Would it be ok to lower the dirve unit down into a troft or large container that has a "antifreeze solution" and rund the engine until the solution has circulated well through out the engine? Probably a stupid question, but will this work?

One thing to remember is if you're recycling the antifreeze through the engine (exhaust draining back into the tub) is to watch the temperature of the water. Depending on how big the tub is, the hot exhaust water will be returned as warm water, therefore eliminating sufficient cooling capacity. If you're just winterizing, you probably will not have to run the engine long enough for this to become a problem.

will it work? sure!

Should you try it? NO!!!

Think about it.

How big a tub . . . (BIG) How much antifreeze (LOTS). What you going to do with it afterward? (most of it will still be in the tub)

Some guys here basically do that with some rather large boats. I helped them make a contraption to catch the antifreeze/water mix out of the exhaust and collect it in a large tub. A sump pump hooked to a home made plunger looking thing wedged under the intake pushes the mix into the engine. It's quite a contraption, and the only way it makes sense for them is they do about 6-8 boats with it all on the same day. They continually check the mix to make sure it is right.

It would, however, be a royal PITA to set up and tear down for one boat. And I don't know what they do with the left over antifreeze.

So to answer your question, and echo tpenfield, sure you can do it that way. But I think there are easier ways to do it, IMO.

Well, if my thinking is correct, We have a horse ranch....lots of large water trofts on the place. If when done, you store whats left in the troft ...say in a couple five gallon containers... they could be used over and over again for at least 3 to 5 years...right?

NO you don't want to do that!if one of your horses gets in to it,it WILL kill them!!!
the A/F has a sweet smell and taste it don't take much to do the deed.

woosterken

No joke, I would not use it to water the horses with ever again!!!....maybe a few kitty cats...but not horses!! And b/f I get blasted about the kitty cats comment I WAS JOKING!!!

Can you use RV antifreeze? RV antifreeze is enviormentally much safer and is an animal were to get into it by accident, it shouldn't cause them any harm.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/731328/2898754/37003168.jpg

This is what I do. I have a fresh water rinse system and use a drill powered pump to pump the anti-freeze in to all parts of the engine. You can do the same sorta thing using "muffs" attached to the hose and run the engine. Make sure the engine is up to temp so the thermstat is open.
West Marine sells the container.

One problem I could see with winterizing via a barrel of antifreeze, is the remaining water in the engine would 'contaminate' the antifreeze.

problem two is, if you don't remove the thermostat, you risk not getting antifreeze everywhere unless you continually circulate it until the engine's hot enough to open the thermostat.

Since problem one requires draining the water and problem two requires removing the thermostat, once you've done that, all that's left to do is pour the antifreeze into the engine thru the thermostat opening...very easy, very cheap.

Oh gosh all this talk about "how to suck up the antifreeze, and then did I really get it circulated through the engine?" is just ridiculous. Take out the drain plugs, let the water drain. Then take a piece of coat hanger, and poke into every hole to remove the sediment, and let the water drain. If you have compressed air, remove the line from the raw water pump and blow air back through it, so your pump and all the coolers after it will be dry. Then you are done.
And if you don't have compressed air, take the hoses loose at the thermostat housing, take one gallon of non toxic stuff of your choice, and with the drains all still open, pour into the hoses until the stuff runs out the water pickup holes in the drive, out the exhaust manifold drains into the bilge, and out the block drains into the bilge. Tilt the boat bow way up, collect the runoff in a pan under the bilge drain plug and recycle it properly. Boom you are done. Easy, very little material, not a lot of time, and not worries.

Now come on darnit! It's 82 degrees in the midwest, the Illinois River is going down, we are allowed to go idle speed, so get out an go boating! This winterizing crap can wait until October, at least!

A local shop here does the same thing and afterwords they seal up the outdrive to prevent leaking on the way home and open up the top drain valve for expansion. The only question that comes to mind if this is a good idea, why don't more people do it?

I think I will just take the thing to a boat shop and have them winterize it! I just thought that I had the troft thing going, I coud continue using the boat for a while and after each use, I could run it in the antifreeze tank and not have to totally stop using it for another month or two. I guess next boat I will have to seriously think about an outboard!

That's your best bet, me I don't winterize as I live in the desert and the few nights it does get cold, I have a heater for the bilge. I tend to boat all year round and at least run the boat on muffs each saturday.

Check this out.

This is what I am using next time. Billyb has a good idea but it is tough to get the hoses off my raw water pump anymore.
With the above kit you hook up to a garden hose and a "fake-a-lake". Once your engine comes up to temp you switch two valves and you motor sucks up five gallons of pink AF.

