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Winterizing stickers


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Followed the manual and winterizing stickers to drain the water in case it got below freezing at night however I have a quick question on the engine there are stickers 1of5..2of5...4of5...5of5..

 

But there is no sign of 3of5 sticker? And nothing according to the manual where a 3of 5 sticker would be.. manual only has 1) drain ext, 2) drain trans, 3)drain heat exchanger, 4)open impeller cover and or remove replace impeller

Unless 3of5 is a drain plug for boat? Anyone else have an idea? 

Also if anyone is curious the 2016s have a nice plastic blue hand knob to drain the heat exchanger.. took me a while as I was looking for a bolt as shown in the manual but noticed it's an easy hand knob same as on exhaust drain hose. can't see it.. but after feeling around I was like Sweet..that was easier than i thought it would be..

So it literally takes maybe 5 mins to winterize the boat by draining water (assuming no antifreeze is used) which I guess is not necessary? 

Longest part is getting off the impeller cover although tip. A 6in1 screwdriver socket fits nicely down in there on those hex heads.. 

Edited by The Hulk
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Hulk, you mean to drain the heat exchanger, right?  The heater is part of the closed system.  Just wanted to clarify in case others get confused.  

Edited by hethj7
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No bolt for me either.  #3 took me a bit to find.  There is a hose that runs tucked back under the exhaust manifold on the drivers side of the engine.  Pretty much have to put your face to the floor of the locker to see it.  Look under there and I think you will find it.  I did not see where to drain it and it was a real pain to even get my hand under there.  I beleive the manual also states you can pull the water flow sensor on the same line.  It is maybe 6" to the rear  of the #3 blue sticker and easy to get to.  Pulled that instead.

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7 hours ago, hethj7 said:

Hulk, you mean to drain the heat exchanger, right?  The heater is part of the closed system.  Just wanted to clarify in case others get confused.  

Yes sorry lazy cell typing.. corrected..

Edited by The Hulk
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6 hours ago, store934 said:

No bolt for me either.  #3 took me a bit to find.  There is a hose that runs tucked back under the exhaust manifold on the drivers side of the engine.  Pretty much have to put your face to the floor of the locker to see it.  Look under there and I think you will find it.  I did not see where to drain it and it was a real pain to even get my hand under there.  I beleive the manual also states you can pull the water flow sensor on the same line.  It is maybe 6" to the rear  of the #3 blue sticker and easy to get to.  Pulled that instead.

Why doesn't the manual say anything about this #3 "thing" is it necessary? Did any water come out? 

When I removed the heat exchanger plug very little water came out is that normal? Just kind of dribbled.. unlike the exhaust and trans that poured out.

Also is it necessary to actually remove the impeller or can I just leave the cover off? if I don't plan to change the impeller? 

Reason being if it only takes 5 mins then in future years I'd keep my boat in longer where nights may drop down below freezing.. I'd just uncap things during the week when I leave Incase any nights get below freezing and recap them when I head out for a run..but was hoping I didn't have to take impeller out if not changing it to drain water? I'd imagine just pulling off cover woukd drain all the water that might be in there right? Only a little came out when I removed cover.

Also no mention of antifreeze needed is that true? Anyone else not using antifreeze? Granted I'll be in heated storage. when weather gets real bad...but the boat will be getting work done and some goodies added for a few weeks and nights may start getting below freezing up in Michigan at the dealer.. 

Manual even says u don't need to disconnect water hose that connects heat exchanger and impeller pump they said the small water in hose there is fine..my guess is because if impeller cap is off then any bit if water has room to expand when frozen?

Apart from finding #3 and wondering if it's necessary? it seriously can't be this easy to winterize can it?

Edited by The Hulk
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I am guessing the manual is generic and each boat builder might set it up a little different.  I did not pay much attention to the manual once I noticed a difference and saw the stickers.    Some points held more water than others and because it is was so easy I would not skip them besides removing the impeller if you want to keep your boat in longer.   I have never used antifreeze.

This thread has about all the information you need.

 

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13 hours ago, store934 said:

No bolt for me either.  #3 took me a bit to find.  There is a hose that runs tucked back under the exhaust manifold on the drivers side of the engine.  Pretty much have to put your face to the floor of the locker to see it.  Look under there and I think you will find it.  I did not see where to drain it and it was a real pain to even get my hand under there.  I beleive the manual also states you can pull the water flow sensor on the same line.  It is maybe 6" to the rear  of the #3 blue sticker and easy to get to.  Pulled that instead.

i'll have to take a look for this thanks!

just curious is it the "actual" hose line that needs drained? hard visualize until i see it but just wondering if its the line couldn't a T-fitting with blue cap be added for making it easier in the future? 

what does the water-sensor look like?

