Winterization of an LT1 - Checklist

[SP Maristar]

Thanks Jake for the checklist and the supplies list. Our Maristar has two of the metal fuel filters instead of the one Napa filter and one metal one, but other than that our LT1 is the same. Finished nearly everything this past weekend and she is now in the garage. Boat noises and beverages are right around the corner. Winterizing was a great way to familiarize myself with the boat so in case the worst happens on the water, I am now prepared.

[mikeg205]

Ski-Me,

Please keep us up to date on your progress and include pics...our 190 will be shipped on Sunday to arrive next week some time and we will be doing the same process.

If you see a 94 190 with basically the same color scheme as your boat near your house this weekend, that is ours!

Post some pic's when she arrives...lookin' forward to seein' the pics of the new girl...

[Ski-me]

Never understood the resistance to laying up the LT-1 dry.

I have done it for the last 9 years without incident...just make sure that the all of the drain openings are clear of scale and debris.

So I just called the boat shop in Denver and cancelled my winterization appointment. I did ask her if they use RV Antifreeze or regular Antifreeze and if so, would it harm the LT1 aluminum heads in any way.

She said she doesn't know because they don't use it at all. They just drain and blow them out....never use the stuff.

So, if I don't use either one, can I just open things up, remove hoses and then possibly hook up the blower portion of the shop vac to the intake hose and blow out the whole block?

Is this how you do it Jorski? Being from Canada, I know you get your share of cold weather so any guidance would be great!~

[mikeg205]

My MCOCD kicks in just to make sure that the recirculation pump is dry...a little water in the wrong place and voila - need a new pump...cuz the bearing leaks...

[Legolamb]

What specific attention does the recirc water pump need to drain? Does this pump drain when the block plugs are removed?

[JimN]

What specific attention does the recirc water pump need to drain? Does this pump drain when the block plugs are removed?

Drain the block/exhaust manifolds after changing the oil/filter, fogging and everything that requires the engine to run. Drain the oil cooler, disconnect the larger hoses at their lowest point (recirculation hoses), pull the lanyard off of the safety switch and crank the engine for about 5 seconds to clear out the pumps. Clean it, use anti-corrosion spray (if you're in a moist climate), remove the hull plug(s) (bag them and hang the bag on the steering wheel, throttle or some other conspicuous place). Make a list of what you did and what will be needed to summerize it.

[jakethebt]

I think that one of the advantages of winterizing by the check list (drain, rv, drain) is that even if you miss a pump or hose, you are covered by the fact that the last thing ran in the engine is the RV stuff. I may tweak the order a bit after doing it. My oil, even when warmed, seems to take forever to drain.

A couple of pointers for those working tomorrow. The fuel filters drain more fuel than I thought they would. I ended up making a catch pan from a pc of al flashing for roofing to place under the filter on top of the tank. It has about 1/4" high sides and was adequate to keep the fuel from draining all over the top of the fuel tank or running down the back of the tank.

Also, when changing the oil or main fuel filter, I placed about 5 or so papertowls in a plastic shopping bag and placed that under both filters as they came off. This allowed me to capture most of the fuel and oil very easy. Of course there was still some oil in the bottom of the boat, but much less and it would have been.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for the checklist after actually performing it. I want to add a few of the above comments anyway. If someone wanted to send me pics of each step that would be a cool addition too...

[JimN]

I think that one of the advantages of winterizing by the check list (drain, rv, drain) is that even if you miss a pump or hose, you are covered by the fact that the last thing ran in the engine is the RV stuff. I may tweak the order a bit after doing it. My oil, even when warmed, seems to take forever to drain.

A couple of pointers for those working tomorrow. The fuel filters drain more fuel than I thought they would. I ended up making a catch pan from a pc of al flashing for roofing to place under the filter on top of the tank. I has about 1/4" high sides and was adequate to keep the fuel from draining all over the top of the fuel tank or running down the back of the tank.

