Clarification on winterizing my Volvo Penta 4.3

I've completed my winterization process on my Volvo 4.3 GXi-J for the first time in my life as this was the first time I had a boat...

After changing Oil and gas filter, I drained the water from Exhaust Manifold and Engine (4 blue plugs overall) + I removed the 2 tubes on the raw water pump for complete draning.
I put back the plugs after.

Instead of using the muffs to suck RV anti-freeze from the sterndrive, I used the "running engine flush port" tube while the engine was running at normal temperature.

Was it OK ?

I unscrew a bit all of the 4 blue plugs and Anti-freeze was there. I scewed them back.

Now, after reading many threads, it seems that it would be better to drain my Anti-Freeze, right ? If so, should I let these blue plugs unscrewed during winter ?

Is there any corrosion problem that can occur leaving the internal metallurgy "air filled" ?

Re: Clarification on winterizing my Volvo Penta 4.3

Ive always just drained the engine and left the plugs out all winter. I also leave the hoses off the water pump on the front of the engine. If you drained the engine prior to adding the anti-freeze then youre safe to leave the anti-freeze in the block. Its not safe, however, to try and add anti-freeze with the engine full of water.

Some of the pink antifreeze does has anti-corrosive properties, which I think is nice. Never used it in our 4.3l though.

Re: Clarification on winterizing my Volvo Penta 4.3

OK 2 things
1) late model 4.3s have a square plug on the front edge of the intake manifold that has to be removed.

Look at this service bulletin and see if your engine has this plug:

http://www.marinemechanic.com/omc/4155.htm

2) you have to disconnect the big hose on the water pump on the front of the engine (not the imeller that you already drained, but the big cast iron water pump on the front of the engine) at the bottom connection, that holds a lot of water.

make sure you completely drained your raw water intake hose, there could be a power steering cooler in line with that hose, I point the hose down in the bilge, and then fill it with no tox antifreeze till af comes out the water intakes on the drive. That way you know the water is out.

I fog my engine, drain, POKE All HOLES to make sure it drains, disconnect that big hose, raw water intake hose, drain all. Then I back fill the engine with -100 no tox AF through the hoses.

I like to use AF to keep out air, I do think it reduces corrosion, but some disagree, it's cheaper and easier to just drain. I am in a salt water area so I do as much as I can to reduce corrosion.........

I'm not familiar with the Volvo flush port so I can't comment on that point, but the general principal is, to get ALL THE WATER OUT....then add AF if you want...

Re: Clarification on winterizing my Volvo Penta 4.3

He doesn't have that on his model Lou. He has the GXi (fuel injected) and the bulletin is for GL/GS (Carbed) engines.

Here is the 2004 version of that service bulletin.

Re: Clarification on winterizing my Volvo Penta 4.3

I thought of that because the FI intakes don't have the plug, but didn't know for sure if his had FI....

Re: Clarification on winterizing my Volvo Penta 4.3

Nice how in that VP service bulletin they state it's okay to just run the 50/50 AF mix into the engine as an alternative to draining the engine. Most mechanics would disagree with that statement since pockets of only water may exist even after that procedure. Most winterizers would say the ONLY true way to safeguard your engine from freezing weather is a proper draining outlined in your owner or workshop manual. Whether you add AF after is a matter of preference.

Personally, and I am only a self-taught (and learned through this forum), amateur mechanic, I pull the thermostat, re-seat the housing with form-a-gasket and then muff in a 50/50 AF mix until the color of the water starts coming out the color of the AF. Where I live though we get freezing temps only a handful of days out of the year and when we do it rarely drops more than 5-10 degrees below.

Good luck!

Re: Clarification on winterizing my Volvo Penta 4.3

Jeepster04 said:

Some of the pink antifreeze does has anti-corrosive properties, which I think is nice. Never used it in our 4.3l though.

Click to expand...

From what I understand (or read) , it's only the -100 that has the anti-corrosive properties....but I never found it in my area ..only the -50 !!

Re: Clarification on winterizing my Volvo Penta 4.3

Nice how in that VP service bulletin they state it's okay to just run the 50/50 AF mix into the engine as an alternative to draining the engine. Most mechanics would disagree with that statement since pockets of only water may exist even after that procedure

Click to expand...

Volvo also doesn't go back and fix their mistakes. In the late 90's they had a service bulletin out on setting timing on the EST distributors about how the manuals were wrong, and they posted the new procedure in the bulletin. Problem is, every manual they sent out after that still had the wrong info in it. But no further service bulletins.
That is why I put the info in the sticky Look here http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=271407

Re: Clarification on winterizing my Volvo Penta 4.3

Don S said:

Volvo also doesn't go back and fix their mistakes. In the late 90's they had a service bulletin out on setting timing on the EST distributors about how the manuals were wrong, and they posted the new procedure in the bulletin. Problem is, every manual they sent out after that still had the wrong info in it. But no further service bulletins.
That is why I put the info in the sticky Look here http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=271407

Click to expand...

Now I don't know whether to trust my workshop manual since that attached post illustrates a procedural error in the manual for properly timing the engine. According to that proper timing service bulletin my manual shows that same error - attach shunt, then start engine. At the same time the service bulletin for winterizing the engine was faulted. Maybe I'm just easily confused.

Supertaz said:

From what I understand (or read) , it's only the -100 that has the anti-corrosive properties....but I never found it in my area ..only the -50 !!

Click to expand...

5/95 is more anti-corrosive than moist air or straight water. I would never go w/ full concentrate unless an owners manual calls for it. I think it's too hard on the shaft seals that protect the water pump and impeller pump bearings. At auto stores 50/50 sells because some people either don't care or know how to mix full concentrate and distilled water to create their own mix.