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the manual says draining the heat exchanger also drains water flow sensor?

 

Manual Section 8-4 "http://www.themalibucrew.com/_files/engines/indmar_2016.pdf 

"Remove the water drain/anode from the heat exchanger. This will drain the heat exchanger, engine oil cooler and water flow sensor. The sacrificial portion of the anode is approximately 1-1/2" (38 mm) when the anode is new. If the sacrificial portion of your anode is less than 3/4" (19 mm), it needs to be replaced. We recommend leaving the water drain/anode out of the heat exchanger until you recommission the boat in the spring."

 

but as mentioned there is a blue drain cap up under the heat exchanger "rather than removing anode" which i didnt get down and look for.. 

so as stated above 3 of 5 must be an extra level or step of protection or where some other small amount of water might be hiding is all i can guess... 

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The water flow sensor is not too far from where you will find blue sticker #3.  It is a fitting inline on the same hose with a cap that screws on and off and has wires coming out of it.  I did not get any water out but I could hear a few glugs of water when I pulled it.   Not sure if it release a vacuum or not and where the water went.   Before I officially put it away I am going to look a little closer for the actual drain where the sticker is.  If I recall the sticker is on a metal fitting in the hose and it might have an anode in it but it looks like a pain to get to and I could not feel anything with my hand because the space was tight.  In general this area seems like a low spot in the line and the line has a few things (flow sensor, etc) that probably would not survive a hard freeze with water.

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I have the 410 raptor motor. I found 5 of 5, easy, 4 of 5, easy, 3 of 5 impossible to get to unless disconect motor mount and jack up motor. I may be able to hook hose and pull closer so as to be able to get plug out, maybe disconnect from trans cooler. I can't find the drains for to exhaust, I must be blind. Those are hopefully 2 of 5, and vee drive drain is 1 of 5. Although, there is a drain on the sea strainer.  Any help on those exhaust drains?

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50 minutes ago, fastmcars said:

I have the 410 raptor motor. I found 5 of 5, easy, 4 of 5, easy, 3 of 5 impossible to get to unless disconect motor mount and jack up motor. I may be able to hook hose and pull closer so as to be able to get plug out, maybe disconnect from trans cooler. I can't find the drains for to exhaust, I must be blind. Those are hopefully 2 of 5, and vee drive drain is 1 of 5. Although, there is a drain on the sea strainer.  Any help on those exhaust drains?

The only exhaust draining I've ever done is the hose that connects the two sides that runs underneath the motor.  Now I believe the dripless shaft hose is teed into that hose and it self drains when you pull out of water (at least that's what dealer told me when we were going through draining).

Edit: this is on 350, not sure if they changed it on 410

Edited by t a
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16 hours ago, t a said:

 

The only exhaust draining I've ever done is the hose that connects the two sides that runs underneath the motor.  Now I believe the dripless shaft hose is teed into that hose and it self drains when you pull out of water (at least that's what dealer told me when we were going through draining).

Edit: this is on 350, not sure if they changed it on 410

Yes, the monsoon engine had that. The Raptor motor is completely different. 

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got down in there yesterday and looked and couldnt find it... i did find/see the clear tube running front to back with he red/blue lines but never saw the blue sticker. its at the dealer they will winterize for me this year since they are doing some other service, but when i get it back to shop i'll look again. 

i still dont understand what your opening up in that picture to drain if not the brass thing??

 

i need to remove floor panels to take a look at how i'll be upgrading ballast system for dual fill and dual drains... problem currently is the entire floor/track have to be removed to access/replace the drain pump as it is...which i think it might be worth hinging the back part of the floor to access that pump or cut it and make it a separate hatch from the main floor... i dont think they were thinking on that one... 

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oh lord you have to be kidding, there has to be an easier way. i wonder how critical it is for extended season use? not sure its easy enough for trying to keep the boat in the water longer if i have to get to that spot each time after use

Edited by The Hulk
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I wish @Engine Nut would chime in.  The manual is very specific stating there are only 3 points on the engine to drain, plus a single plug for the Indmar through shaft tranny/v drive.  They even state" it's as easy as A, B, C."   I would only be looking to drain 4 total pints on my engine and drivetrain in total and would be pretty irate if I had damage come spring time.  

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2 hours ago, hethj7 said:

I wish @Engine Nut would chime in.  The manual is very specific stating there are only 3 points on the engine to drain, plus a single plug for the Indmar through shaft tranny/v drive.  They even state" it's as easy as A, B, C."   I would only be looking to drain 4 total pints on my engine and drivetrain in total and would be pretty irate if I had damage come spring time.  

yes this is odd, i know its just general engine manual, but the manual is VERY CLEAR the engine is going into a BOAT and Winter Layup/storage section is quite clear.....this inaccessible 3 of 5 Sticker has me so confused...

