winterizing made easy
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=20121
Printed Date: November-20-2024 at 8:38am
Topic: winterizing made easy
Posted By: 79SNbrady
Subject: winterizing made easy
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 4:33pm
|
After putting it off and hoping to get one more ride in before it was that time for the snow to fall and stay below freezing, i waited till the last minute to winterize the 79 S.N.
But amongst my thinking while the ski boat was warming up with the hose in the drive way. I found an old anti freeze jug (or windshield washer fluid jug will work) 1)cut the top of the jug off just big enough where the raw water hose will fit. 2) cut a corner off the bottom of the jug 3) cut a hole in the bottom (this is where the water hose will go) Disconnect the water hose from the fitting on the hull, then slide the jug over the hose that runs to the water impeller. Prop up the jug at a angle, then stick the water hose through the hole in the bottom of the jug. Turn the hose on, start the engine and let it run to operating temperature. Once the engine was at running temperatures i took a gallon of concentrate anti freeze and slowly poured it through the cut out corner of the jug and let the water mix with the anti freeze until the anti freeze jug was emptied. Excuse the blood, my exact o blade slipped when cutting the hole then kinda knifed my finger.  ------------- "It's just water... not concrete or dirt... so just throw it" -Parks Bonifay 1979 Ski Nautique - (stringer job completed summer 2012) 2007 236 Team - All White! |
Replies:
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 4:59pm
And this is the "easy way"? 
Im sorry, but for those of us who have easy access to the RWP (v-drives excluded) I just dont understand the attraction to the "suck up" method to winterizing. The pour in method described in the PCM manual seems far simpler. Maybe Im incorrect but it does not sound like you drained the water out of the engine before backfilling with antifreeze- so you have no idea what concentration you have in all parts of the block/heads/manifolds. I know of many people who have gotten away with it in the past, but it seems like a disaster waiting to happen to me! ------------- |
79SNbrady wrote:Posted By: thatdude596
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 5:00pm
| only 1 gallon? seems pretty skimpy. i know in previous years i used 4 gallons of the green. this year i used 8 gallons of the red rv/boat stuff. id be afraid of just 1 gallon myself. i get the boat to operating temps. drain all water. start it up and suck in the antifreeze until it comes out the back.fog.shut down. all happens real quickly. |
Posted By: thatdude596
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 5:03pm
| trb i know it circulated through the motor when it comes out the back. that why i use the"suck it up" method. plus its pretty quick. |
Posted By: thatdude596
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 5:04pm
| 79- did you change your oil as well. if not its a good idea as well |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 5:06pm
It sounds like you have a basic misunderstanding of how your cooling system works. How do you know that any antifreeze made it into the block at all? Its possible that it all came in the RWP and was dumped right out of the exhaust manifolds. ------------- |
Posted By: 79SNbrady
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 5:08pm
|
i didnt get very many hrs this time around on my oil change i think it was along the lines of 20hrs but i always change at the beginning of every season, but some time this winter im gonna pull the engine and refresh the engine, it has 2060hrs. ------------- "It's just water... not concrete or dirt... so just throw it" -Parks Bonifay 1979 Ski Nautique - (stringer job completed summer 2012) 2007 236 Team - All White! |
Posted By: thatdude596
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 5:09pm
| well i use the pickup hose from the hull. wouldnt that make it through the entire system? how do i know, from opening the petcocks a touch and seeing antifreeze pour out. |
Posted By: 79SNbrady
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 5:12pm
|
this was the first year ive winterized my boat.. previous years ive kept it in the garage and never needed to winterize it, which in a month or 2 it will be back in the garage. which now im seriously thinking about changing it again to be safe. ------------- "It's just water... not concrete or dirt... so just throw it" -Parks Bonifay 1979 Ski Nautique - (stringer job completed summer 2012) 2007 236 Team - All White! |
Posted By: thatdude596
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 5:12pm
| i was always told its better to have fresh oil during layup due to that used oil can cause problems. i hear it breaks down and cause corrosion and acids to form. i dont really know but thats what i do, and it sounds true to me. |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 5:30pm
No. Like I said before, liquid entering the engine can either go into the block or right out the exhaust. If you open a drain and capture what escapes, you can then test its concentration (water vs. antifreeze) with a refractometer. There is no way to tell if this concentration is consistent throughout the motor though. Besides, it seems like a lot of work to verify what is supposed to be an "easy" method. Long story short, you MUST drain the water out first if you want to be 100% sure of what the concentration is inside. As far as changing the oil goes, 20 hrs is enough to warrant a change at the end of the season. Always change it at the end, so the corrosive acids (byproducts from combustion) dont sit on the internals all winter. No need to change it again in the spring- oil doesnt break down unless its used in a (running) engine. ------------- |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 9:48pm
|
Nick,
How about reading the manual? if you don't have one, take a look in the referrence section. Tim's explained it to you but you had better start over before you end up with a cracked block next spring. Wo told you to do this? A MC owner out for revenge?
