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Sanity check on winterization

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briang0

Regular Contributor
I went to winterize my boat to

I went to winterize my boat today. It didn't want to start which is no big deal I can deal with it in the spring. I ended up sucking up the antifreeze from the bucket without ever starting the the engine it caught a few times for just a second or two but never really started. I did end up sucking up 5 gallons of antifreeze into the system does it matter that the engine didn't start? Will that antifreeze get to where it had to go without the engine actually running? Stupid question of the day....
 
"What is the size of your engi

"What is the size of your engine?
((( 350s have 23 quarts( 5.75 gallons) and 454s have 33 quarts(8.25 gallons) cooling capacity)))

Did you drain the block and manifolds prior to putting in the antifreeze?

Was the antifreeze mixed with water at the ratio you wanted by you or was it pre-mix antifreeze?

If you put in 5 gallons of undiluted antifreeze I would imagine you will be all right as that is a heap of antifreeze. If it was diluted in a ratio mix, it still may be OK but might depend on your lowest OAT (Outside Air Temperature) in the winter.

The more I think about it, I am sure it will be OK..but if you didn't, I would suggest that you drain as much water as you can out of the block and manifolds prior to installing any antifreeze...that way what you put in will not be diluted by water in the block but in this case sucking in "5" gallons should have pushed out any trapped water. I would assume you had antifreeze coming out of the exhaust pipes ??"
 
Yes I know it went through the

Yes I know it went through the system. I put a bucket under one side of the exhaust and caught about 1 gallon. I actually put 7 gallons through the system. I have 1/2 fresh water cooled BB Chevy (409) the exhaust manifolds and risers are raw water cooled. I just wanted to get a second opinion on this. Usually I fill a 5 gallon bucket and suck it out while the engine is running it usually takes less then a minute. The problem this year was my trailer broke and I never put the boat in the water. I am waiting for someone to come and transfer the boat from the broken trailer to a used trailer that I bought and refurbed. I haven't started the boat since August. It ran great so I'm thinking its probably gas since it's been sitting in the tank most of the summer. It's been getting colder and I didn't want to take any chances the engine is old and replacement parts are hard to come by. I live in Maine and it gets pretty cold but I haven't had a problem in the 3 years I have had the boat. I always winterize it the same way. I use undiluted RV antifreeze the pink stuff. Thanks for your response.
 
"Ahhh..Good for you. The gas i

"Ahhh..Good for you. The gas issue could be a pain, especially if it is difficult to drain the tank...I had an "O" ring go one winter on my "flat deck" filling caps. Had to take about 5 gallons out to get rid of the water, (100 gallon tanks) and then went through about 5 filters to get back to clean gas.

Now I use DRAFT STOP around the filler caps each winter. It's sorta like silicon and seals very effectively and the nice thing is that it just peels off, leaving no residue, in the Spring.
Maine?? I 'm on the North side of Lake Ontario !!
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"...."Will that antifreeze

"...."Will that antifreeze get to where it had to go without the engine actually running?"

Meaning, does it matter? I'm sure it mattered to your poor starter motor! I assume these are FWCooled motors? If so, you're okay.

Jeff"
 
The problem now is that you ha

The problem now is that you have nasty gas in the carb that is going to sit there all winter. I see a carb rebuild in your future.
 
"I do it that way every year.

"I do it that way every year. It doesn't seem to matter--long as you add a good gas stabilzer first. And, yes, that's still true with 10 % ethanol gas.

Jeff"
 
"Me too, though I think most o

"Me too, though I think most of it evaporates over the winter. Stabilizer is a must, however.

Jeff"
 
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