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FARRIS2121
Senior Member
Posts: 240
Registered: 12-9-2008
Location: Independence, Ky
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Quote: Originally posted by MarineAssist  | If you decide to simply drain your engine and NOT use antifreze in it, you need to be very sure you have gotten ALL the water out.
Last season I towed in a customer with water in the oil. He asked me to take a look at it for him to diagnose the problem. I found the intake manifold
to be cracked due to freeze damage. The owner had tried to winterize it himself by simply draining the block. I guess what happened was the boat was
parked on a trailer at an odd angle, which did not allow all the water to completely drain out. The water that sat in the intake manifold froze and
broke it on the inside under the carburetor area.
Point is, draining the block followed by running antifreeze through it is proper procedeure and insurance against a large repair bill down the road.
In my opinion, paying a shop to properly winterize your investment just makes good sense.
Just my opinion, of course. |
Couldn't agree more!
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Lock5
Master Member
Posts: 2663
Registered: 2-5-2007
Location: Downwind from Wild Turkey Distillery
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| Quote: Originally posted by FARRIS2121 | | Quote: Originally posted by MarineAssist | If you decide to simply drain your engine and NOT use antifreze in it, you need to be very sure you have gotten ALL the water out.
Last season I towed in a customer with water in the oil. He asked me to take a look at it for him to diagnose the problem. I found the intake manifold
to be cracked due to freeze damage. The owner had tried to winterize it himself by simply draining the block. I guess what happened was the boat was
parked on a trailer at an odd angle, which did not allow all the water to completely drain out. The water that sat in the intake manifold froze and
broke it on the inside under the carburetor area.
Point is, draining the block followed by running antifreeze through it is proper procedeure and insurance against a large repair bill down the road.
In my opinion, paying a shop to properly winterize your investment just makes good sense.
Just my opinion, of course. |
Couldn't agree more! |
I agree wholeheartily, if you are not capable of doing the job you should consult with someone who can. It's alot cheaper to pay a shop to do it than
it is to pay for repairs in the spring. Having said that, it's also alot cheaper to buy the anti-freeze than it is to pay a shop to do it. I winterize
my pontoon, my Waverunner and my Motorhome for under $75.
\"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don\'t have that problem.\"
PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN, 1985
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MarineAssist
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Location: Jamestown, KY.
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Here is one difference between having a shop do your winterization vs. doing it yourself.
A shop (most anyway), will run the engine in your boat to get to operating temp on a hose. Then they will drain the oil (assuming you want an oil
change) and drain the engine block of any water. They will reinstall oil and block drain plugs and hook up your boat to a recirculating tank of
antifreeze that has been adjusted to meet the freezing protection needs of this area. This tank will provide antifreeze to the engine on the boat
while they run the engine again. While the engine is running, they check the freeze protection of the antifreeze coming out of the exhaust and run the
engine until that outcoming antifreeze meets or exceeds -40 freeze protection, using a refractometer.
Doing it this way ensures the engine is fully protected, verified and usually insured to be correct.
If you run the engine yourself on antifreeze without first draining the block you run the risk of diluting the antifreeze you are putting in by mixing
it with the couple gallons of water already in the block, or having the antifreeze bypass the block of a cold engine altogether and go right out the
exhaust.
Just information to mull over.
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Soak-up-the-Sun
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I love this forum. Enough said.
.....Official Lake Cumberland Tourism Director, And Purveyor To All Those Who Seek Wit, Wisdom, Whiskey And Wile While At My Bar....
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Lock5
Master Member
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It's really not rocket science, I run my boat on muffs until it's up to operating temperature(watching the gauge until it peaks). Then shut it off,
then I hook up a short hose with a funnel in one end and muffs on the other end. I have my wife restart the engine while I pour the anti-freeze into
the funnel, stopping once I see pink fluid coming from the exhaust. I have been doing this same procedure for at least 15 years without freezing a
block.
\"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don\'t have that problem.\"
PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN, 1985
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Captain Bob
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Agreed, Lock5. The method you described is a "tried and true" technique and has been around at least since when I first got into boating (1964).
A similar method is to lower the out-drive or outboard into a large bucket (old-fashioned washtub or large plastic storage container works well).
Fill the container above the water inlet with proper mix of water/antifreeze and run the engine until operating temperature (thermostat opens up).
This method is good because no A/F is wasted and, when finished, the container full of mix and be put back into gallon jugs for use again next year.
Disclaimer: DO NOT USE Ethylene Glycol based Antifreeze this way as spilled liquid is poisonous -especially to animals.