Also, when changing the oil or main fuel filter, I placed about 5 or so papertowls in a plastic shopping bag and placed that under both filters as they came off. This allowed me to capture most of the fuel and oil very easy. Of course there was still some oil in the bottom of the boat, but much less and it would have been.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for the checklist after actually performing it. I want to add a few of the above comments anyway. If someone wanted to send me pics of each step that would be a cool addition too...

I save plastic jugs from windshield washer fluid and cut the bottom off at a height that works for whatever I need to catch. I use them for oil changes, catching the oil from the filter. I place paper towels underneath in case of splashing or spills but the amount of oil in the bilge is nothing compared with just using towels. I use them for fuel filters, too.

[Ski-me]

Jake, you've done an awesome job spelling things out so I decided to do a small write-up on my winterization process on my 1994 205 with the LT1 engine, and take some pictures along the way. I thought it would be appropriate to just add it to this thread. I've never done it before but for the most part, pretty straight forward. Here are the steps I took.

Pic 1: Find a nice day with lots of sun and heat!


Pic 2: Add Stabilizer to fuel tank.


Pic 3: And then head to the lake to warm everything up and get the Stabilizer all throughout the fuel system.

A little choppy but hey, I got a ski in!


Pic 4: I then pulled the boat home and removed the shocks to allow the engine cover to open up further for better access.


Pic 5: And then just used a bumper to support the cover so it didn't put excess stress on the hinges.

[Ski-me]

Pic 1 & 2: Next, I pulled out the drain line for the engine oil and ran it down the drain hole....and then drained the motor oil.


Pic 3, 4 & 5: I used the hand pump to suck out the oil from the tranny. I originally had the extracted oil container up above but towards the end, it ran out of suction. The instructions said that the output had to be lower than the suction and I was able to get a little more out.


Pic 6: Total, I got 1 quart and 4 oz. Not quite 2 quarts but that's all I could get.....


Pic 7: I replaced with Synthetic Tranny fluid...same amount I got out.

[Ski-me]

Pic 1 & 2: Next, I removed the oil filter and used JimN's suggestion of cutting off the top of a jug to catch the filter and oil. Awesome idea and worked like a charm!


Pic 3 & 4: I did install the taller, larger capacity oil filter. There is an edge that looked to be knocked in just a bit so the taller one may or may not fit. Mine was just fine.


Pic 5: I got 4 quarts of oil out after draining so I think I got most of it. The oil filter took at least 3/4 of a quart to fill. Valvoline Synthetic too!


Pic 6: Oh, and I didn't know....synthetic motor oil is Green!

[Ski-me]

Pics 1, 2 & 3: Next, I changed both fuel filter. One by the engine and the other by the tank. I put a towel under it to catch any excess fuel that may pour out. I did first hit the scrader valve to relieve any fuel pressure before changing.


I then started the engine and let it cycle everything and warm the engine back up.

[Ski-me]

I know there were questions regarding using RV anti-freeze, regular anti-freeze or just plain water. I elected to use RV stuff but drain it out afterwards. Rather be safe than sorry for my first run!

Pic 1 & 2: I tried to take the raw water intake hose off just at the base but couldn't get it free.

Pic 3 & 4: So I elected to disconnect just after the heat exchanger (I think that's what is was) and then bent this into a bucket. I started with about 3 gallons and started the engine. Then I quickly squeezed in 3 more gallons and let everything suck into the cooling system.
One note, be sure that the engine is fully warm or the t-stat may not open yet and let the coolant into all of the areas. I didn't get mine all the way heated up so I don't think the anti-freeze made it into the block.

9-18-19: Update -- This year I removed the top thermostat and then reconnected the hose and coolant neck temporarily. This allowed the RV anti-freeze to make it past the thermostat location and into the block better.

[Ski-me]

Now, finally, on to the draining of the block, etc.

Pic 1 & 2: First, I disconnected the hot water source for heater and shower hoses.

Pic 3 & 4: Then the cold water for shower.

Pic 5: And this hose:

[Ski-me]

The manifold hoses and plugs: