Getting Antifreeze into Engine

[boatgrunt]

89 OMC 4.3 that I'm trying to sell and a 94 Merc Alpha I with 5.7 - If I hook the muffs up to the drive and stick the other end of the hose into a bucket of antifreeze, will the pickup pump have enough power to suck the antifreeze into the engine through the muffs? If not, do most people use a trash barrel to run antifreeze through the engine or what?

[Haut Medoc]

As long as the bucket is higher than the drive.....
Gravity feed....
You will have to make a spigot for the bottom of the bucket, the parts will cost about $3......JK

[am_dew]

I'm not familiar with these engines, but on my V/P AQ130C I unhook the water supply hose which feeds the water pump and attach a short hose which I stick in a bucket of antifreeze/water mix. The water pump sucks it right up.

[Chris1956]

Boatgrunt, Remember that motor has a thermostat, and a bunch of water in the block and manifold. If you want to use the antifreeze in a bucket method, it will be best to drain the water out of the manifolds and block, and then use the motor's pump to introduce the antifreeze. Other than that, you will simply pump the antifreeze through the elbows and onto the ground, with no real assurance that it got into the block, due to a likely closed thermostat

A better way is to pull the block and manifold plugs to drain the water. Now dump full-strength antifreeze into each of the hoses and watch for it to emerge from each manifold drain, the water intake on the LU and the block drains. Now replace the drain plugs and fill up the block and manifolds with the straight antifreeze, and it definately will not freeze!

[stevieray]

I agree with Chris - you gotta drain the water out of everything before adding the AF. I have the tendency to pour it in from the top rather than rely on gravity-defying pumps & buckets

[Scaaty]

Drain it ALL out (didn't we dicuss this last year, and the year before? 8) ) and leave it out....dry don't freeze.

[stevieray]

Scaaty - I get a real warm, fuzzy feeling from hearing that AF dripping out the exhaust ports that I don't get just putting the plugs back in & wondering if it really IS all air in there. Know what I mean

[DHPMARINE]

Actually even air might freeze at some temp,if the moisture content is high enough.Automotive antifreeze (the old green stuff) freezes around 17 below,if not mixed 50/50.Go figure.I do hope I never do see air freeze,though.

A block that has been drained and left open to the atmosphere will rust.And rust will clog manifolds and elbows.And cause overheating.

Maybe filling the block and manifolds doesn't do much,but at my shop we feel it helps (keep the rust down)

But then again ..... we talk about this each year at this time.

DHP

[Bond-o]

Ayuh,........

I have No knowledge of Saltwater motors,...... I live on a Freshwater Sea.........
Manifolds,+ Risers routinely last 30 Years or More,..... They're Replaced because of Freeze Damage,+ that's about It......

If you know enough about Your engine,+ can be Sure that you've Drained All the Water from it,.......

There'll Never be Any Damage from Freeze,...... Or Rust........

As stated above,...............

Air Doesn't Freeze...............

[Chris1956]

Whenever I winterize my Merc 4.3LX, I first pull the drain plugs and let the block drain completely. Now when I add the antifreeze through the hoses, it pushes a fair amount of residual water out of the block, manifolds and raw water intake. I would never trust just draining to get all the water out. I would at least "chase" the residual water out of the motor with antifreeze..

[Scaaty]

Maybe, JUST maybe, if ya read the damn post, he said he's SELLING the boat, not putting it in a museum...
anyway.......

warm, fuzzy feeling from hearing that AF dripping out the exhaust ports Great for getting rid on the neighbors cats!

Actually even air might freeze at some temp,if the moisture content is high Come'on, that aint gonna split a block valley!!!

drained and left open to the atmosphere will rust.And rust will clog manifolds and elbows.And cause overheating. As opposed to the cleaning effect of the salt water I gotta run in? I would love a little surface rust compared to the chunks scaling off I get! And walk through a junkyard, look at the blocks laying there out in the weather. Not enough rust in my opinion to harm a thing

let the block drain completely. Now when I add the antifreeze through the hoses, it pushes a fair amount of residual water out of the block, manifolds and raw water intake. Thats because your not draining the REST of what needs draining.

If you know enough about Your engine,+ can be Sure that you've Drained All the Water from it,.......

There'll Never be Any Damage from Freeze,...... Or Rust........

As stated above,...............

Air Doesn't Freeze...............

Amen....life's over engineered and complicated enough.

PS DHP (mean no offense! And that AF service adds to the bottom line!

[tommays]

11 years of saltwater boating with a carefull fresh water flush after every USE

NEVER a drop of antifreeze just correct draining of the block manfiold and hoses


Tommays

[4poco]

I have read allot of posts on this, and i take the advise on both issues... wet/dry.
I drain the manifold and block , then pull off the hose from water pump, and both hoses hooked up to thermostst housing, fill with 50/50 mix anti-freeze. After seeing antifreeze coming out of lower unit, I drain block and manifold anti-freeze, put hoses from water pump and thermostat back on and leave the block and manifold drains open.
poured anti-freeze for extra protection, and left dry
Best of both worlds.........
Everyone has thier own way, this is just mine 8)

[Scaaty]

Amen Tommays! "11 years of saltwater boating with a carefull fresh water flush after every USE
NEVER a drop of antifreeze just correct draining of the block manfiold and hoses "

I just put new Mans on my big boat after way to many years from being in salt than they had a right to, and I ALWAYS flush out the motor after EVERY startup. On the new Mans, now I use Salt-Away too. And I have also done many an experiment on cast iron and other metals (I am also a retired Journeyman Machinist) in the weather with the different snake oils. Ya want to do a simple test, take a fresh piece of metal, sand it nice and shiny, put a drop of water on, and set it outside overnight. See what ya get in a very short time.......
PS. Boeshield is junk

[savery]

On my last Merc 140 (raw water) i would run the engine up on the earmuffs to get it good and warm. Then I used RV antifreeze (non poisonus, so you don't have to explain to the neighbors that their cat dissapeared after you had chinese delivered ) by cuttiong off a 6' section of garden hose with a male end, screwing it into the earmuffs, and putting a funnel into the cutoff end. Poured the antifreeze down the funnel while someone else ran the engine. never had any problems with freezing, etc...

