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Rebuilt Engine winterizing


exoticaxstin

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We recently bought our 08 23lsv, the guy put a new engine in it because the last one got flooded because they bored the pistons too much, so he got this new GM 8.1l Vortec engine. We already winterized it ourselves, but on all these other videos i’ve watched, the people pull plugs from the manifold and from the block to drain the water, but i don’t know if this engine has those, the last thing i want is to put it in the lake next season and find out we cracked our block, so can anyone tell me if this engine has those drain ports, if so where are they located. if not then just running antifreeze through the engine should be fine right? Let me know thank you!

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Yes to coolant drain plugs.  Located mid block above the pan rail.  Do both sides and poke a coat hangar or small drill bit to ensure no debris limiting flow.  Exhaust manifolds should also be drained of raw water and that can be done from plugs/fittings on the bottom side.

Edited by Woodski
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is your 8.1 closed cooled ?  I know on my LS1 there are no drains on the engine and there is a coolant reservoir on the side of the engine.    You will definitely want to find out b/c if you have raw water in the block it will certainly crack.    Even if it is closed cooled there are places you still need to drain water out of.   Can you post any pics?

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On 11/19/2020 at 6:37 AM, SkiPablo said:

is your 8.1 closed cooled ?  I know on my LS1 there are no drains on the engine and there is a coolant reservoir on the side of the engine.    You will definitely want to find out b/c if you have raw water in the block it will certainly crack.    Even if it is closed cooled there are places you still need to drain water out of.   Can you post any pics?

I can get pictures so if you could stay posted that would be great! maybe in like a day or 2 i should have them it’s in storage right now.

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On 11/19/2020 at 5:18 AM, Woodski said:

Yes to coolant drain plugs.  Located mid block above the pan rail.  Do both sides and poke a coat hangar or small drill bit to ensure no debris limiting flow.  Exhaust manifolds should also be drained of raw water and that can be done from plugs/fittings on the bottom side.

ide have to take pictures so you can pinpoint those locations for me. 

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On 11/18/2020 at 2:21 PM, exoticaxstin said:

We recently bought our 08 23lsv, the guy put a new engine in it because the last one got flooded because they bored the pistons too much, so he got this new GM 8.1l Vortec engine. We already winterized it ourselves, but on all these other videos i’ve watched, the people pull plugs from the manifold and from the block to drain the water, but i don’t know if this engine has those, the last thing i want is to put it in the lake next season and find out we cracked our block, so can anyone tell me if this engine has those drain ports, if so where are they located. if not then just running antifreeze through the engine should be fine right? Let me know thank you!

If you don't find drain plugs go the RV antifreeze route.  Buy a fake a lake on Amazon $20. Warm up the engine with the fake a lake and a garden hose.  Once to temp and the thermostat opens use a sump pump and a 5 gallon bucket to pump rv antifreeze through the entire coolant system until it flows freely out the exhaust.   If you don't have a sump pump you can disconnect the main intake line near the v drive and pour the antifreeze in until it comes out the exhaust. 

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18 hours ago, Zippymbr said:

If you don't find drain plugs go the RV antifreeze route.  Buy a fake a lake on Amazon $20. Warm up the engine with the fake a lake and a garden hose.  Once to temp and the thermostat opens use a sump pump and a 5 gallon bucket to pump rv antifreeze through the entire coolant system until it flows freely out the exhaust.   If you don't have a sump pump you can disconnect the main intake line near the v drive and pour the antifreeze in until it comes out the exhaust. 

So what we did is we started the boat with the fake lake by taking out the water filter and putting the hose connected to the house down the hose that was connected to the filter, after running it for a bit we took out the water hose and just poured RV antifreeze in it, we turned on the shower and antifreeze started pouring out of that along with the exhaust. So is that ok? 

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18 hours ago, Zippymbr said:

If you don't find drain plugs go the RV antifreeze route.  Buy a fake a lake on Amazon $20. Warm up the engine with the fake a lake and a garden hose.  Once to temp and the thermostat opens use a sump pump and a 5 gallon bucket to pump rv antifreeze through the entire coolant system until it flows freely out the exhaust.   If you don't have a sump pump you can disconnect the main intake line near the v drive and pour the antifreeze in until it comes out the exhaust. 

i also heard that there’s a freezing point and a cracking point basically, and i heard the RV antifreeze may freeze, but it doesn’t expand, it can be up to 50% diluted with water till it starts to expand, i just heard that though. 

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1 hour ago, exoticaxstin said:

i also heard that there’s a freezing point and a cracking point basically, and i heard the RV antifreeze may freeze, but it doesn’t expand, it can be up to 50% diluted with water till it starts to expand, i just heard that though. 

Use the -70 antifreeze (propylene glycol) and it won't freeze at all.  It's a bit more expensive but worth it.

I use a T in the line between the V drive and raw water pump to introduce the antifreeze after engine warm up using a Camco Boat Winterizer, then drain the block and exhaust manifolds.  Probably redundant but don't want much water mixed with the a antifreeze.  We regularly get some -20 days.  Never had a problem doing it that way.

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18 hours ago, minnmarker said:

Use the -70 antifreeze (propylene glycol) and it won't freeze at all.  It's a bit more expensive but worth it.

I use a T in the line between the V drive and raw water pump to introduce the antifreeze after engine warm up using a Camco Boat Winterizer, then drain the block and exhaust manifolds.  Probably redundant but don't want much water mixed with the a antifreeze.  We regularly get some -20 days.  Never had a problem doing it that way.

And it’s fun to see how quick the raw water pump can suck that plastic cube of antifreeze dry. 

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19 hours ago, exoticaxstin said:

So what we did is we started the boat with the fake lake by taking out the water filter and putting the hose connected to the house down the hose that was connected to the filter, after running it for a bit we took out the water hose and just poured RV antifreeze in it, we turned on the shower and antifreeze started pouring out of that along with the exhaust. So is that ok? 

Im not sure what you mean by the water filter?  But if you meant to say filler and added antifreeze through that once the boat was hot yes you should be winterized. 

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18 hours ago, minnmarker said:

Use the -70 antifreeze (propylene glycol) and it won't freeze at all.  It's a bit more expensive but worth it.

I use a T in the line between the V drive and raw water pump to introduce the antifreeze after engine warm up using a Camco Boat Winterizer, then drain the block and exhaust manifolds.  Probably redundant but don't want much water mixed with the a antifreeze.  We regularly get some -20 days.  Never had a problem doing it that way.

I have several friends that have this inline T and love it.  I will probably do that this year instead of a fake a lake.

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40 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

And it’s fun to see how quick the raw water pump can suck that plastic cube of antifreeze dry. 

Yep.  And don't forget to save a bit or put a bit back in the cube for the V drive.  With the engine off open the thru hull valve (which you should have shut earlier) and run some antifreeze backwards thru the V Drive.

Also, after the engine is done and off I run the hot and cold water out of the shower until antifreeze comes out.

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