How to winterize VP motor?

[USA_boater]

When draining the engine, besides the exhaust manifold and block brass drain plugs, where else to drain and what hoses if any to disconnect? I recall from another thread someone saying a plug the thermostat housing? where else?

ALSO, I was shopping flush/winterize kits on amazon and someone warned in the reviews that the kits with the 5 gallon container to add the pink antifreeze were not right for vovlo's unless you had some other adapter that of course wasn't linked to. The reviewer warned that using the kit and pink stuff could still crack the block unless you had some additional special knowledge and adapter for the volvos...I only wanted to use the pink stuff to inhibit further corrosion since my boats cooling system is very corroded.Should I forget the pink stuff or what?

I DO plan to buy the kit anyway just to use for flushing the system with some salt/scale remover chemical (probably the starbrite stuff). Perhaps I should just flush the scale with chemical at the end of the season and drain system and call it good? Or can anyone tell me how to SAFELY use the pink stuff on the Volvo Pentas?

I ahve a 4.3GL-C and it has the flush adapter in the engine compartment. I wonder if I should use that or the lower unit water pick-ups with muffs to do any flushing or winterizing so the stuff goes up through the entire system? For running on the trailer I prefer the cooling port in the engine compartment over using muffs just for convenience, but I do have muffs if needed.

 

[tpenfield]

Not a lot of VP guru's on the forum, but hopefully one or two will chime in. Do you have access to the service manual for the engine? That would be best to make sure you open all the necessary drains.

As far as the Internet folk lore and vagaries, I'd not jump at any of them because it is hard to tell the validity of these sorts of hearsay.

 

[89retta]

Its to early to winterize. You should be banned for using that word so early lol

 

[USA_boater]

I'm thinking ahead; I need to descale this used boat I bought and the kit is the same to winterize and use descaler solution so it got me thinking about it

 

[Scott Danforth]

For winterizing, follow the manual

change engine oil and filter.

Then drain the block/manifolds/hoses

Besides the 4 plugs you mentioned, Intake manifold has a plug,.

then there is the large hose and the hose from the ps cooler to the raw water pump. I usually pull the impeller and place in the ziploc bag with the plugs and zip tie it with the keys to the steering wheel

Make sure to probe all the drain holes

then pull the drive for bellows and gimble inspection. Change drive oil, grease prop shaft, and all other annual maintenance items

You are now winterized. Notice, no mention of antifreeze in the process

There is a sidebar note in some some of the manuals that reads:
For longterm storage and corrosion inhibition, if you desire to add antifreeze, replace the plugs and fill the system from the thermostat housing with a funnel

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON WINTERIZING "KITS"
They dont work. That is the fastest way to a busted block

 

[USA_boater]

Hehe, well too late I ordered the kit but again, I mainly ordered it to use it to FLUSH corrosion out of the system. I will re-evaluate whether or not to use it for winterizing based on all the great information you provided. I think it was the sitting 4-5yrs that did this boat in on corrosion, otherwise, the previous owner was using it every year and therefore based on what you said, it would not have needed the antifreeze...BUT I think for corrosion prevention, he should have added it before storing for more than one winter without using it...I'm sure that wasn't the plan though.

EDIT: So if I used a funnel, I assume I'd remove the thermostat housing and fill from the intake manifold? Or can do it without removing the t-state housing? ALSO, will filling from there fill the entire system including the exhaust riser/manifold cooling ports? Or will it only fill the block and heads?

Thanks again Scott!

 

[HarryReid]

Not sure if you saw this post yet but it is what I follow to winterize my VP (and kickers).

 

[Thalasso]

When draining the engine, besides the exhaust manifold and block brass drain plugs, where else to drain and what hoses if any to disconnect? I recall from another thread someone saying a plug the thermostat housing? where else?

ALSO, I was shopping flush/winterize kits on amazon and someone warned in the reviews that the kits with the 5 gallon container to add the pink antifreeze were not right for vovlo's unless you had some other adapter that of course wasn't linked to. The reviewer warned that using the kit and pink stuff could still crack the block unless you had some additional special knowledge and adapter for the volvos...I only wanted to use the pink stuff to inhibit further corrosion since my boats cooling system is very corroded.Should I forget the pink stuff or what?

I DO plan to buy the kit anyway just to use for flushing the system with some salt/scale remover chemical (probably the starbrite stuff). Perhaps I should just flush the scale with chemical at the end of the season and drain system and call it good? Or can anyone tell me how to SAFELY use the pink stuff on the Volvo Pentas?

