad help me winterize it. Crownline boat 350mag with BravoOne drive and capt call.

I started boat with muffs and water hose. Let it reach about 160 on the dash gauge. I stopped because my dad said the water coming out was warm and I had a turkey in the smoker.. So we quickly hooked up the funnel and added one gallon of automotive pink and then two bottles of the $$$ boat store pink antifreeze. I stayed in the boat but my dad said that he did see some pink coming out of the bottom of the front part of the Bravo1 drive.

Is that enough or should I want pink coming out of the exhaust as well?

I only used about two gallons total. Is that enough? I live in south GA so we don't get that cold but I can't afford to repair a boat on a police salary.

I later pulled off the large hose on the tstat housing and didn't find any water or antifreeze in the hose or top of the housing.