Freeze Damage

[rickyp52]

I own a 1989 Sea Ray 220 Sundancer with a 5.7 Mercruiser Aphpa 1. I live in soouthern Michigan. I did a really stupid thing and used RV anti freeze to winterize it instead of draining the cooling system. I used a 5 gallon bucket with a hose and muffs. Since reading some information about this method on line, I have been agonozing about the thermostat being open to allow the antifreeze into the block and manifold. I went to the storage yard this morning to check it out. I opened the petcock on the block on the starboard side and nothing came out. It would appear that the antifreeze did not make it into the manifold and block. What to do next? Any ideas on how much damage I might have done, dollar wise? I feel so stupid.

 

[johnkc]

Re: Freeze Damage

i believe you have problems.the pink rv anti freeze will get slushy when it gets to approx. 15 degrees ,but the pink rv anti freeze does not expand when it freezes like water does.check the block and manifolds for cracks .if no cracks on the block then get some heat to the engine compartment and get it thawed out.then either pressure test or run the engine and see if it milks the oil.good luck !

 

[Walt T]

Re: Freeze Damage

If you didnt drain the water, you at the very least diluted the pink stuff. Nothing you can do now, 'cept maybe heat up the engine, drain it all out. Do not start the engine with it all frozen up in there, you will ruin the circ pump. start saving your money, then wait till spring, or tow it to your repair shop, let them diagnose and advise.

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Freeze Damage

There is one small (very small) glimmer of hope. If it has been a while since you have opened the petcock on the block you may be in luck. When I went to drain my block this past fall I opened up the petcocks and nothing came out. Just coming back from the ramp I knew it was full of water, so I stuck a screwdriver up in the hole to make sure it was clear. With a couple light taps on the screwdriver out came the water. After asking around I found this is a common problem. The drain holes in the block tend to slate over when the valve is closed for a while blocking the water from coming out. Give it a try. I hope it works out,if not think about getting it to a mechanic a.s.a.p. Don't wait till spring when everyone else find out there boats don't work either and get there before you.

 

[Walt T]

Re: Freeze Damage

Naaaahhhh F_n, everyone should know the joy of having their boat in a five week wait during prime boating season. Hell, most folks wait until Thursday night before Memorial day weekend after work to pull the covers off the boat and try to get it started because by god they're heading out O dark thirty Friday AM and already bought the beer which is already being drank. Then they'll spend all day Friday on the phone calling every boat shop within 200 miles saying "it turns over but wont start" while the wife and kids tell each other Dad is a dork and looking dorkier by the minute. Then He'll try to fix it himself, and by some freak chance actually gets it started, Piles everyone in the truck which overheats a hundred miles out going up a long grade because 'ol Dork himself didnt have the truck checked out. By now the wife is thinking divorce and the kids are no longer speaking to him, which is a blessing in disguise. So, the following weekend, dad gets to go get the truck and the boat from the car repair shop and while towing home a wheel bearing gives out on the trailer because he hasn't checked them in 5 years. <br />The moral is......Don't be a dork, get your equipment checked out early!!

 

[wildman]

Re: Freeze Damage

ok, this may be a stupid question...<br />Whats wrong with putting the Pink Marine/RV antifreeze into a engine for the winter???<br />I assume it does not have corrosion inhibitors probably, but Other than that???<br /><br />Thanks<br /><br />Wildman

 

[Bondo]

Re: Freeze Damage

Nothing wrong with the pink stuff....... Just Gotta use it Full Strength.......<br />i use my boat late in the season.... i drain the complete system probabaly 10 times a season, then leave the engine "dry" the last time..... <br />Anyway, i leave a Big SS deck screw laying on the intake manifold, Just to pick-out the drains....

