Winterizing A PCM GT40

Also don't forget to take the hose off the transmission cooler.

but id say you will be okay, just slightly less concentrated AF

you missed the j-tube on the front of the engine, near the water pump

He told me I have to personally pick up my deposit. When I asked why I had to be there in person told me to ask you.
Then he went on and on about how you stop in all the time and use some song and dance about how you need to inventory his box and blah, blah, blah. So I guess I’ll just leave it between you two.

gun-driver wrote: After 10 years of owning my GT-40 this year I found the easiest way to winterize it... I sold it

That should work! I hope for the sake of the next owner you fogged the distributor and drained the spark plugs before you sold it.

THANKS

PULL THE DRAIN PLUGS. IT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE TO NOT REMOVE THEM.

Not trying to be a jerk, but if you can turn the ignition key to start it you can turn the drain plugs to remove them. It's that easy.

Gary S wrote: and DON'T let anyone tell you different......

What did I say when you asked the question???

This is against Pleasurecraft Marine's own instructions in the engine's owners manual

Rene,
It sure sounds like you are against removing some drain plugs, disconnecting some hoses and then pouring some antifreeze in the block. Have you ever used a refractometer before? If you do the pump through, then I highly recommend using one. Good luck.

rwittmer wrote: Then he fogs the carburator and changes the oil and filter.

Well, this is a tough call. I guess it boils down to personal preference. Without getting into too much detail, I scoured this site before my first winterizing and kept track of EVERY step people take. Some processes were different than others, omitting or changing order of some parts. My conclusion from the research was that as long as you get basically ALL water out of the engine to prevent it from expanding and cracking the block, you are probably pretty safe. Anything else you do is whether you thinks its necessary or want to do the absolute most to keep your boat in tip-top shape.

I guess the point of posting that link that Keno made was to show that by not draining the water, you for sure will be diluting the AF and lowering it's protection ability. Will that lead to the engine being ruined? probably not, but that's your call/gamble.

Personally I warm up the engine and change the oil first, so there is fresh oil in there. Other people would rather change in the spring. Some fog the carb and let the engine suck it into the chambers, i prefer to do it manually into each cylinder. As I said before, i believe it comes down to personal preference.

rwittmer wrote: That's about it and that's the best way to do it. Yes it's true you will need a large supply of antifreeze but still seems easy enough.

Best way seems pretty subjective. Plenty of people have done things in various ways all with success. Some people have used successful ways with utter failure. The bucket/pull method does seem to waste more AF overall, and Im frugal (ok cheap) and don't want to spend more $$ on stuff if i don't have to. Pouring it in is like 2.5 gallons. I'd say i can generally winterize my boat (with everything) in about 30-45 min. Depends on if I want an excuse to not work on anything else Don't be scared to winterize yourself. Just make a game plan for your first time so you don't miss something you feel is important. Take your time. After that it becomes second nature.

Thanks to Keno's excellent scientific methods, we have this experiment to fully understand what the outcome may be without draining all the water out of the block before filling with antifreeze.

I am a personal fan of the pour in method as during my process it is actually faster than using the bucket. I leave the drain plugs out and start pouring. Then as the block fills some AF will get the remaining bits of water out, and I'll plug that drain. Continue to pour until the next drain location gets AF and plug. Do the same thing with the exhaust. Unfortunately, i have had to accept that "end of season" and 1 week old means early winterization for me too this year.

side note: i didn't see Keno's post over on the Boat Maintenance FAQ, maybe it could get added over there as it is such an excellent resource during these winterizing discussions.

and DON'T let anyone tell you different......

Also make sure you use a wire to probe the drain holes so that they are not blocked and drain completely.

I have a 92 Nautique. I will be WINTERIZING myself for the first time (my dealer is over booked). Can I just take the inlet hose and put it in a drum of AntiFreeze and start the engine until I see pure AF coming out? I was thinking this way I don't need to remove any drain plugs and so on.
I figured if I run enough AF this should be OK?

Thanks for insight,

Hudson

*mtrbtr* wrote: This is the first year I am DIY. I am tired paying the marine mechanics to spill oil on my carpet, etc. So do you guys that put AF in, do you drain the water first and then suck the AF through? I sucked 2 gallons of AF through before draining anything. I noticed that mostly clear water came out of the block drains on the side of the engine and the AF was all in the exhaust manifolds. I am assuming that's because the T stat was not open?   Just trying to make sure I do this right. Draining was easy, just want to make sure that I have AF in all the right places since it freezes so hard up here in the winter and boat will be in cold storage.

Hollywood has a great MS Paint diagram of the water flow in the engine. Basically you want to drain the water, then either suck in or pour in the AF via the raw water feed to the t-stat housing. Regardless of T-stat open or closed there is ALWAYS an open passage that lets incoming fluid enter the engine. This is probably the most common area of confusion in boat winterization. If the block is empty, it fills up regardless of T-stat state.

No plugs on the tranny.

The only hose to drain for tranny is actually the raw water hose that is connected to the oil cooler.