rrentsch

iTrader: (1)

I winterized my engines this week using the -50 pink stuff. I used a large plastic pan under the drive and poured 18 gals of the pink rv antifreeze in the pan. Then using a pump attached to the muff and 4" hoses attached to the exhaust, I ran each engine with the thermostats removed for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the temp. got to about 130 or 140 degrees, I then fogged the engine until it died. I tried not dilute the antifreeze with water although I'm sure some did. Just wondering how everybody else does it and your thoughts about my procedure.

MOBILEMERCMAN

Did you drain the blocks and manifolds first?
Jim

speedreeder

As soon as any water meets RV antifreeze it will dilute it and make it non useable!! It will freeze !! We have been very lucky lately down here with warmer than normal winters, and if it gets real cold for a while it could freeze.

Griff

18 gallons??????????

rrentsch

iTrader: (1)

18 gals. Give me about 2" in the pan so the pump would not run dry. The extra I was going to save for next year. No I did not drain anything because the drain plugs in the block and fuel cooler are impossible to get to. I tried to keep as much water from mixing as I could. The boat will stored in southern Indiana so it will not be as cold as up north. How do you guys winterize your boats ?

bob_t

If I were not draining the engine first, I would have used the cherry red Banfrost 2000 concentrate, straight out of the bottle (5-6 gallons) and set up a system to collect what came out of the drive/exhaust to recirculate it through the engine (since it holds about 5 gallons of water) and let it circulate a couple of times. The resulting mixture would have been about a -50F protection level. I drain my engine/headers and then mix 2 gallon of Banfrost 2000 plus 4 gallons of water in a bucket, sink a bilge pump with a piece of garden hose attached to my muffs and then connect to a 12V jump start pack . Turn the pump on and fire the engine until the bucket is empty ... pretty easy and was cheap to make!

BeakBoater35

I disagree that dilution with water makes the antifreeze unusable. I believe it makes the freezing and burst points higher...but not nescessarily unusable.

If you truely used 18 gallons of -50 (burst point in copper I presume) it had a glycol concentration of perhaps 30%. That correspands to a freeze point of about 5F. Dilute 18 gallons with say 4 gallons of water from the motor and that gives you about 25% glycol concentration which would have a freeze point of about 10F...I'd guess the burst point to be about -40 or so. Don't hold me to all this...but my GUESS is you are fine.

To be sure, take a sample to someone with a way to measure Ethylene Gycol concentration...I use a refractometer and it correlates really well with -50 and -60 products. Reads a bit pessimistic on -100 product.

BeakBoater35

I meant to say PROPYLENE glycol...NOT ethylene.

MOBILEMERCMAN

There is no way to know for sure. The anti freeze hits the thermostat and bypasses out the exhaust. I've change many cracked motors over the years that were winterized this way. Take the time to drain it or pay someone to do it right. There is too much at stake.
Jim

johnny b good

I would definitely drain the block,exhaust,etc.first. Plus it lets out some of the sand and junk you might have got in.
I had a 29 Powerquest enticer,and now my 38 and was always able to get to the drain plugs.It can be a pain working between both engines but its done all the time. Then I run the anti-freeze thru.