 

[boatingfool]

Re: Freeze Damage

rick,<br />when you witerized did you run "the pink stuff" through until it came out the exhaust?? What was your temp gauge reading?? You should be able to get a pretty good idea from that on wether or not your thermostat was open.<br /><br />As far as feeling stupid about using the pink stuff , you shouldnt. A LOT of people use it to winterize. I personaly do not but I have a sealed system with an antifreeze mix in there all the time.

 

[rickyp52]

Re: Freeze Damage

I ran the engine up get it warm first, probably about 10 minutes. The temp guage was about 145-150 which is where it normally operates. I then shut it off and it took about 2 to 3 minutes to get set up to put the antifreeze in.

 

[rickyp52]

Re: Freeze Damage

I ran about 6 gallons of antifreeze in and the exhaust was running pink after about 4 or 5 gallons had run through.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Freeze Damage

If you ran 6gals. through it as you say.... It's just your drains are plugged with silt..... <br />Don't Worry About It.... <br />You should be fine, down to the coldest you'll see........

 

[boatingfool]

Re: Freeze Damage

Im with bondo, I wouldnt go engine shopping just yet. It sounds like you did a "text book" job.

 

[flashback]

Re: Freeze Damage

the engine has a 145 degree thermostat, if you ran the engine 10 minutes i can promise you, it was warm enough to let the antifreeze into the block, take a nail and open your block drains and push the nail into the hole, get antifeeeze, good, get water, good, get nothing, maybe good depends on how far the nail goes in...... if i were you, I would hook a hose and muffs up and crank her up. keep a good eye on the temp and see what happens.

 

[rickyp52]

Re: Freeze Damage

Thanks guys. You've given me hope. What I was really unsure of is how long the stat would stay open after I shut the engine down. As soon as the weather is tolerable again, I will go to the storage yard and see what I can find out. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[boatingfool]

Re: Freeze Damage

I beileve that the first few minutes after engine shut down the temp goes up a few degrees because it is no longer circulating.Which would mean the thermostat would stay open. Not quite sure on a raw water cooled engine. But I would think its the same. Even if it didnt by the time you had the engine running to pump 6 gal through it the thermostat would definately be open.

 

[RC Hammer]

Re: Freeze Damage

I've got the same boat as Rick, but it is the Cuddy. I drained my block and manifolds via the petcocks. I did need to break through the silt with a small scre driver, as there was not even a drop of water coming out! I then proceeded to pour antifreeze through the water pump, and just would give the engine a short crank to allow the antifreese to drain though the waterpump. I did not run the boat and suck it through the outdrive. Could I have damaged anything by doing the procedure this way? Is there anything in the outdrive that could freeze?

 

[golfer]

Re: Freeze Damage

You guys have me freeked out now about this freezing stuff...I have used the pink anti-freeze now for 4 years on 3 different boats, all big blocks. I have always done the suck the ant-freeze through the outdrive until it comes out the pipes move...I have never had a problem, and live in northern Michigan...Always use 2 gallons, always comes out pipes at about 1 1/2 to 1/34 gallons...Has anyone heard of someone using the anti-freeze suck manouver, and had problems???

 

[wildman]

Re: Freeze Damage

Are we still talking about engines, or something else? HA HA<br /><br />WM

 

[rickyp52]

Re: Freeze Damage

Golfer....I'm glad to hear you had success using this method. I had never winterized using antifreeze before. Did you use the same method I described above? Or did you drain the water first and then put the antifreeze in?

 

[morsning]

Re: Freeze Damage

Where I come from (it's really cold at winter) the anti-freeze method is recommended because it prevents corrosion during winter. The problem is to know that the thermostat has opened sufficiently. So the procedure could be:<br /><br />1. Run anti-freeze mixture through the external loop (outdrive, headers) with the engine running of course.<br /><br />2. Drain the engine block through the petcocks and fill it with antifreeze mixture (removing the cap over the thermostat).<br /><br />So you got nothing when you opened the petcocks? Just hope you got enough anti-freeze in there to produce "slush". Leave them open to see if you can fill some more when the weather is warmer. Good luck.