Newbie first V-drive Winterize question

[nitrous]

Hi guys I just bought my first v-drive a 07 LSV brand new and I actually haven't even had the chance to take it out yet. It has been so cold here and rainy lately.
I have a few questions regarding winterizing and would appreciate any help.
I don't have a Moomba/Supra dealer in my area and the local Malibu guy won't even touch my boat for another three weeks or until all his Malibu's are done (his exact words) LOSER
So I am faced with having do winterize my boat myself and I really do not know much about these engines.
The boat will be stored in a heated shop just above freezing temp but since I live in Canada and it gets very cold here I want to be safe and still winterize.

My quesion is I know everyone always says to change the fluids when winterizing but since this boat only has 3hrs I thought I would wait until next year and do the normal 10 hour service. Will this be okay ?
Also what exactly needs to be done ? Any help would be awesome. I do have the flush kit installed which should make things easier.

thanks!!
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[04OUTBACK]

Nitrous,
Check here to see if there is an indmar certifed shop near you
http://indmar.com/DealerLocator/index.html
I am 2 -3 hrs from the nearest Moomba dealers but there is a Marine shop that is across town that is Indmar cert.. You may can find an Indmar cert shop that can do this for you.
I would try to get at least the first 10 hours on it prior to winterization.

I'll try to look at my list of stuff at home later and get you more info on what all to do. I know I'll forget something if I try now..

Best,
bw

[nitrous]

Funny thing is I looked at Indmar's site and called the dealer in Saskatoon (that's the city I am in) and they only service there Malibu customers first as they are a Malibu dealer. Told me they could not touch mine until all the (crappy) Malibu's are done which would be three weeks. We'll by that time she's gonna be below zero here.
I laughed at the guy and hung up!!
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[FLT H2O]

Check out the dealer in Prince Albert that is listed. Not sure how far away but better than risking an engine.

[04OUTBACK]

Just saw this Pic on Waterskiboats Dallas' website/blog in an article about winterizing.. never thought about this..
is it necessary?

[aintskeered]

I dont know if its nessary ...... But I pulled up the floor on my fuel tank this summer. The boat had been sitting for about a week, the engine compartment was dry, the bilge would not pump out any thing and there was about 1/2 gallon of water sitting under the fuel tank? I pull the plug and drain run the ballest when we leave the lake on the incline. But I was surprised how much water there was in this other low spot on the boat? I think I will try something like this for this years winterization! The water in there was pretty rank!!

[Mikey]

I don't have a vdrive but a dd . I was told some good advise that may apply ,was that oil should be changed out over winter as it tends to breakdown from carbon build up fron use even slight in your case.due to the acidic nature of byproducts of use,3hrs,20hrs not much difference.I was going to do something similar last season but was advised against it.Do the oil change,tranny change for peace of mind .Winterizing is a little more involved but not too complicated,two methods .Use antifreeze or drain everything and shake/blow out as much as possible,fog motor add stabil to full tank of gas etc.Your flush attachment if like mine really has no effect on winterizing but is more for flushing and running motor out of water.I live in Calgary and will be doing so in a few more weeks ,drysuit is coming out soon enough.You could call a dealer say Mobius in Calgary and more detail on how to do this could be explained over the phone.I am not a mechanic but had a friend show me how to do it and including oil change it all took about 2 1/2 hrs .Not too bad for fist time.Also take out impeller and pack in vaseline/grease. A lot of this is in the manuals.Make a few phone calls and you should be able to muddle your way through if your a little mechanical.

[cab13367]

Edit:

Old winterization procedure deleted.

New and Improved Winterization Procedure:

Winterizing Instructions for 2006 Moomba Mobius LSV
(other years and models may vary)

A. Put Sta-Bil in fuel, 1 ounce per 2.5 gallons so 16 ounces for a full tank (40 gallons).
B. Run the boat on a body of water for at least 10-15 minutes to get the engine oil nice and hot. Drive it back on the trailer and with the engine still running, remove the spark arrester (held in place by a large hose clamp). Spray 4-6 ounces of fogging oil into the throttle body then shut off engine immediately. Replace flame arrester.
C. Let the boat sit 5 - 10 minutes to let the oil cool a little. Drain/Change the oil and oil filter (I use a Fram PH30 filter and Shell Rotella T 15W40, crankcase capacity is 5.5 quarts including filter). I did this at the boat ramp parking lot as it’s a 30 minute drive back to the house and the oil would cool off too much by then. Best method I found is to use a fluid extractor (Pela 6000 worked great for me) and suck it out of the oil drain hose, not the dipstick tube. This way, you know you are sucking it out of the low point of the oil pan since the oil drain hose is attached to the oil pan where the oil pan drain plug would normally be.
D. Drain all water from the block and hoses as follows: (note that for the purpose of this write up, aft is the end of the engine closest to the transom of the boat and fore is the end closest to the bow).