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RedneckYachtClub
Master Member
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Location: Westerville, Ohio
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For the last 20 years been taking out block and manifold plugs and removing hoses with out putting antifreeze in the system and have had no problems.
Get me to the dam lake ASAFP!
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E_HILLMAN
Master Member
Posts: 6519
Registered: 3-23-2006
Location: North Central KY (Leesburg) JRM
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Mood: :-)
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| Quote: Originally posted by Captain Bob | Agreed, Lock5. The method you described is a "tried and true" technique and has been around at least since when I first got into boating (1964).
A similar method is to lower the out-drive or outboard into a large bucket (old-fashioned washtub or large plastic storage container works well).
Fill the container above the water inlet with proper mix of water/antifreeze and run the engine until operating temperature (thermostat opens up).
This method is good because no A/F is wasted and, when finished, the container full of mix and be put back into gallon jugs for use again next year.
Disclaimer: DO NOT USE Ethylene Glycol based Antifreeze this way as spilled liquid is poisonous -especially to animals. |
I have this kit for Alpha 1 drives - http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=26582&...
that I would be willing to let go to someone for half price.
Made it easy for me to winterize my Alpha1 on Goin Tarpless every time without issue by myself.
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..................................___Y_Z\\____
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^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~
Buy Made in the USA, the job you save just might be your own.
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Randy
Master Member
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Location: Fishers IN GH or Naples Fl
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Mood: Tired of winter
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Another FYI I learned a long time ago. After draining the four drains on the block and manifolds, and pulling the hoses, I stick a small screwdriver
into each hole to see if all water has been drained. Twice I have had a little debris inside and more water came out. Just another step if you
winterize this way.
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Randy
Master Member
Posts: 2285
Registered: 3-19-2003
Location: Fishers IN GH or Naples Fl
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Mood: Tired of winter
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Another thing. If you line up 100 people you will come up with 100 different ways to winterized a boat. If you take on the job yourself and crack a
block, you had no business doing it to begin with.
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Randy
Master Member
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Location: Fishers IN GH or Naples Fl
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Mood: Tired of winter
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Dang it IPad..... .??
Admin: Trust me I know what your talking aobut. 
That's "about" dang it! Spell checker on Windows suck though! 
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pac22
Master Member
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| Quote: Originally posted by Randy | | Another thing. If you line up 100 people you will come up with 100 different ways to winterized a boat. If you take on the job yourself and crack a
block, you had no business doing it to begin with. |
Agree....In 20+ yrs I have always done my own. Never had a problem but with my new purchase I'm giving some thought into having it done. Seen too many
nightmare strories recently. Just not sure yet. Really don't want to spend the money when I can do it myself for half, if not less.
For 7 yrs I winterized my cruiser, twin 350s, genset, water system with 3 sinks, head, AC, for about $150. No one could even come close to that. Now
all I have to do is twin big blocks.
That being said, no offense to those who have done it themselves and had a major problem. It's a boat, sometimes it's just out of your hands.
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US1Fountain
Junior Member
Posts: 5
Registered: 9-3-2002
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My thoughts....The pink RV antifreeze at Menards is just fine for use in your motors. Right on the label, "Contains Corrosion Inhibitors" for as many
yrs as I can recall. Is corrosion a problem in plastic lines and tanks?
Been using it for yrs, never an issue, along with 100's of houseboats and cruisers in our marina. The RV antifreeze doesn't know/care if it's in
plastic lines or your motor. The reason the RV stuff says not for use in motors, is NOT because it offers no freeze protection (it does, that's what
it's designed for) ......it's because it does not offer the cooling protection that regular AF offers, such as a running motor. The RV stuff is for
storage protection only. Regular AF is for both cooling and freeze protection, plus has lubricating properties for seals and such.
You'll get people that think at $3/gal, they'll just use it to fill their car/rv/truck radiators, (along with the closed cooling marine motors)
instead of using the normal AF for yr round use, thus the confusion.
Just a little info. Hope this clears up some. The key is to make sure you don't have a diluted solution, altering the freeze point.
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HURRICANEBOB
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So I guess wiring momma's old hair drier into the 2 bank battery/maintenance charger is not going to cut it? I mean it worked on the Merc, so why not
the Honda?
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E_HILLMAN
Master Member
Posts: 6519
Registered: 3-23-2006
Location: North Central KY (Leesburg) JRM
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Mood: :-)
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Picked mine up from Marine and Speed yesterday. It is now official.  I just
hope one of those days I see Islander post he is headed down I am somehow off that day and don't have baby duties at home.
........................................___
..................................___Y_Z\\____
................................+|_________/
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~
Buy Made in the USA, the job you save just might be your own.
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