Help winterizing 89 350

"I am going to winterize my 89

"I am going to winterize my 89 mercruiser 350 for the the first time my self. I want to make sure I have the proper steps, could you tell me if this is right.
add fuel stabilizer to the fuel, warm up the engine, pull the drain plugs and drain all water, replace drain plugs and run 5 gallons of anti freeze through the engine, the spray the cylinders with fogging oil.
Is this correct or am I missing something
thanks for your help."

"Steve,

You're on the r

"Steve,

You're on the right track, but there some other items which should get some attention before you put this thing up for a cold winter's nap. I would change the outdrive and engine oil now, rather than in the spring. If you have water in the oil, you don't want to have it sitting in there all winter. The steering should be cleaned and greased. Take my suggestion and invest in the Mercruiser service manual. Ignore the part where it tells you to remove the heads and de-carbon the pistons, but the rest of the information is pretty useful.

If you're going to be doing this yourself you might as well get in the habit of doing it right.

Good luck
Rick"

"Steve, It is hard to get the

"Steve, It is hard to get the antifreeze to fill the motor relying on the muffs or bucket to introduce it. Better to fill the engine through the large hose on the water pump. Also fill the manifolds through the hoses as well.
The specific procedure is: After you have changed the oil and filter, run the motor with gas stabilizer and fogged it out, pull the two drain plugs on the manifolds, pull the two drain plugs on the block and let everything drain. Now pull the raw water hose off the thermostat cover and pour straight antifreeze into the hose until it pushes water out of the outdrive, and the green stuff emerges. Pour straight AF into each manifold hose (remove 'em from the thermo cover)until some AF pushes the residual water out. Now install the plug and fill the manifold. Repeat for each plug.
Don't forget to clean the spark arrestor and grease the steering rod."

"Please don't use <font co

"Please don't use <font color=""119911"">green</font> automotive antifreeze to winterize your engine. It is toxic and environmentally irresponsible. Non-toxic RV type works as well, costs less, and won't get you a big fine if THE MAN sees a green cloud coming from your engine when you start it in the spring. Also, there is no need to fill the block or manifolds. Adding antifreeze is really just a precaution. If they are drained properly, there is nothing in there to freeze. I do, however recomend adding some to protect whatever water may be trapped in the engine or cooler. Also, be sure to rod the petcocks as scale can build up over the openings during the season and block the water from draining. Many blocks have been cracked because the owner thought the block was empty when it was simply not draining. Again, refer to a good service manual for complete details.

Rick"

I also remove the t-stats when

I also remove the t-stats when pumping the pink stuff through my engines. It costs me a couple of gaskets--big deal--but that ensures pink liquid is flowing through the system. It takes almost 4 gallons to fill the block and manifolds before I see it coming out the back.

Jeff