Winterization - Will not draw antifreeze from bucket

[mb_chap]

Have 5.0 GXI-e and trying to fill with antifreeze for the winter. I warmed up the engine with hose from the house and everything worked well. Then I connected the ear muff to a house and loaded up a bucket of antifreeze and put the bucket on the swim platform and then started the engine. Expected the antifreeze to start draining and eventually come out of the exhaust. Did not seem to drain out of the bucket and noticed the engine was over heating. Tried to just hook to a funnel and pour it in. Did not really move much. Figured my impeller was bad. When I pulled the impeller out of the front of the engine it did not look torn up. Maybe it was little soft but really does not look worn. Could this just be the impeller is not rigid enough to create suction? Or am I looking at a different issue.

 

[GA_Boater]

This wont work. The impeller is not sucking pump, only a form of circulating pump that works when submerged or below the water line.

You probably burned up the impeller, at least shortens it's life with the overheat.

 

[tpenfield]

Putting the bucket on the swim platform may not have been high enough to give enough water pressure to the pump. See if you can prop the bucket up a few feet . . . gravity is your friend.

Make sure the AF flows freely from the bucket/hose.

Are you going to drain the block and manifolds as well after the AF?

 

[racerone]

Drain the block and manifolds now before it is too late.--------As stated the impeller is not self priming.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you have to drain everything before you ever consider adding AF.

and you toasted the impeller. impellers dont "suck" they push.

per the manual:

• change the oil
• you must drain the block drains, probe them to make sure there is no debris plugging them
• you must drain the manifold drains
• you must drain the large hose and circulating pump
• you must pull the impeller and drain the hose back to the PS cooler
• you are now winterized
• if you feel you want to add AF, put the drains back in and pour down the thermostat housing with a funnel.

 

[muc]

Wow so many people who don't know how a sea water pump works.
Maybe they need to use the google?
"how does a rubber vane impeller pump work"
A sea water pump is a positive displacement pump ----- of coarse it sucks.

From Volvo Penta service bulletin 05-2-2 dated 12-2016 with the title of Storage Marine Engines
part of it say's

Disconnect the suction hose at the water intake. NOTICE! Close the water intake tap if this is carried out when the boat is in the water! Put the end of the hose in a bucket filled with freshwater, start the engine and run the cooling system clean from seawater until the bucket is empty. Turn off the engine. NOTICE! The impeller may not be run dry! Fill the bucket with a 40/60% mixture of Volvo Penta Coolant and water or similar glycol mixture. Start the engine and run it until the bucket is empty. Turn off the engine. Use a container to collect the glycol mixture from the exhaust outlet and hand it in to a recycling station. • Re-attach the suction hose to the water intake and tighten the hose clamps.



My guess is the O.P. has an air leak somewhere. And I sure hope they drained ALL the water out trying to suck up the AF.

P.S. don't forget to drain the VST. They are kind of expensive.

 

[Lou C]

Yep make sure to manually drain, I've said this before but it bears repeating, to use a suck the AF up the drive on an engine with the engine mounted impeller is risky because of the aforementioned thermostat issue (won't open and let raw water out of engine) but also because of the fact that engines with engine mounted impellers depend on water head pressure to push water up the drive water intakes, up and through the transom, and then forward about 4 feet to the impeller. Gravity flow really doesn't cut it. If you don't want a burned impeller, you need it to be pressurized by a pump. A live well pump works well. On drives that use a drive mounted impeller, its easier because the impeller only has to pull the liquid up about 6" (Alpha) or about 18" (Cobra). Impellers are designed to suck liquid not air. I bet if you pulled off the raw water intake hose from the back of the Volvo impeller with the tank hooked up you'd get a surprise. Little, or next to none liquid. Now if you did that with the boat in the water, you'd have water spurting out of that hose due to hydrostatic pressure. The tank on the swim platform just does not creat enough of that.

 

[Lou C]

PS if you want to fill the engine with AF you do NOT need to remove the stat! old wives tale! Just remove the top end of the big hose to the 'stat housing, and fill that hose with AF till it spurts out the neck of the stat housing. Should take about 2 1/2 gallons. Re-connect hose and done. Even said that in my OMC owners manual!

 

[QBhoy]

As said. Forget all the bucket stuff...just fill it from the big hose off the TStat. Some need to touch or move the housing. Just pour in the hose until it comes out the housing. Then the two smaller hoses at the t stat that go to the exhaust...it then comes out the drive. Job done. Make sure the concentration suits your weather...or drain it again.

 

[QBhoy]

* should read “no need to touch thermostat housing” not “some”

 

[Lou C]

If I had an engine with closed cooling, I would not at all be against the use of a winterizing tank, as long as:
1) it has an electric pump to pressurize flow
2) the muffs fit good and tight.

I have one of those tanks, I added a livewell pump to it, to flush out my drum trailer brakes, if I repower this boat with a reman or new engine I'll use it for winterizing because for sure I'll add closed cooling at the same time.
BTW, I have found that the best muffs in terms of fit, are the Merc/Quicksilver ones, with the metal clamp. The rubber used is softer and conforms to the shape of the lower unit better than the Tempo rectangular ones I used to use.

 

[BRICH1260]

As said. Forget all the bucket stuff...just fill it from the big hose off the TStat. Some need to touch or move the housing. Just pour in the hose until it comes out the housing. Then the two smaller hoses at the t stat that go to the exhaust...it then comes out the drive. Job done. Make sure the concentration suits your weather...or drain it again.

This!

 

[Bt Doctur]

So mucheasier to just pour the non-tox AF into motors and manifolds

 

[mb_chap]

thanks for all the comments. I did pull the impeller and replaced it. It seemed to be in perfect condition. I will review these comments and redo next time. for now I pulled my drain plugs and hoses. Seems like the easiest way is to use a pump next time or pour directly into stat hose.

 

[harojs]

Have seen product pictures of AF bucket placed on top of transom higher than engine then down to muffs. Would like to know if that works.

 

[Horigan]

If you siphon the hose so it's full of fluid down to the muffs before you run the motor, that will work. The water pump won't draw enough suction to pull the fluid from the bucket if the hose is full of air.

 

[Lou C]

Rubber impellers will suck liquid just fine but keep in mind the long path you are asking it to travel when you try to do this. Up 18" from the muffs to the transom water transfer hose, thru the transom mount, 3 feet forward at least to the impeller.
1) I would only use this method on engines with a heat exchanger
2) the flow must be pressurized via a pump, gravity does not cut it. Your pump primes with water from the garden hose because...its pressurized....that little bit of elevation...does not create adequate pressure...

A raw water cooled engine should always be manually drained and manually filled with the correct antifreeze. DO NOT use these kits on raw water cooled engines!