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

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)

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.

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.

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

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????

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.

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.

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.

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.