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Winterization How-To's / Step By Step


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Does anyone know where I can find some simple step by step guides on winterization for my V-drive? If there are any with photos/diagrams that would be a big plus. I live in central PA where winters can get down below 20 degrees F for weeks at a shot. Boat will be in a detached garage unit (should keep the temp up a little), but I'm not sure it will be heated at all. My boat is a 2000 WS Escape 23 LSV with the 365 hp hammerhead motor (not the 383 version I believe just the 350).

Any advice, help, or directions to good guides would be much appreciated as this will be my first winter as a boat owner. I'm hoping to keep in in the water through most of October, but I want to get ahead of the learning curve.

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So is it really just disconnect and drain all the water lines? If I use the anti-freeze, I assume I would use the fake a lake to flush it out in the spring (when I plan on changing the oil and other fluids)?

Have also heard some people mention fogging the engine, while others say not to do this. Any advice there? Thank you again.

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All I did last year was drain all of the water and pull the impeller (which has water in it). It hit -10 f for a week or so. I'm also careful to use a piece of wire to help remove the little chunks of scale that get stuck in the drain holes

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So is it really just disconnect and drain all the water lines? If I use the anti-freeze, I assume I would use the fake a lake to flush it out in the spring (when I plan on changing the oil and other fluids)?

Have also heard some people mention fogging the engine, while others say not to do this. Any advice there? Thank you again.

Pretty much.

Change oil and filter too. You don't want to keep used oil in it over winter. Change it in fall and then you don't have to do it in spring.

Most people that use RV/Marine antifreeze put it in a bucket and run it through the system until it's "full" of anti-freeze. You DON'T USE auto antifreeze.

If you have a heater, make sure that is drained. Disconnect hoses and blow through it with your mouth. Compress air might blow out the heater.

Watch the video suggested. It's a good start.

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Have heard that changing oil in fall could lead to condensation and such in it over winter into spring. Any credence to this? Again, I have seen a lot of people 50/50 about changing fluids in the fall vs. in the spring . . .

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There is a really good YouTube video with the exact motor. I'm not sure how to upload the link so type in: boat winterization - indmar monsoon 350. Let me know what you think. I'll be following that exact video when winterizing my 2001 vlx with the same hammerhead motor.

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Have heard that changing oil in fall could lead to condensation and such in it over winter into spring. Any credence to this? Again, I have seen a lot of people 50/50 about changing fluids in the fall vs. in the spring . . .

My 2 cents

Change oil in fall = condensation in oil over the winter. However my opinion is once you fire up the engine in the spring the water is going to evaporate off pretty quickly.

Change oil in fall = leave acidic oil in the engine over the winter which is not good in engine components but anything that accumulates like water etc is pulled out when you change it.

Personally I change in the fall then check fluid before starting in the spring then check again after starting the boat.

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Thanks for all the good info guys (and perspective on oil sled and ski). Simo, did you store in heated garage or one that got to freezing temps? Just trying to debate if it's worth getting a fake a lake and doing anti freeze or not (per toddthelineman)?

Also, is the disconnect to drain the heater lines under the dash or located elsewhere?

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Nice to hear your getting out on the water.

I did not have a heated storage unit. I did the anti-freeze thing four a few years but will probably never do it again. My reasoning came from putting a cup of anti-freeze outside for a few days in the winter. It didn't freeze but became very slushy. If you remember back to physics class, when a liquid becomes slushy, this is when it expands the most. And the potential for not getting all the water out and having the anti-freeze possibly diluted.

I blew the heater lines out with compressed air ( lightly ). They are located near the perfect pass on top of the engine. Both connections are near each other.

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You don't need to use the RV anti-freeze if you don't want to. The only place we use that on ours is in the heater core.

I usually:

Fog engine while it's on the trailer at the launch before pulling it out

Change oil and filter

Pull plugs

Change impeller every 3 years (they're always flawless but it's cheap insurance)

Disconnect manifold hoses

Remove knock sensor and plug on opposite side

Pull raw water hose off raw water pump and V-drive

Pull heater feed and return

Pull off lanyard and crank engine over a few times

Blow out water from heater core, then blow through RV anti-freeze

Remove battery

Vacuum, wash, wax

Reconnect everything, plugs back in

Cover and put to hibernation

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Thanks for all the good info guys (and perspective on oil sled and ski). Simo, did you store in heated garage or one that got to freezing temps? Just trying to debate if it's worth getting a fake a lake and doing anti freeze or not (per toddthelineman)?

Also, is the disconnect to drain the heater lines under the dash or located elsewhere?

