LT4 winterization

[Idamon]

The LT4 has 4 blue plugs to remove for winterization... not 3 as stated in the manual. The most difficult plug is on a hose that is nearly impossible to reach with a human arm, under the port side of the motor. The manual is useless. 

[ahopkins22LSV]

The more recent engines all have the 4th plug. It’s there so you don’t have the hose off. If the four plugs have been removed and water is fully drained you are basically fully winterized. I can’t speak for the LT4 but the M5/6 descriptions in the manual are perfectly fine. I imagine that the LT4 plug locations are the same. Yeah it’s tight but it’s a boat, everything is packed in there and if they made the engine bay bigger the storage next to it would be less and we all know how that would go over. 

[csleaver]

After the vdrive drain plug is removed on the M5 or M6 there is hardly any water that drains from the plug on the hose below the heat exchanger.  In some cases I will lift that hose up a little with a 24 inch pry bar to get better access to the plug when I'm removing or installing it.  I often do the same with the port hose drain plug on the LT4.  I usually have to remove the port floor panel to get to that plug on a M240, but there are only 5 screws that hold it to the aluminum floor support bracket and there is no PNP bag in the way like in other boats.  I think the panel is even labeled "REMOVE FOR SERVICE".

[ztarum]

On 1/12/2021 at 7:00 PM, Idamon said:

The most difficult plug is on a hose that is nearly impossible to reach with a human arm, under the port side of the motor. The manual is useless. 

Does anyone know if the newer LT4 boats now have a small hose the moves this drain plug down next to the V drive?  I drained mine yesterday and found a blue plug on a small hose zip tied down by the Vdrive.  I pulled it, along with the other three (both headers and Vdrive plug), and definitely got water out.  I'm asking because I did not find the plug referenced above, and I want to confirm that this is it and I didn't miss one.  

[csleaver]

The coolant heat exchanger near the rear cockpit seat on newer LT4 engines has a zip tied hose whip with a drain plug.  The earlier models auto drained through the prop shaft dripless seal, but newer models do not have a hose fitting on the dripless shaft seal, so that heat exchanger drain hose is now plugged off.

[ztarum]

So just to confirm, there are still four plugs total?  Or do I need to go hunting for a fifth one?

[csleaver]

The four blue plastic drain plugs should remove a great majority of the sea water to prevent freeze damage, but there is a small hose zip tied to the port side of the coolant heat exchanger with a brass cap plug to drain the heat exchanger.  It is unlikely there will be enough water left in there to make any difference if the other four drain plugs were removed.  I wouldn't be concerned about it, but thus is where it is located.

Edited March 21 by csleaver