Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Using an Antifreeze Pump to Winterize

P

Papareis

New member
I have a 2016 19 foot Sea Ray stern drive with a 4.3 liter engine. I have tried using a five-gallon gravity antifreeze feeding system hooked up to earmuffs to winterize the engine, but it overheats. This is after warming the engine up to operating temperature, using the single point engine block drain to drain the water, and then slipping the earmuffs onto the intake in the lower unit to run in the antifreeze with the engine running. Last year, I replaced the impeller of the pickup pump. I found that the impeller that I replaced was fine but I put the new one in anyway.

Rather than chance damaging the engine, I took the boat to the local marina to have it winterized. I explained my previous problems with overheating to the mechanic. He nodded and told me that the overheating issue was the reason he uses a pump to run antifreeze into the earmuffs.

Does anyone else use a pump to get antifreeze into the engine while winterizing? If so, what kind of pump do you use?

Thanks!
 
Your post has two different issues.

1. Overheating is rarely due to not getting antifreeze into engine while winterizing.

So whats the story about overheating

2. Is the engine carbed or EFI?

3. Once the Block is thouroughly drained there is no threat of freezing. Air cant freeze.
The manifolds must be drained and power steering cooler must be back flushed if in the horizontal position, if in the vertical position and as long as the outdrive is down (out drive is self draining in the down positiin) then you should be all set.

The addition of RV antifreeze after draining all of the above is just added insurance (which I do to every boat) but technically is not needed.

I manually remove hoses from the thermostat housing and pour RV antifreeze into the hoses, never try fo "suck" it in througj the drive.
 
The problem with using that method is that raw water impellers do not “suck” water per se they move water when fully immersed in it. When you use water muffs then the water pressure forces the water in the impeller housing. When you put the boat in the water hydrostatic pressure forces water into the impeller housing.
Gravity flow from a tank won’t cut it. You could try to use a live well pump on the tank; I made a set up like this to flush trailer brakes at the boat ramp. The muffs must fit tightly; the best I have found are the circular Mercury/Quicksilver ones with the metal clamp.
But honestly it’s just easier to back fill the engine, manifolds & raw water hose with no tox AF if you want to use it. I’ve done it that way for years. Does it help prevent corrosion? I think so, I have an original 1988 block running it in salt water for 22+ seasons.
 
single point drain is also know as the "quick crack system" because in most cases it does not drain the block from debris in the block or quick connect fitting. Best way is to just pour the af in by removing a few hoses . To be positive of block draining remove the quick connect fitting at the block and probe with wire to verify its open
 
Thanks for your response. The carbed engine only overheats at the point where the engine block has been drained and I'm trying to get antifreeze into the engine through the earmuffs. The rest of the year, the temp is fine under all conditions (cruising and idling). It runs in fresh water.

The overheating happened at the end of several seasons while I was winterizing the engine, so it wasn't a sudden problem. Each year, I have managed to get antifreeze in but I had to do it in stages, running it until it started to overheat and getting a small amount of antifreeze in, stopping to let it cool, then doing it again.

I feel better getting antifreeze in the engine block since the boat is stored in a mountain location where the temperatures often gets to 20 or 30 below zero. Air can't freeze but I can't take a chance that there is some void in the engine that's holding water in a block that was only drained.

The mechanic I spoke with acknowledged that he had problems with engines overheating when he with placing antifreeze in them, and that a pump eliminated that problem. He works in a large marine service/storage operation and winterizes a lot of boats so I tend to give his comment some creedence.

So, I was hoping someone might come back and say "Oh, yeah, that happens to me, too. West Marine (or whoever) makes a pump just for this purpose." If not, I'll rig something up similar to what louc suggested.
 
The issue is the method.
It is not a good method for A SINGLE BOAT. It may be appdopriate for a marine business with lots of boats. Although we used to winterize a few thousand each year and did them ALL manually.

You need to get past trying to do it the "easy" way and learn how to do it correctly manually.

Short cuts will cost you a lot of $$$$

And by the way, overheating when winterizing only is NOT overheating. It is a result of improper winterizing method.
 
Ultimately the “cause” of these problems is the marine engine marinizer’s cheapness. IMHO all inboards based on GM engines should have had at least a half closed cooling system installed. These engines were not really designed for open or raw water cooling at temps of 140-160 they were designed for pressurized cooling systems with a 15 lb pressure cap & running 50/50 antifreeze & water.
Even just a half system would eliminate the biggest pain in winterizing which is getting at the block drains down low. So then all you do is drain the H/E raw water side, manifolds if a half sys, and raw water intake hose. All of those are usually easy to get at. When I repower this boat that’s what it’s getting. Can’t stand the idea of running sea water thru a nice clean cast iron block!

For any inboard 2 must have options are:
Closed cooling at least a half system
Remote oil filter
Then no more pulling out rear seats etc to do a simple oil change & winterize!
 
BTW for the Original Poster the best advice I can give you is reconfigure your boat if possible to make it easier to get at those drains. That’s what I did but it still requires removing the rear seats. That way you can do it RIGHT!
 
louc said:
Ultimately the “cause” of these problems is the marine engine marinizer’s cheapness. IMHO all inboards based on GM engines should have had at least a half closed cooling system installed. These engines were not really designed for open or raw water cooling at temps of 140-160 they were designed for pressurized cooling systems with a 15 lb pressure cap & running 50/50 antifreeze & water.
Even just a half system would eliminate the biggest pain in winterizing which is getting at the block drains down low. So then all you do is drain the H/E raw water side, manifolds if a half sys, and raw water intake hose. All of those are usually easy to get at. When I repower this boat that’s what it’s getting. Can’t stand the idea of running sea water thru a nice clean cast iron block!

For any inboard 2 must have options are:
Closed cooling at least a half system
Remote oil filter
Then no more pulling out rear seats etc to do a simple oil change & winterize!
Click to expand...
In terms of convenience in winterizing , I've found that at least 80% of the cost of a full FWC system is justified over just a few years of ownership. I still have nightmares remembering having the pull a "freeze out" plug out of the block of a Volvo RWC 4 banger in order to use a coat hanger to get the caked up mud out of the block's water passages that prevented water from draining out of the drain plug in my first boat.
 
Back
Top