1977 mercruiser 233 winterizing

[mrflip2]

HI guys
Just got this new boat for me that i stripped all the things that I wanted. The engine though has thrown me for a loop. On the side rather than having brass core plugs it has expandable rubber ones. On the dash there was a decal stating before starting install core plugs and drains. These were all in a plastic bag under the engine. I've always removed the drains and cleared the rust to remove water but I've never gone this far. Has anyone else ever heard of this? It sounds like a great idea to me as this will definitely remove all the water in the block but I've never used these. Are these strong enough? Thanks

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1977 mercruiser 233 winterizing

Ayuh,......

Sounds alittle Extreme to Me,........

The Rubber Coreplugs Do Work just Fine......
But,....
They're usually more of a Band-aid, til the proper 1s can be installed though.....

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: 1977 mercruiser 233 winterizing

I wouldn't think you would need to remove them if you can get to the block drains.Maybe it froze and pushed one out at some point and someone replaced them with the rubber ones.I could not imagine it coming factory with rubber core plugs.