 

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I'm not sure about this, but I'm going to try this on the weekend. That hose, I believe, is attached to the trans cooler. If I disconnect the hose at trans, I may be able to hook and pull closer to the side to get to it. It is a major low spot, so it has to have a lot of water in it. Another option would be to disconnect from the trans and use a long suction tube to get water out. Just some thoughts. 

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I am sorry for the confusion. The manual was printed before the final placement of the stickers. The 2017 Manual calls out the following drain points ... the heat exchanger, the transmission cooler, the crossover hose between the exhaust manifolds and the v-drive anode.

The 3 of 5 blue sticker refers to the trans cooler drain. Originally there was just an 1/8" NPT pipe plug in the cooler that had to be removed to drain. We then put a special fitting in the cooler which used a blue plastic wingnut that had to be removed but it was still hard to get at. Currently, we have added a "drain whip" hose  to the cooler which significantly improves accessibility. On later models that have blue stickers and blue wingnut drain plugs, there is a belt guard at the alternator that has a place to store the blue drain plugs and is labeled to indicate where the plugs need to go when you put them back in.

  • Like 3
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Sorry. I did not realize the pictures where upside down. I did it all from my phone last night and it looked fine from there.  When I finally looked at it today from a computer they where upside down...     The only way I could find to fix it was to delete the post and start over since the attachments are connected to this site.

So here is the consolidated version for future reference...

To find blue sticker #3 of #5 on a 2016 Raptor 450 (maybe 409 as well) - It is located on the starboard side under the exhaust manifold.  You will need to get down and look hard underneath there.   Here is what you are looking for.  It is difficult to see this unless you get very close to the floor.   It's the blue sticker between the floor and manifold. 

IMG_012123.jpg

I was not able to find and reach the plug with the floor board and engine panel divider track in.   I removed the locker floor and track and then I could get my hand under there.   It was still difficult to see so I stuck my phone under there do get an idea how to proceed.

Here is what I found.   You won't be able to actually see this unless you use a mirror or phone like I did.    You really only see what is pictured above but now you can at least get a had in there to work on this.

Pic 1-1.jpg

Here it is with the plug removed but it is in the spot with the yellow circle.  Mine was not a plastic blue plug.  It was a brass plug painted black.

IMG_0115.JPG

I had to use a 7/16 socket in 1/4 ratchet driver because it is tight in there and 3/8 driver did not get it done for me.  I had to do it all by feel since you can't see what you are doing.

In all once you know what you are after it probably in the range of 5-10 minutes to get the job done.  Now that I know where it is I might  be able to get out it without removing the floor panel and divider (maybe...)

 

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So my yellow circle was right! Ha I figured it was upside down after looking at it a bit. No problem! 

@Engine Nut is it the same thread as the blue hand knobs?  Is it possible to use a threaded barb there to a small hose with a cap and blue plug on the end of the hose? Any pic of the 2017s? Is that basically what's on the 17s?

That being said 2016 owners should follow 2017 manual then?

Edited by The Hulk
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1 hour ago, The Hulk said:

So my yellow circle was right! Ha I figured it was upside down after looking at it a bit. No problem! 

@Engine Nut is it the same thread as the blue hand knobs?  Is it possible to use a threaded barb there to a small hose with a cap and blue plug on the end of the hose? Any pic of the 2017s? Is that basically what's on the 17s?

That being said 2016 owners should follow 2017 manual then?

The 1/8" NPT brass plug that is in the trans cooler is not the same thread as the blue plastic wing nut. Our current production uses a fitting that threads into the cooler that a hose attaches to. The other end of the hose has a fitting that goes into the hose that is threaded for the blue plastic plug.

On a 2016 model you could also loosen the water flow paddlewheel which is between the trans cooler and raw water pump. Loosening the paddlewheel would drain the trans cooler and the hose. The 2017 models do not have a water flow paddlewheel.

  • Like 1
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4 minutes ago, Engine Nut said:

The 1/8" NPT brass plug that is in the trans cooler is not the same thread as the blue plastic wing nut. Our current production uses a fitting that threads into the cooler that a hose attaches to. The other end of the hose has a fitting that goes into the hose that is threaded for the blue plastic plug.

On a 2016 model you could also loosen the water flow paddlewheel which is between the trans cooler and raw water pump. Loosening the paddlewheel would drain the trans cooler and the hose. The 2017 models do not have a water flow paddlewheel.

can we purchase that hose setup from our dealer if so whats the part referenced or number? just wanting to keep it simple and easy so i can use boat earlier/later in the season with a quick 5-min draining for those cold nights below freezing...currently with #3 position thats more hassle than what its worth.. 

 

17s have a digital flow sensor instead of a paddle wheel? 

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