I ahve a 4.3GL-C and it has the flush adapter in the engine compartment. I wonder if I should use that or the lower unit water pick-ups with muffs to do any flushing or winterizing so the stuff goes up through the entire system? For running on the trailer I prefer the cooling port in the engine compartment over using muffs just for convenience, but I do have muffs if needed.

As long as you drain the block and circ pump hose first. Remove the hoses off the raw water pump so it drains also

pink antifreeze does not contain rust inhibitors

 

[USA_boater]

Okay so you are saying the circ pump hose needs to be left loose all winter as do both raw pump hoses? Or can they be drained and then re-connected before storage? Also, does it matter the ORDER of draining the hoses and block and exhaust manifolds?

Also, if the pink stuff has no corrosion inhibitors, then why would ANYONE use it vs just draining their cooling system?

 

[Horigan]

Also, if the pink stuff has no corrosion inhibitors, then why would ANYONE use it vs just draining their cooling system?

Exactly!

 

[BRICH1260]

Iron corrodes quicker when exposed to the moist air than it does when submerged in the pink stuff.

 

[USA_boater]

Well I was sold on the "idea" of pink when I saw how much corrosion was inside this system of this boat I bought recently. BUT this boat was used in a freshwater Oklahoma lake with a HIGH SALT content as compared to normal freshwater. Obviously not enough salt to kill the freshwater fish but the Striper do really well there due to the increased salt. And I'm 99% sure the boat was never flushed after each trip in the 7 summers it was used there and then the 5yrs it sat un-used in storage after the last trip to that lake.

So I figured to "salvage" what's left of the cast iron innards, maybe if I kept it from the air it would "make up" for past neglect somehow by slowing the aging process...but then I'm told that if I use the pink stuff my block will still crack...it rarley gets below 20*F in Oklahoma but it has been 0* before. What the heck should I do???

 

[BRICH1260]

I`d put a good quality "pink" antifreeze in the block when you winterize. I have used the stuff for years here in Indiana where it gets below 0 at times in the winter and have had no problems. Like I said filling the block with it helps keep the oxygen levels down and therefore slows the oxidation process.

 

[USA_boater]

I`d put a good quality "pink" antifreeze in the block when you winterize. I have used the stuff for years here in Indiana where it gets below 0 at times in the winter and have had no problems. Like I said filling the block with it helps keep the oxygen levels down and therefore slows the oxidation process.

So in that case, do you even drain the motor first or do you just suck in the pink stuff until you see it exiting? If you do drain before adding the pink stuff, do you remove any hoses either temporarily or all winter???

 

[BRICH1260]

Yes, drain all water from the block, manifolds and water pump, then reinstall plugs. Then pull the large hose and smaller manifold hoses from the T stat housing, grab a funnel and fill the block and manifold until full and reinstall the hoses to the T stat housing. You will know the manifold/risers are full when the fluid drains out the outdrive.

 

[USA_boater]

so no running the motor at all...and also, when you say "water pump", which one did you mean?

 

[BRICH1260]

Yes, once you add the antifreeze into the block you do not need to run the engine any more. Run the motor prior to warm up the oil and pump it out. Pull the intake hose from the raw water pump and drain the pump and hose.

 

[rvah]

USA Boater, so if you are concerned about corrosion prevention, why not just use automotive ethyl glycol ?

 

[Lou C]

Because it is highly poisonous and it will run all over the driveway when you start it up in the spring. If you are going to use antifreeze to me the only 2 choices are...(both being Propylene Glycol NOT ethylene glycol which is highly toxic!)
1) premix PG-100 with corrosion inhibitors or
2) go buy few gallons of Sierra brand P/G antifreeze and mix up a 50/50 AF/water batch (cheaper) it is a good engine antifreeze and perfect for storing cast iron engines.

the pink stuff has no corrosion protection and the -50 and -60 gets hard at zero degrees. To me there is no point in using it then, I want AF to stay liquid no matter how cold it gets.

I do the flush, drain and back fill via the hoses method. Works, is fool proof and does not waste AF. Furthermore, with a v/p engine with the engine mounted impeller, sometimes they will not suck up AF as it is more dense than water. You would then risk burning up your impeller when trying to winterize. Those winterizing kits can work ONLY on closed cooled engines and even then, I'd add a livewell or bilge pump to pressurize the flow to help the impeller prime.

 

[USA_boater]

Well all of you have me convinced that pouring the afz into the block somehow is the best choice vs a kit...I did buy the kit though to use the salt away or some other "cleaner" in my system. In that case, I'd want it to go everywhere internally and running the motor is the only way I'd know to do that.