winterization
 

any one have any good tricks. removing my outside two block drains is quite a job. was told some just run rv antifreze through till it comes out the exhaust pink and call it good. i always drained the block after antifrezeing but on this boat it is a lot more work. but having a boat is work:lolhit: thought of adding a couple of push lok fittings and a foot or two of hose with caps to get easier acess. or maybee just getting old and lazy.

I run rv antifreeze through the motors until the exhaust spits pink. I do not drain the blocks.

I always drain the blocks first and then run the antifreeze through until it comes out the exhaust. While the antifreeze is going in my wife sprays fogging oil in the intake.

Dave

You do not want to spray fogging oil in the intake of an EFI or any fuel injected engine. Many, many posts on this in the past that will provide valuable information.

To fog an EFI engine PROPERLY, you can either:
Mix up a 2-stroke batch of gas and run your engines on this small tank while running the AF through or...
Remove your fuel/water separator; pour out half the gas, fill it with 2-stroke oil, reinstall and run your AF through the engine.

Many people will say "I've done it for years" referring to spraying fogging oil in the throttle body, but you are NOT protecting the entire fuel system if you do this, and you run the risk of gumming up sensors. Such is why the above procedure is referred to in Mercury Service Manuals.

Again, do a search. 100s, probably 1000s of good posts/threads.

Oh, and please no more talk about this crap until November.

i dont trust the pink chit!!it get slushy at 28* and will freeze hard at zero!...if your going to run antifreeze through the engine you will need to use -100* below if your not draining the block,,each engine will take about 5-6 gallons to get it to -34* below zero..the engine and antifreeze must be at least 140* or the thermostat will slam shut and the antifreeze will just circulate through the thermostat housing and skipping the block until the engine is at 140+*....its good to pull your drain plugs when the engine is idleing on the hose so that all the lake water sediment that gets traped can be flushed out,,that will freezr and crack the block because its mixed with water...this is my set up.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzDob8um5Xc

^^^ great idea. But dam it is a LARGE plastic tub.

Think of it this way. The only way to truly guarantee you've protected your block from freezing is to drain it. If you want to refill it with antifreeze as added insurance, that's cool. When you try to fill all of the cooling passages in your system with a perfect mix / concentration of antifreeze, it's pretty difficult to guarantee you've got it right. In the words of Clint Eastwood, "So kid, are you feeling lucky?" I'd always try to drain it first - no matter how hard it is. Just my 2 cents.

My routine is

1. Drain block and manifolds
2. remove thermostat (because of the whole 140 thing)
3. Run the pink stuff through it with the fuel water separator half filled with two stoke oil.
4. drain block again and the manifolds
5. remove big hose on thermostat housing and the manifold hoses and fill up block and manifolds with the -80 anti-freeze

Then in the spring I just put the thermostat back in with new gaskets and put on a new fuel water separator and start it up.

That might be over kill but my boat sat outside in MI winters and why risk cracking a block or manifold?

Whats wrong with just draining the block, manifolds and coolers..
why is everyone adding antifreeze?

The antifreeze is also an anti-corrosive so it helps to stop any rust from forming in your coolant passages over the winter. And its just extra insurance if there is some water still hidden in your cooling system.