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Quick question about winterizing


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So I am planning on winterizing the boat tommarow. I already changed the fluids. I have a couple of vavles in place so I can just hook a suction hose up. I would like to get antifreeze thoughout the motor but Im a little confused. So if I run the boat till the thermostat opens and then open the drains and close them back up and restart the motor with a 5 gallon bucket of antifreeze wont the thormostat be closed by then? Or should I just drain the water and then run antifreeze through it?

Thanks

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In my opinion you are wasting your money trying to get antifreeze in the block of a raw water cooled engine. Just drain the block, manifolds, transmission cooler and hardwall hoses. Also......you don't have to get every last ounce of water out. Water freeze damage occurs when water expands as it freezes. As long as the water has plenty of room to expand you will be okay. As far as corrosion protection goes......cast iron will last a very long time so long as it's not exposed to salt water. If you absolutely have to put anti-freeze in your block to sleep at night......just pop the thermostat cover off and pour it directly in. You will waste a whole lot less doing it this way. Another idea.....if you store your boat at home you can just hang a 100 watt light bulb (with power of course) under the engine cover. This will keep things warm enough to prevent freezing.

  • Like 2
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K. Thanks for the reply. This may seem like a stupid question but does the trans pump fluid to the cooler like in an automotive aplication? Or does the trans get cooled from water circulating around it. In other words do the 2 trans lines carry water or trans fluid?

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The trans cooler is a heat exchanger that has transmission fluid flowing through one passage and water flowing through other passage/s. There is a pipe fitting drain plug to drain the water out of the water passage section.

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Find someone to show you how to do it your first time. Pay your dealer if needed. It is a lot cheaper to pay/learn once than if you miss something and something freezes. Like most things it is easy if you know what you are doing.

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I fill the engine and manifolds by pulling the hoses at the thermostat. It takes like 5 gallons to get the block full and antifreeze through the exhaust. I pull all four hoses and back fill.

I hook everything back up when done. It a personal thing but in MHO it keeps rust down and keeps the the rubber fresh.

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Well I pulled the hoses and the block drains. The manifold plugs were rusted in so I first poured antifreeze down the hoses that go to the bottom of the manifolds. Then I put everything back together and ran 4 gallons of antifreeze through it. There was plenty of pink coming out the exhaust. Seems good to me!

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Well I pulled the hoses and the block drains. The manifold plugs were rusted in so I first poured antifreeze down the hoses that go to the bottom of the manifolds. Then I put everything back together and ran 4 gallons of antifreeze through it. There was plenty of pink coming out the exhaust. Seems good to me!

Did the thermostat open while you were running it with antifreeze? Pink out the exhaust really isn't a good indication that the block filled with antifreeze.

Edited by Bozboat
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Did the thermostat open while you were running it with antifreeze? Pink out the exhaust really isn't a good indication that the block filled with antifreeze.

No. I drianed the block though. Pretty sure it would take cases of antifreeze to run it long enough to open the T stat. I suppose I could pull the stat and fill the block though. Is this necassary?

Edited by Tnave
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No. I drianed the block though. Pretty sure it would take cases of antifreeze to run it long enough to open the T stat. I suppose I could pull the stat and fill the block though. Is this necassary?

Some use antifreeze and others don't, both sides have good points. I don't use it.

If the block was empty after you drained the water out of the drain plug and the knock sensor/plug, running the engine on antifreeze thru the impeller should fill the block first before the thermostat opens, and you are probably fine.

If the block was full of water and you did the same thing, antifreeze would not enter the block until the thermostat opens and you would have successfully winterized only the manifolds.

In both cases you would see antifreeze coming out the exhaust.

Edited by Bozboat
  • Like 1
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No. I drianed the block though. Pretty sure it would take cases of antifreeze to run it long enough to open the T stat. I suppose I could pull the stat and fill the block though. Is this necassary?

Just because you drained the block doesn't mean you got antifreeze in it. If all you did was run it long enough to run 4 gallons through, all you most likely did was get antifreeze in your exhaust manifolds.

Edited by zone 5
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Boz has a great point and that is why I pull my t-stat before I begin winterizing. It hangs from the ziplock bag on the steering wheel all winter and gets put back in in the spring when i drain the antifreeze in the spring.

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Boz has a great point and that is why I pull my t-stat before I begin winterizing. It hangs from the ziplock bag on the steering wheel all winter and gets put back in in the spring when i drain the antifreeze in the spring.

If you want to skip that step, just pull the large hose off the Stat housing (the one that goes to the Circ pump), and pour ~2 gallons of antifreeze in it. That will fill the block without having to remove the Stat housing.

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