Not going to say you should or should not use antifreeze however I do for 2 reasons.

1. If I miss anything while winterizing I am covered. Even if it becomes slushy it can still expand without cracking anything

2. I use propylene glycol (not the pink RV stuff) with rust inhibitors so that any water left sitting in the block does not form rust all winter. This Ishtar main reason I pull antifreeze through each winter. if you do use antifreeze put it in a bucket and then take the hose that goes into your v-drive off and run a piece of hose from the bucket to your v-drive where you removed the hose. The raw water pump will pull the antifreeze in. Also, I drain my entire block of all water before pulling antifreeze in to reduce dilution.

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i have followed the winterization guide linked above and the instructions in the Indmar manual since the boat was new and the instructions and guidance is great.

Its not hard if you follow the instructions and i added a few notes to mine to help remember some specifics.

And i change the oil in the fall - get the old used oil out and clean new oil in.

And change the impeller every year - cheap insurance.

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I use the -100 anti freeze. Nothing makes that slushy. I also just pour it in after fully draining no fake a lake.

http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=2967

Make sure you use at least -50, not the crap they sell at target for pouring in toilets

Do you think it makes more sense to:

Drain the whole engine / heaters and then pour in 1 gallon of the Camco Ban Frost 2000 (expensive stuff) into the T-stat housing / heaters?

Or

Drain the whole engine / heaters and then run 6 gallons of the Camco Winter Ban -50 or Starbrite Antifreeze -50 Wintersafe? (the cheaper -50 stuff that claims to be non-toxic and Propylene Glycol formula)

Last year I did the latter option and it worked well, but someone claimed that if ANY water was mixed with it, the cheaper anti-freeze becomes virtually useless, and that isn't the case for the Ban Frost 2000. On the fence about this at the moment...

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The oil change is preference, but honestly if you buy oil in bulk the cost of an oil change is minimal. You could run clean oil in the fall and swap it out in the spring if you really wanted to.

As for winterizing, I drain the entire block and all water lines. After that, I fill it back up with -100 anti freeze.

I might leave my impeller change until the spring. Oh and wash, wax, vacuum, remove seats, carpets, gear, and leave a bucket of damp-rid in there for the winter.

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Do you think it makes more sense to:

Drain the whole engine / heaters and then pour in 1 gallon of the Camco Ban Frost 2000 (expensive stuff) into the T-stat housing / heaters?

Or

Drain the whole engine / heaters and then run 6 gallons of the Camco Winter Ban -50 or Starbrite Antifreeze -50 Wintersafe? (the cheaper -50 stuff that claims to be non-toxic and Propylene Glycol formula)

Last year I did the latter option and it worked well, but someone claimed that if ANY water was mixed with it, the cheaper anti-freeze becomes virtually useless, and that isn't the case for the Ban Frost 2000. On the fence about this at the moment...

I don't see any reason to waste 6 gallons of antifreeze. I'm pretty confident my engine is empty of water, I put it in there so it doesn't rust. Edited by oldjeep
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If I were going to "pour in" 1 gallon of the -100 antifreeze, where exactly is the recommended location to "pour it in"? Also, just the same drain procedure in the spring to get it out then?

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I just pour it in the heater hoses and the hoses that I disconnect at the tstat housing. As far as draining it out, I don't. The reason you use propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol is that it is safe to run out on your driveway or lake.

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I don't see any reason to waste 6 gallons of antifreeze. I'm pretty confident my engine is empty of water, I put it in there so it doesn't rust.

It was just because I found a place to buy 6 gallons of that antifreeze for the same price as the single gallon of the 'good stuff'

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Been using the -50 stuff for 20 years in NW Wisc. No problems. I warm up the engine, change the oil, then drain the raw water lines and block, remove the stat, run 4 gallons of -50 thru using muffs (I/O) or T in raw water line (inboard), and put the stat back in after. Fog engine during last gallon. Also plan to turn on shower (new for me) during last gallon or two. 40+ boat years and no freeze damage at all. Based on Crew advice, this year I'll start draining the exhaust manifolds but have never had any problems not doing that in the past.

For the old I/O pontoon I don't even bother with most of the above. Just warm up, change oil, run again till the stat opens, switch to antifreeze and let it suck in 4 gallons. Shut off and drain the block. No problems. http://www.amazon.com/Camco-65501-Yourself-Boat-Winterizer/dp/B0000AXQU2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439233697&sr=8-1&keywords=boat+winterization+kit

-50 stuff on sale at Menards for <$3 per gallon. We use 18+ gallons every Fall for boats and out cabin.

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