Air Don't Freeze Winterization

[Lou C]

Well I have to admit I do the prime thing…I hook up the water muffs turn on the water then disconnect the raw water intake hose at the stat housing & fill that hose with water & reconnect. That puts water right into the impeller housing which on the Cobra is in the upper gear housing not the lower like an Alpha. This would also work on a Bravo or Volvo with engine mounted impellers. Only for the first start of the season on land

 

[CayugaCobalt]

I think you're brave if you throw the boat into the lake for the first run without starting it on muffs first, but no, no priming necessary.

Well I bought muffs, the quicksilvers with the small metal stick that goes straight thru the outdrive and I couldnt get any water to come out the engine, this is why I asked about priming the pump. I did it twice for about 10 seconds. The second time I attempted to prime it but wasnt sure where to fill nor how long to fill but it seemed it was sucking as there was no water leaking from the muff like before starting engine, but as i said it never made it all the way around to the exit.

 

[CayugaCobalt]

Well I have to admit I do the prime thing…I hook up the water muffs turn on the water then disconnect the raw water intake hose at the stat housing & fill that hose with water & reconnect. That puts water right into the impeller housing which on the Cobra is in the upper gear housing not the lower like an Alpha. This would also work on a Bravo or Volvo with engine mounted impellers. Only for the first start of the season on land

THanks Lou, I will try this again tonight, as I did not get full circulation using my muffs, even after attempting to prime it, thats why I asked about priming the pump.

 

[achris]

Well I bought muffs, the quicksilvers with the small metal stick that goes straight thru the outdrive and I couldnt get any water to come out the engine, this is why I asked about priming the pump. I did it twice for about 10 seconds. The second time it seemed it was sucking as there was no water leaking from the muff, but as i said it never made it all the way around to the exit.

In a properly assembled drive, water should NEVER be able to be pushed passed the impeller without the engine running.

 

[nola mike]

'Brave' isn't the first word that came to mind....

IDK, I've heard rumors that there are people out there that have boats that just work.

 

[Bondo]

Well I bought muffs, the quicksilvers with the small metal stick that goes straight thru the outdrive and I couldnt get any water to come out the engine, this is why I asked about priming the pump. I did it twice for about 10 seconds. The second time I attempted to prime it but wasnt sure where to fill nor how long to fill but it seemed it was sucking as there was no water leaking from the muff like before starting engine, but as i said it never made it all the way around to the exit.

Ayuh,..... 1st start of the year, Mine takes forever to "See" exhausted water,.....
It takes abit to fill the drained block, before it dumps out the back,.....
30, maybe 45 seconds,.... seems like eternity,...

 

[achris]

IDK, I've heard rumors that there are people out there that have boats that just work.

Yes, they 'just work' because the owners don't do stupid s**t.

 

[nola mike]

Yes, they 'just work' because the owners don't do stupid s**t.

Ouch. I only occasionally do stupid **** to break my boat.

 

[flashback]

In the puddle I play in there's not enough O2 in the lake water to cause rust but it still freezes!
They have to pump it in to keep fish alive..

 

[achris]

Ouch. I only occasionally do stupid **** to break my boat.

I wasn't actually pointing a finger (at anyone), but if the cap fits, then Hey...

 

[poconojoe]

I don't know how anyone would not run their boat on the muffs for initial Spring startup.

This is the time to see if everything is good to go. The time to check every system. To see if in fact water is flowing with proper force out of the stern. To check the integrity of the engine itself. How's it running? To check for possible water leaks in the cooling system.
The list goes on.

 

[dave8311]

I must be in the minority. I start it on the muffs before loading everything up and heading to the ramp, each time.

 

[Rick Stephens]

I must be in the minority. I start it on the muffs before loading everything up and heading to the ramp, each time.

Me too. I'm a 45 minute drive to the ramp. That's a lot of gas $$ if cooling system is florked.

 

[Lou C]

Ayuh,..... 1st start of the year, Mine takes forever to "See" exhausted water,.....
It takes abit to fill the drained block, before it dumps out the back,.....
30, maybe 45 seconds,.... seems like eternity,...

the block and manifolds on a 4.3 probably hold close to 3.5 gallons I'd guess......

 

[Rick Stephens]

THanks Lou, I will try this again tonight, as I did not get full circulation using my muffs, even after attempting to prime it, thats why I asked about priming the pump.

An Alpha drive, any generation, has an open priming system. The impeller, which works as a displacement pump at low speeds and a centrifugal pump at high speeds. To prime, the pump body has a hole through the side of it that bleeds out any air in the pump once the pump is submerged. This also means when you hook up the muffs, once the inlet side of the pump gets water, water should start leaking out of the drive down low. With an intact impeller, no water can get past the pump to the motor when not spinning.

If you hook up muffs, and wonder if the impeller is any good, pull the inlet line off the port side of the thermostat housing, hook up muffs and turn the water on, start the motor. Should be just a couple seconds to water coming out.

If you do not get water, you have a bad impeller or a plugged up hose or oil cooler.

 

[Lou C]

I always start mine up in the driveway before launching. Its part of living with old school carbed engines. Not like modern EFI. It sure is nice to have the engine just light off in a half a crank on the ramp...
our salt water launch ramp....

 

[flashback]

I guess it depends on environment , l live in a cabin on a steep slope where they're is no flat land. It's much better for me to trailer the boat a half mile, ease it into the lake, fire it up and then go from there. I'm not sure if my well could offer enough volume 300 feet up from the cabin to a level spot on the road..

That said, I wouldn't trade for nothin...

 

[achris]

the block and manifolds on a 4.3 probably hold close to 3.5 gallons I'd guess......

Book says 20 litres.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I generally run the boat in spring without the drive for first fire up.... Because the drive is usually off for maintenance over the winter.

Ya all should be doing similar if you follow the annual maintenance schedule

The dumb stuff @achris is talking about comes later

 

[JASinIL2006]

I must be in the minority. I start it on the muffs before loading everything up and heading to the ramp, each time.

Same here. In addition to making sure everything is working before the hour drive to the boat ramp, I get the engine warmed enough that it starts instantly when launched. I don't like being "that guy" at the ramp who is tying up the ramp while he is cranking his starter for 5 minutes trying to get the boat to start...