[SteveRay]

What about the power steering cooler?
Here's the deal, I have a 92 3.0L with two drains, one on the block and one on the manifold.
If I drain the block and manifold, how do I do make sure the power steering cooler is ok?
I plan on backflushing the entire engine with antifreeze after I drain anyway.
In theory I should be good right?

[tommays]

Nobody wants to read to fine print on the MSDS on the NON-TOX and LOW-TOX

They both say NOT to dump it it needs to be collected and disposed of to compliy with the clean water act



Tommays

[John_S]

Either method works if done right. I am currently in the anti-freeze camp for rust prevention. My Merc service manual indicates to use it for long term storage. In my case, boat is winterized for more months then in use. About 7 to 5. I have missed a season of boating in the past and feel more comfortable with the rust prevention. Tommay's pictures are compeling, though.

I completely drain the water first, and then manually add the anti-freeze, via hose in the engine compartment.

For anti-freeze, don't use glycol based. I wouldn't use any RV based unless it specificly indicates it has rust provibitors. I used 100% low-tox that had a rust pkg, and was specific for winterizing. There is no excuse for dumping any type into the lake or river. I was able to reclaim all anti-freeze by draining into bilge, and then into containers. Clean bilge with one gallon of water and discard to hazard waste collection facility. There will be a very slight residual that will be very diluted with the water during the spring start-up on the muffs. You could manually refill the engine with water, drain, and capture if you feel the residual is an issue.

[Chris1956]

SteveRay, The only way I know to get the water out of the PS cooler is to dump some AF down the raw water hose and chase it out.

SCAATY, I cannot figure out how to get the residual water that remains in the block after draining, except to raise and lower the trailer tongue and hope that it drains. That is too unsure and way too much work. Chasing it with AF is much more efficient.

All, I always drain the block and manifolds in the spring and save and reuse the antifreeze the following year. Dumping it into the water I boat in is stupid and expensive.

[Bond-o]

What about the power steering cooler?
?

The Way the P/S Cooler is Drained,.... Is by Disconnecting Either 1 of the Big Hoses from the Cooler itself...............

You'll Also need to Pull the end of the Big Hose from the engines circulating Pump,...... It hides Alot of Water......

SteveRay, The only way I know to get the water out of the PS cooler is to dump some AF down the raw water hose and chase it out.

SCAATY, I cannot figure out how to get the residual water that remains in the block after draining, except to raise and lower the trailer tongue and hope that it drains. That is too unsure and way too much work. Chasing it with AF is much more efficient.

All, I always drain the block and manifolds in the spring and save and reuse the antifreeze the following year. Dumping it into the water I boat in is stupid and expensive.

Chris,....... If you Remove the Drains,+ Rod them out with a Deck Screw or something,.......
And,... Remove the Hoses that I explained,.....
There will be No Water left in your motor,........ The Little bit of residual water left will Evaporate..........
No Reason to be Jacking,... Or Blowing Anything,... Anywhere,...... Gravity does All the work,......
Just be Sure you understand Where all the water cavities Are,+ Where they Drain.............

I Worry More about All the residual Anti-Freeze You're dumping into My Waters........................

It Ain't Rocket Science,.............

Water flows Downhill,.................
And,.........
Air Doesn't Freeze.......................................

[Chris1956]

Bond-o, I do find it necessary to rod out the drain holes, however that has never allowed all the water to drain. I still get 4-6 oz from each drain, when I start to pour in the AF. This is after I have pulled all six circulation hoses off the thermostat cover. I am sorry to say, I have never seen all the water drain from the block and manifolds, simply by using the drains, and I have done this a number of times.

Maybe the residual water will evaporate, however a lot of times I winterize in mid-December, sometimes under freezing conditions, and I am unwilling to count on evaporation to eliminate the residual water, and protect the block and manifolds. I also do not dump antifreeze into the water, since I drain the system, and run the motor up to operating temperature with the muffs prior to launching it in the spring.

[cobra 3.0]

I drain it all, but still pour in RV coolant from the top to be sure. I'm not so sure that my water pump gets fully drained as it does not have a drain hole on it like some people have or have installed themselves.

First timers going through this process should NOT try the dry method. It's just a recipe for disaster. One blocked drain hole or one forgotten drain plug (like on the power steering cooler) and it will cost you big time.

[John_S]

By the book (merc manual) for draining my engine calls for removing the large hose on the lower side of engine water pump, but it doesn't call out anything for power steering cooler. Doesn't the PS cooler drain from being the high spot, and water will either drain back down toward drive (i remove the drive) or forward toward the drain by fuel cooler? Now, the book assumes you don't remove drive and describes poking wires in drain holes and bumping the motor (not starting) to get water out of impleller.

[QC]

You guys just need to move . . .

[JoChek219]

this is my 1st boat, and its a sealed system, i know i have to drain the rw half for winter, the block already had antifreeze in it, do i have to do anything for the manifolds and risers?