From port side of engine:
1) Separate the exhaust manifold hoses by separating the hose fitting. The two hoses come together at the fore end of the engine, on the port side. Disconnecting the two hoses drains the two manifolds.
2) Remove the port engine block plug using a 9/16” socket.
3) Remove the plug underneath the muffler, on the port side using a 3/8” socket. Use a container to catch the water so it doesn’t drain onto the carpet.

From the starboard side of the engine:
4) Remove the starboard engine block plug using a 9/16” socket.
5) Disconnect and drain the two hoses attached to the water pump which is attached to the main pulley on the aft end of the engine. Use a 5/16” nut driver on the hose clamps.
6) Remove the impeller from the water pump using a 5/16” nut driver to remove the impeller housing cover. Access to impeller is improved if you remove the small, fixed engine access cover towards the back of the boat, on the starboard side. Use needle nose vise grips to carefully remove impeller. Stick one jaw between the impeller blades and the other into the middle of the impeller, all the way in. Carefully pull out impeller. I like using vise grip needle nose pliers because the jaws stay parallel and therefore, grab better. Coat the impeller with Vaseline and put it in an airtight (ziplock) bag. If the impeller is two years old, replace it with a new one. It’s a Johnson Pump impeller, part # 09-812B-1. Be careful not to overtighten the impeller cover screws as they are fairly soft.

From the v-drive:

7) Remove the two (2) plugs on the v-drive unit, one on the front on the port side, the other on the rear on the starboard side. Both plugs are pretty high up on the v-drive housing. A 7/16” closed end wrench fits perfectly on the square head plug. The front is a vent plug and you might not get any water out of it.
8) Remove and drain the water intake hose at the v-drive.
9) Drain the ballast system as follows:
(a) Disconnect and drain the hoses at the solenoids using the quick disconnects on the hoses. Watch for rubber o-rings and make sure they don’t fall out.
(b) Remove water strainer and drain. Clean strainer if dirty. Be careful when putting the strainer it has to properly seat on the top and on the bottom. Don’t leave this to chance – look at the top of the stainer when screwing it back on to make sure it lines up correctly.
(c) Disconnect and drain the bags, then put one capful of bleach in them to prevent mold.

10) Remove each spark plug and spray fogging oil into each cylinder for about 2 – 3 seconds. Spray a little fogging oil on the spark plug hole threads. With all the spark plugs still out, bump the starter for 1 second to evenly coat the cylinder walls with the fogging oil. Reinstall the spark plugs. You should be able to turn them by hand all the way until they seat. Tighten with a ratchet and spark plug socket.

I leave the hoses disconnected and the drain plugs out over the winter. I put a little grease on the threads on the block and the v-drive unit as they will become rusty over the winter and the plugs will be difficult to install in the spring if you don’t.

If you drain the water with the boat in your garage, be aware that enough water is drained out of the block and hoses that the bilge pump will probably kick on.

[nitrous]

Those are some awesome instructions - thanks.
I bought my mine in California about 2 weeks ago. I was down there on a work trip. Found it online and sent a deposit,when I was there I went and looked at it and was impressed. Made a offer and it was mine. Used USHip.com to get it to the border and that's about it. I was looking for a 08 but hey for a brand new 07 I think I did real good.
It hurts just looking at it in the garage as I haven't even been able to take her out yet. It has been raining and only like +5 celcius here now.
I am hoping this weekend as it's supposed to warm up.
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[c.rix]

Cab- you say silicone for the impeller what type of spray silicone do you use?

[Sled491]

Nitrous, one important thing to remember before you start the oil change and draining process is to make sure that the engine is up temp 1st. This makes sure that the thermostat is open and helps with changing the oil. For your boat you should probably invest in an electronic oil pump. This unit sucks the oil out through the dipstick, trust me way easier way to go with a V drive.

Congrats on Your Investment and wow, great deal. I'm originally from Thunder Bay Ont. Where are you at?

[nitrous]

I am in Saskatchewan - Saskatoon exactly....I am kicking myself now for winterizing last week as it has been +26 celcius here all week!!!
Thanks for the tips!!
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[KarMobLSV06]

IF you have a heater, that needs to be winterized as well. I forgot it last year and luckily a dealer was close to where I store the boat and he went over and did it for me. They blow air through the hoses of the heater to get all the water out.