As soon as the last of the AF goes out the jug you switch the motor off. Also since I have FI in my motor I will NOT be fogging again. I might put some 2-stroke oil in the gas but that will be it. And I doubt I do that. Hooking and unhooking fuel lines is just tempting the hydrocarbon gods to leak some fuel into your bilge so it can be ignited later for blasts.

Very well put Billy






(...and my favorite word in your post: October )

Just me, but since we see 10+ below at times around here, I wouldn't trust a 'fake lake' winterization. When your engine is "at temp", the thermostat only opens far enough, long enough, to allow just enough water in to maintain temp. So, Unless you have your fake lake of antifreeze in a rolling boil on top of a coleman stove, your thermostat may not allow enough antifreeze in to completely replace the water in the block, the rest will just end up on the ground thru the risers.

I was at Home Depot yesterday . . . They had the RV anti-freeze all lined up at the entrance. I bought a case - 6 gallons - next weekend I'm bringing the boat home for winter.

FR-

I *suppose* I should take the thermostat out just to be sure I get good circulation thru the block. I just hate to break a good gasket seal.

Of course, this is after I run my compression test ritual.

PH, you didn't understand my post, you don't have to take the hose off the raw water pump. Just at the thermostat housing. All hoses lead to there. Think of it as the Rome of your cooling system! The hose leaves your raw water pump, runs around the back of the motor, through some coolers (maybe only one) and attaches directly to the thermostat housing. Okay, maybe on your VP it doesn't go all the way around the back of your motor, but I'll bet it does. Either way, it HAS TO attach to your thermostat housing, cause it is the only source of water for your engine/manifolds. It's a soft flexible hose at that point. Remove it, and either blow air back through it, and that will blow all the water in the coolers and the raw water pump out the water pickups in the drive. Or, dump antifreeze down that hose, until it runs green out the water pickups in the drive.

LL, you got my little joke, thanks. Of course October is actually only 3 days away! But I will not winterize until the end of October, maybe November. Even though it's only supposed to be 60 degrees for a high starting on Wednesday here, I'm going boating next weekend, too!

Here's what I've been doing for the past 7 years regarding antifreeze:

What you need:
Rubbermaid container about 24" x 24" and 6-8" deep
Cheap bilge pump
Muffs for running engine on hose
Antifreeze - I use 6 gallons

What I do:
Pull the T-Stat and pull all the drain plugs to drain the block.
Replace the drain plugs
Replace the T-Stat housing (without the T-Stat)

Put the container under the drive and fill it with the antifreeze
Hook the bilge up to the muffs and put it down in the antifreeze
Power up the bilge pump (you can connect it to the boat battery)
When the antifreeze pumps up to the muffs fire up the engine
For the first 30 seconds or so nothing will come out the exhaust - the engine is empty.
When the antifreeze starts coming out the exhaust shut it down.
Your Done.
Now put the T-Stat in a place that you will remember to replace it in the spring. Come spring, fire it up on the muffs with the hose for a minute or two to flush the antifreeze, then replace the T-Stat. This way, when you crack open the T-Stat housing you don't spill the antfreeze all over the bilge.

I'm only left with about a gallon of antifreeze to dispose of and the whole process takes about 20 mins.
It's cheap, the container only costs about $7 and the pump at West Marine was $25. After using the same pump and container for 7 years my annual cost for these is $4.50 / year. And that doesn't factor in doing my buddies boat a few times too.

Sea water pump . . . let's talk about that. . .

In my travels with the seawater pump, it holds water fairly well i.e. it does not let water pass thru it unless it is turning - unlike the recirculating pump (I believe).

So, unless you pull the hose off of the seawater pump outlet, it will contain water (or antifreeze) throughout its length, which is about 4-5 feet and includes the oil cooler. Since I am too lazy to stand on my head and reach down to disconnect the hose at the sea water pump, I figure the antifreeze will do its job.

Perhaps the sea water pump will drain down a bit after a few days, but who knows. In all the threads that discuss draining versus 'antifreezing', not much is talked about the seawater pump or the oil cooler, yet this hose could contain a significant amount of 'freezable' water unless it is treated or drained.

Maybe I should disconnect the hoses at the sea water pump as well. Did I mention the sea water strainer? Probably got to drain that as well.

Keith, your way is virtually the same as per my Volvo 290 instruction manual, with the exception that Volvo made it much easier by putting the seawater pump on the front of the engine. (Just pull the hose from drive intake and drop it into a bucket of antifreeze) This, and the "fake-a-lake" method is GREAT, but you MUST drain everything first and remove the thermostat and replace its cap. This method insures you get antifreeze thru EVERYTHING, including any oil coolers you may have.