BTW, don't believe anything you read over on any of those boardings site ether!! ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: thatdude596
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 9:55pm
trb- reread the above post. water is drained, then 8 gallons of rv antifreeze is sucked through......again, i know its through the motor by opening the petcocks. with 4-8 gallon im pretty confident its cycled through the motor. |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 10:06pm
Not given, You may also want to take a look at the lay up instructions in the manual. You'd save on antifreeze!!! I too, like Tim always wonder about the attraction to the suck through method.???? ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: OverMyHead
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 10:19pm
At least there is a DNA trail if it ends up freezing we can identifiy the culprit. CCF/CSI ------------- For thousands of years men have felt the irresistible urge to go to sea, and many of them died. Things got better after they invented boats. 1987 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: Brady
Date Posted: December-06-2010 at 10:24pm
|
Pete
I have to say that I also have never understood the thinking behind the pump, suck thru method of winterization. I don't think that it takes me much more than 20 minutes to drain the manifolds and block on my 318, and refill the block with just under 2 gallons of RV antifreeze. No muss no fuss and I'm sure that I have full strength throughout. ------------- Charlie Three Lakes, Wisconsin 69 Barracuda |
Posted By: Keeganino
Date Posted: December-07-2010 at 1:53am
|
I will confess. I was forced to do the suck through method because I cannot get the plugs out of the manifolds. I really put a lot of force on them too. Doubt if mine have ever been pulled off the manis. The block has the plugs that drain without taking them out and work fine but I was afraid of breaking the exhaust manifolds trying to get the plugs out. I set out with full intentions of draining and pouring, but ended up sucking through after all. Now that it is 25 outside Tim has got me worried! What should I do? ------------- "working on these old boats may not be cost effective but as it shows its what it brings into your life that matters" -Roger http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=4897" rel="nofollow - 1973 Skier |
Posted By: OverMyHead
Date Posted: December-07-2010 at 2:26am
|
A half inch socket wrench works great for my manifold plugs. I can see how they could rust up pretty solid. I use anti-seize on all the drain plugs every fall to prevent that problem. My last block had a brass plug rounded off that I could not remove. Broke an easy out in it and ran it that way for a year before swapping out the motor. I like the pour in method, seems less stressful than trying to organize everything for the alternative. ------------- For thousands of years men have felt the irresistible urge to go to sea, and many of them died. Things got better after they invented boats. 1987 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: December-07-2010 at 3:28am
I always have used the suck thru method,the manual for my engine is not very clear and in my case it's just easier.I do drain the block and manifolds first and again when I'm done.It seems most HM's are down south where you can just use the drain method anyway  ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Posted By: Whitfield
Date Posted: December-07-2010 at 8:04am
|
My 350 block and PCM manifolds took 4 gallons using the drain first then pour thru. Previous owner got bitten using just the block drain cocks. It is very easy for them to get plugged up seem empty and yet hold water. ------------- Michael .... I'm the black sheep ~ 1984 Dixie 299 Super Skier (350 Chev PCM / counter rotation / Velvet drive) Open Bow. |
Posted By: thatdude596
Date Posted: December-07-2010 at 12:02pm
antifreeze was 2 a gallon. i paid 16.00 for 8 gallons. i would bet anything with that much antifreeze its good to go. suck up method works for me. i wouldnt want to waste time by pouring in 8 gallons. |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: December-07-2010 at 12:09pm
I only use 1 gallon and that's only been in the last 20 years. Before that it was always a drain only winterizing on any boat engine I did. Many still do the drain only method. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: thatdude596
Date Posted: December-07-2010 at 1:20pm
| yeah for 16.00 its a cheap piece of mind, and a little reassuring knowing its 110% safe until springtime.i have a routine .start boat. drain oil. while oil is draining, drain block and flush manifolds. then restart suck up anitfreeze.fog.it goes rather quickly that way. |