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Winterize Mercruiser 1,7?

Bigdrago

Member
Hello. I was wondering how you fill coolant in the sterndrive and engine before storing away for the winter. Cummins mercruiser 1,7 diesel with alpha one gen 2.

- Change oil in the sterndrive.
- Connect garden hose to the sterndrive and clean the system with fresh water while engine is running.
- Connect sterndrive bag so that coolant will not get on the ground on next step
- Connect garden hose from freshwater to coolant
- Let the sterndrive suck coolant until coolant comes out of the sterndrive
- When coolant comes out in the sterndrive bag I will fog the engine.

Thats it? The manual says to clean the system with fresh water like stated above. And then drain the system. Afterwards open up the sinc anode on top of the engine and pour coolant into the system until it is filled. But will this get coolant down to the sterndrive and impeller?

How long do I need to run the engine with fresh water? Some people say to run it for 30 minutes becaise the thermostat need to open. But in my understanding the seawater system doesnt have a thermostat?
 
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In this age old debate there are two sides.One side says just drain all the water out of the engine and drive and you won't need to worry about freezing. The other side says oh no, you must fill it completely with antifreeze to prevent corrosion and other problems. The Mercruiser manual says (to paraphrase): do it either way.
So with that in mind, if you choose to go the antifreeze way, then yes run it until it warms up and the thermostat opens. That will circulate the antifreeze mixture into the engine block.
 
Thank you.
But the seawater system doesnt have a thermostat? If it have a thermostat the water wont flow through the system untli it reach 95C.
The manual says to flush the seawater system with freshwater. Drain the system. Open the anode and fill the system with coolant. But I dont see how the coolant will reach the impeller and sterndrive...
 
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