Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

[whitefish1]

Hi guys - this is my first i/o and I'm looking forward to fall fishing. I'm not looking forward to freezing temps and having to winterize my engine each time I come back from a trip, but a necessary evil nonetheless.

I have a 1993 3.0 Mercruiser with a 1993 Alpha One Gen II. During the colder months, I plan on draining the block and exhaust manifold each time, as well as pulling the lower water pump hose and the raw water hose that runs from the power steering oil cooler to the thermostat housing. This is all fairly simple. The hose I hate to work on is the hose that runs into the power steering oil cooler - that one is a pain to get at.

To make things simpler, I was thinking of the following options:

Pull the raw water supply hose at the thermostat housing and then either:

1) Use compressed air to push the water out of the supply hose (and oil cooler) back into the outdrive OR

2) Get a hose and attach to the raw water hose removed. Elevate this hose above the engine and then pour antifreeze down the raw water supply hose, which will displace the water in this hose, again out the outdrive. The trick here will be to get enough height so that the force of gravity will displace the water (if the hose has to more than 5 feet long, I don't think this is a viable option. I'll try and test this while the weather is warmer.

Would there be an problems with using compressed air?

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

I dont think you are gonna be able to ...push... water back thru the impeller in the drive. how 'bout a wet/dry vac rig with a smaller hose to suck out the water by the PS cooler, then a shot of anti freeze for good measure ?

 

[krisnowicki]

Re: Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

Its November, you get off the water with a fish box full of fish and you follow either of those methods when you are done fishing, you lay the boat up and head in to clean the fish. Later that night, are you going to have a feeling of doubt deep in the pit of your stomach? Every time you fire her up at the ramp, are you going to worry and check for a milkshake in the oil or busted block when heading back out? Are either of those worth the 20 mins you will spend draining the water? If that isn't is the 2 grand for a long block worth 15 mins?

Air don't freeze

 

[airshot]

Re: Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

Do the draining at the boat ramp, then leave the valves open. The bouncing boat going down the highway will draw more water out of the system. lower the outdrive when you get home and let it drain. If you still have concerns, get an electric blanket and drape over the motor.
Should be good to go.

Airshot

 

[whitefish1]

Re: Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

Its November, you get off the water with a fish box full of fish and you follow either of those methods when you are done fishing, you lay the boat up and head in to clean the fish. Later that night, are you going to have a feeling of doubt deep in the pit of your stomach? Every time you fire her up at the ramp, are you going to worry and check for a milkshake in the oil or busted block when heading back out? Are either of those worth the 20 mins you will spend draining the water? If that isn't is the 2 grand for a long block worth 15 mins?

Air don't freeze

I would feel good, because I'm still draining the block, the manifold and the lower water pump hose. The only one I wouldn't pull is the hose going into the oil cooler. This is the hose that I would try to push the water out with air or displace with antifreeze. If I screwed up, at worst I would have a cracked cooler. No rust or milkshake in the oil .

Paul, never thought of sucking the water out - that might just work.

Another thing I can try is disconnecting the raw water pickup from the outdrive and drain the water out of the oil cooler (and associated hoses) this way.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

Can you not put a drain valve on the oil cooler or oil cooler line?

 

[whitefish1]

Re: Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

Can you not put a drain valve on the oil cooler or oil cooler line?

Thanks Marc - I was thinking of that too. The trick would be to get it low enough in the line to drain all of the water - space is abit cramped. There is abit of a bend in the hose that traps water (below the oil cooler). When I've taken this hose off, I just lift the hose and the water drains back down into the outdrive and out.

I dont think you are gonna be able to ...push... water back thru the impeller in the drive.

Doesn't water just drain out of the water pump (impellar) housing normally?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

2) Get a hose and attach to the raw water hose removed. Elevate this hose above the engine and then pour antifreeze down the raw water supply hose, which will displace the water in this hose, again out the outdrive. The trick here will be to get enough height so that the force of gravity will displace the water (if the hose has to more than 5 feet long, I don't think this is a viable option. I'll try and test this while the weather is warmer.

Ayuh,.... If ya use 100% antifreeze, Yes, that'll work...

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt...
1 of the barges in the stable is IMPOSSIBLE to get to the cooler,...
I dump antifreeze into the hose at the T-stat housing each fall at the storage barn, drive down, or off...
No frozen coolers yet, 3 or 4 years runnin'....

But,.....
If yer gonna do this on a regular basis, many times a season,...
I'd design, 'n build a way to just Drain the cooler, I did along time ago for my current barge,....
Like Kris said,...
Air just don't freeze...

 

[Mahoney]

Re: Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

Wouldn't it be easier to just get a ceramic heater/fan or one of those heaters especially made for the bildge and run it in there with the boat covered? I can't imagine that you would be fishing in the winter in Manitoba, and are only worried about the odd 20-30 degree Fahrenheit evening. It takes a few hours below freezing to begin to freeze crack things, so I would think just plugging in a heater and keeping the environment > freezing would be a lot easier than draining and hoooking back up multiple connections every time out.

 

[whitefish1]

Re: Getting Ready for Fall Fishing with my Mercuiser

Thanks for the ideas guys.

I had thought about a heater, but didn't want to blow up my boat. I didn't realize they made them for bilges - will look into that. Where this wouldn't be feasible is long periods between fishing trips, especially if we were away from home. Then I would want to drain in case the temps took a real dip.

I may have to put my mind again to a drain on the oil cooler hose. This will drain the oil cooler, but won't drain the hose (the one going into the cooler) completely due to a bend in the hose - almost like a J trap under a sink. Would water left in this hose bulge or burst it?

I'm getting ready for walleye fishing in Traverse Bay on Lake Winnipeg this October/November. On my old outboard I just put the leg down and drained the engine. Not so with the Mercruiser.