I have 3 engines to winterize, but all of them are the 4-bangers with no coolers to worry about. I simply drain the block & riser, replace the drain plugs, pull the stat and pour in antifreeze.

For what it's worth, as Billy explains, as long as you drain the block, risers and oil cooler(s) there is simply no need for anti-freeze. And this winter, I believe that's all I'm going to do...

Tpenfield, the Merc seawater pumps SHOULD hold water fairly well, but I've tried filling the water inlet hoses in both houseboat engines from the engine side, but the hoses wouldn't fill, the antifreeze just found its way out. Maybe they're designed to bleed out out on purpose (makes sense), but I don't know for sure...

Tpenfield, reread my posts, okay? The seawater pump issue is addressed in them, twice.
I will admit that I go one extra step in regards to the sea water pump on my Bravo. Since I remove my drive for storage, I place the end of my shopvac hose on the inlet hole in the gimbal, and I suck out the remaining antifreeze that I dumped down the line at the thermostat housing. That way, the line to the seawater pump and from the seawater pump is completely dry.

I drop my boat off at a Mercruiser dealer and write a check for $200. One less thing off my plate . . .

Went to marinemax a few weeks ago and they had this posted. I understand that when you buy a boat is priced allot like a Cadillac that you need to expect higher service cost, but Winterization is the same on any boat and look at the cost for this. It would not take much to hit $2k by the time you are all through. My biggest question is why bother with winter. The water never freezes on the lakes and we only get a few real cold nights and days warm up. Personally I do the my own service because its just to expensive to pay some one else. Unless of course I don't want to boat during the winter and just give theses guys there Christmas bonus. I don't think so!!



Engines - Winterization
4-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Winterize $129.99
4-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Winterize $259.99
6-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Winterize $154.99
6-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Winterize $309.99
8-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Winterize $169.99
8-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Winterize $339.99
Engines - Maintenance Services - A Service
(Prices start from and do not include Winterization)
4-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) A-Service $497.00
4-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) A-Service $994.00
6-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) A-Service $500.00
6-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) A-Service $934.00
8-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) A-Service $502.00
8-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) A-Service $1,015.00
Engines - Maintenance Services - B Service
(Prices start from and do not include Winterization)
4-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) B-Service $776.00
4-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) B-Service $1,552.00
6-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) B-Service $809.00
6-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) B-Service $1,883.00
8-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) B-Service $831.00
8-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) B-Service $1,803.00
Engines - Maintenance Services - Oil Change
(Prices start from and do not include Winterization)
4-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Oil Change $151.00
4-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Oil Change $300.00
6-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Oil Change $159.00
6-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Oil Change $277.00
8-Cylinder Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Oil Change $161.00
8-Cylinder Twin Stern Drive Inboard (Gas) Oil Change $281.00
Engines - Winterization
Diesel Winterize $359.99
Single Outboard Winterize $129.99
Twin Outboard Winterize $259.99
Generator - Winterization
Gas Generator Winterize $119.99
Diesel Generator Winterize $139.99
Generator - Maintenance Services - A Service
(Prices start from and do not include Winterization)
Gas Generator A-Service $231.00
Diesel Generator A-Service $246.00
Generator - Maintenance Services - B Service
(Prices start from and do not include Winterization)
Gas Generator B-Service $446.00
Diesel Generator B-Service $504.00
Generator - Maintenance Services - C Service
(Prices start from and do not include Winterization)
Gas Generator C-Service $512.00
Diesel Generator C-Service $569.00
Generator - Maintenance Services - Oil Change
(Prices start from and do not include Winterization)
Gas Generator Oil Change $183.00
Diesel Generator Oil Change $199.00
Additional Systems
Cold Water System $59.99
Cold/Hot Water System $119.99
Shower Sump $44.99
Additional Shower Sump $12.99
Additional Units
Head Winterize $75.99
Additional Head $12.99
Additional Units
Ice Maker $59.99
Washer and Dryer $75.99
Washdown Pump $44.99
Livewell $44.99
Additional Livewell $12.99
Additional Units
A/C System $75.99
Additional A/C Systems $12.99
Additional Units
Shrinkwrap
Shrinkwrap Under 24 FT $12.50
Length in Feet
Shrinkwrap 24 - 35 FT $14.50
Length in Feet
Shrinkwrap 36 - 51 FT $16.50
Length in Feet
Shrinkwrap 52 - 71 FT $18.50
Length in Feet
Shrinkwrap Pontoon Boat FT $14.50
Length in Feet
Shrinkwrap Access Door $50.00
Storage
Storage Call for availability $0.00

Uh,

Unless you pull the hoses off the VP raw water pump not enough A/F will get there to prevent freezing. The housing will swell and the pump will have to be replaced.

You don't want to ask how I know.....