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winterizing 350 crusaders with rear heat exchangers

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silver3412

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I have read alot of good advice regarding process, was wondering if anyone could be specific more specific about this exchanger system, also this boat will be staying in the water thru the winter.
thanks for any suggestions.
 
The antifreeze side will be fine if the coolant is ok. You need to be concerned about the raw water side, the pump, and the oil cooler. There have been many posts on this topic - use the search function to find them
 
thanks for the reply, what i am unsure about is the idea that introduction of anti freeze from the intakes out thru the exhaust itself will protect the pump and oil cooler. also should any drain plugs be removed from raw water pump or heat exchanger on the raw water section. this is my first season with this dual cooling system so i don't want to take anything for granted. thanks
 
A lot of what you HAVE to do will depend upon where you are and what the local "design to" temperature is (heating contractors can tell you or find it online).

The introduction of RV antifreeze to the raw water side will minimize the likelihood of freezing and busting that stuff. You can pull the drain plugs on the raw water side if you'd prefer. Around here, just feeding in the RV antifreeze, w/o draining, has been adequate for many decades. When in doubt, by the factory service manual and follow its directions.
 
I am located in south jersey, previous owner was from MD and he only ran anti freeze thru and left plugs in place.
of course the manual says pull plugs and drain complete and then folks up here say antifreeze in the system is better....
i beleive manuals are a good guide but practical experiance is another thing.
i appreciate your input.
 
Air won't freeze and expand causing damage. It's actually your safest bet.
I don't believe that we'll find any OEM manual that suggests leaving introduced anti-freeze IN the system.... other than our Heat Exchangers and Closed Cooling system engines.

I'd suggest that you learn the path of the incoming sea water (aka raw water).
This will show you any oil coolers, the sea water pump, etc.
Find a way to drain these.
Also find all low point drains, and probe them to ensure that no rust debris is preventing full drainage.

Sub-32* AIR ONLY will never cause any expansion damage. :D
Sub-32* partially, or improperly, diluted anti-freeze may.

Your call! :)
 
There is a plug on the sea water portion of the heat exchanger, usually there is a stick zinc on this, this will drain the sea water from the heat exchanger. The engine anti freeze will take care of the other section. You will also have to get the salt water out of the raw water strainers. Unless you are going to disconnect the raw water intake ,with the valve closed off to the outside sea water and introduce your RV anti freeze from this point. I have done it this way for years and never had a problem .I do have a question for you,though, since you are going to leave it in the water, how are you going to keep the bilge pump from freezing up thru out the winter ? If you pour anti freeze in the bilge and run it thru the pump that will work fine until it rains or snows, then the bilge pump will pump it all out and you'll be left with fresh water in the bilge and pump which will then freeze solid and the next time the pump tries to come on ....goodbye pump. Just wondering.
 
leokow said:
................ Unless you are going to disconnect the raw water intake ,with the valve closed off to the outside sea water and introduce your RV anti freeze from this point. I have done it this way for years and never had a problem. I do have a question for you,though, since you are going to leave it in the water, how are you going to keep the bilge pump from freezing up thru out the winter?

If you pour anti freeze in the bilge and run it thru the pump that will work fine until it rains or snows, then the bilge pump will pump it all out and you'll be left with fresh water in the bilge and pump which will then freeze solid and the next time the pump tries to come on ....goodbye pump. Just wondering.
Click to expand...
Leo, I have no issues with a person doing this, and/or no issues with a person suggesting this, as long as it is understood that there "may" ..... heavy emphasis on "MAY"....... be residual sea water within the jackets of the manifolds!
This potentially dilutes any anti-freeze that we may be introducing...... and if this is the Pink RV type, this is particularly prone to issues with Dilution.
This is where I suggest draining again afterwards.


As for the second point..... fully understood!
My question would be; why are we getting a level of rain water in the bilge?
I'd be locating the source, and correcting it.

.
 
I have kept my boat in the water for 20 years and haven’t experienced submersible pumps freezing. Other types mounted above the water will freeze in the cold air. Bilge water freezing is usually not a problem with glass boats in the NY- NJ area. The boat is sitting in water that is around 40 degrees & the glass allows the transfer of heat from the warmer water. Wooden boat’s bilges froze up all the time. However, cakes of salt were kept in the bilge to prevent this and the killer of wood boats, standing fresh water. Check that stuffing boxes are not leaking. Avoid the use of any type of heater or light bulbs left unattended. Be sure to check on the boat frequently & be careful, if you fall in the drink alone you’re done for. Exchange phone numbers with other owners who are staying in the water. Shovel the snow out of the boat & keep cockpit drains clear.
 
Thanks to all for the advice, think flushing with anti freeze and draining sounds like the way.
regarding bilge and stopping by often, we are close enough and have help in the area.
fortunately the boat seems to stay dry, shoveling snow should help too.
there are a bunch of long time thru the season boats around and alot seem to use some kind of heat in the engine room.
 
As you know, last year was a real snowy winter with several big storms dropping feet of snow. A few years before, it was 65 degrees in December and January and the fish were biting thru January. I am in your area and as Rick said, your call but I too am tempted to leave it in. Maintenance dictates otherwise for us, however.
 
This is my first year with a boat big enough to consider in or out as an option.
going to stay in this year for a couple of reasons.
we set up to stay in for the next season with zincs and paint.
fishing is good on these cooler days. planning to go this coming saturday.
new toy, need to know it better, eiser to get on at dock level and we do have bubbler and ship to shore power. no cable during winter but drinks do stay cold.
right now i like the boat in the water with the option to go stay or go out if weather permits.....
check with me when we get our first snow.
 
Quik update for anybody winterizing and are new at it like me,
definately pull all drain plugs and probe for any rust buildup as suggested by Rick,
found some in my exhaust manifolds and exchangers.
I also put compressed air to the raw water areas, worked out okay.
Seemed to clean out and confirm no major water remaining.
Still will be introducing antifreeze and then pulling those now clear drain plugs.
 
You may be doing more harm than good. With the engine not running compressed air could blow water from the riser into the manifold exhaust passage and into one or more cylinders that has an open exhaust valve. Only way to be sure, I would pull the spark plugs. Crank the starter to expel any water. Put a shot of oil in each cylinder. Crank it again and put the plugs back in. Using a pump to fill the engine with antifreeze can do the same thing if the engine is not running.
 
Good point, got me to pull the manual out and check what i thought i saw...
With the heat exchanger system there are two separate cooling systems.
the raw water path never has any contact with intake or exhaust manifolds.
it only cools the self contained fresh water system (typical anti freeze mix) thru the exchanger system and then out the exhaust.
thanks, its always good to get another view.
 
You are correct sir. However,the "out the exhaust" takes place at the riser.The riser when its working properly injects the raw cooling water in to the hot exhaust stream cooling it and your exhaust piping or hose until its out of the boat. When the engine is running the riser uses the pressure of the exhaust, gravity and a baffle to prevent the raw water from entering the exhaust manifold and the cylinders. When you turn off the engine, the cooling water and exhaust both stop flowing. There will be a small amount of water in the hoses that will continue flow after the engine stops. The baffle prevents this trickle of water from entering the engine. The point of all this is if you have water under pressure entering the riser without the engine running it can overcome the baffle and gravity, enter the exhaust manifold and destroy your engine.
 
If this is a possible situation and the solution is the method you described it sounds like something i should do.
My next question is with the shot of oil in each cylinder should the fogging process be changed?
 
No need to fog with oil in the cylinders. Not to much oil, just enough to coat the cylinder walls. Crank the engine with the plugs out to coat everything and blow out the excess oil (can be messy).
 
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