Winterization: Anti Freeze or Drain?

[freyse]

I am starting to regret asking questions about winterizing , simply put I am going to :

#1 top up fuel install sta-bil
HAVE ALREADY DONE OIL CHANGE
1st drain block removing plugs
2nd going to remove hoses from water pump (impellar)
3rd going to install antifreeze
4th going to fog spark plugs ,not carb (mine is fuel injected )
5th going to replace old impellar with new vaselined one
6th going clean up spills and mess
7th give boat final clean and vacum

[Mikey]

Using antifreeze or not is your choice. My buddy does his winterization at the boat ramp including oil change and fogging then undoes all hoses and plugs and lets the water shake out of the pockets on the drive home.Add stabil to a full tank of gas and take out impeller. Good to go ,also remove battery and store in warm dry place.

[Razzman]

I've been reading all of this and i can understand the issues you new guys are having.

Anti-freeze, it does not fill the entire block and heads as it is an open system. If the waters out it will dry out and no/little rust will occur. Rust occurs more when we are using our boats as they are constantly in the water! It only is needed if you have a closed loop system. Anti-freeze has one purpose only in this instance to keep water from freezing. No water, no freeze.

Fogging oil, if done correctly and not overdone, it does not prevent the engine from starting. It's purpose is to prevent your internal combustion parts from sticking and to help water condensation/rust from occuring. DO NOT put it in the throttle body and the spark plug holes! Throttle body only for you 325 Assault guys and spark plug holes only for you 340 CAT guys. If you skip fogging, especially in the long winter areas you risk the possibility of bad things.

Heater guys, pull your heater hoses off the block and lay them in the bilge to drain, try and do this on the ramp or a steep hill. If you have a compressor then blow them out afterwards.

Same with your ballast bags. I prefer to remove mine from the boat and make sure they are empty and dry and store them in my garage. I disconnect the hoses, lay them in the bilge also on the ramp.

Don't forget that spongy mesh mat under your front ballast bag, get that nasty thing out and clean it, leave it in the garage also.

The biggest mistake i see is when everything is done right but you've failed to make sure all the water is out of the bilge area! This is a big no-no in some areas as it is a moisture source and if not all out can lead to mold and mildew, especially when the boat is covered!

[smokedog2]

Well,

I pulled the plugs. All 7 or so. I thought they were a pain to get to and a real pain to put back in the spring after everything rusted all winter.

The plugs do not (did not for me) go all the way back in the next year. I suggest a paint mark for depth on the plug before you pull it. I never got an answer whether the holes were tapered.

I ran Antifreeze first. I'll probably have the dealer do it this year, he does antifreeze which is probably fine in Ohio.

Don't forget the heater ( I never did get the hose off that). Drain the srtrainer if you have one.

I believe antifreeze with a little water has a lower freeze point that antifreeze alone.

Use the non-toxic RV stuff.

[Razzman]

Anytime you pull or replace spark plugs put a very light coat of anti-sieze compound on the threads. This prevents them from galling when removing or installing.

[zabooda]

I have always drained my engine and hoses. Replacing 10% of the water with air is all that is needed. I drain all my gas and replace it with one gallon of non-ethanol with stabilizer and run that through the engine and in the spring I will drain that out. You have a higher risk of screwing up an engine (cost wise) with old ethanol based gas next year than improperly draining an engine and Stabil won't help you there. I fog the engine, remove the battery and do everything else next year.

[Razzman]

Well said Zabooda. In Cali we don't have to worry about ethanol so i fill the tank, add Stabil and run it. As he said you don't want that ethanol in there though long term. And as also said don't forget to pull those batteries guys and trickle charge them over the winter. Not only does it keep them charged but trickle charging helps extend the life of your batteries! You can buy cheap trickle chargers at Harbor Freight that do the job for under $10 if you don't have any.

[dtlaine]

I do a combination of both. I flush engine. Add antifreeze and then pull all plugs/hoses and leave undone untill spring with remainder in motor being antifreeze. All plugs left out. three winters up to minus 40 celcious and no problems. Do the fogging and change oil as well and don't forget impeller as well.

Did you know that -40 C is the same as -40 F?

[Mikey]

Yes i did. All i know is thats COLD,plus we often get a wind to go with that which add wind chill which makes it DAMN cold.

[Sled491]

The one thing every one keeps missing is that in order to drain your block effectively is the engine needs to be at operating temperature and the thermostat open. If not rmoving all hoses does nothing to realease the water from the block. Have done mine the last 2 winters, not one problem. This year my buddy with an 06 Outback will be coming over so we can do both our boats at the same time. Never used anti freeze, can't see why.