Teach me to Winterize

[D2Dominator]

Gallons should be pouring out.

Instructions state poking in the hole with a metal probe after removing plugs to breakup any lodged material. Mine will dribble until I poke through a layer of crust. After that, out comes the hot pink.

D2

[gvibes]

Gallons should be pouring out.

Instructions state poking in the hole with a metal probe after removing plugs to breakup any lodged material. Mine will dribble until I poke through a layer of crust. After that, out comes the hot pink.

D2

Cool, got much more after doing that.

[jharmon203]

Here is a thread I made on winterizing my predator engine:

https://teamtalk.mastercraft.com/showthread.php?t=77604

The main thing you want to worry about with winterization is that your block doesn't crack. This can be achieve by either draining your block or running the RV antifreeze through it with the option to drain (I don't drain mine).

[gvibes]

Here is a thread I made on winterizing my predator engine:

https://teamtalk.mastercraft.com/showthread.php?t=77604

The main thing you want to worry about with winterization is that your block doesn't crack. This can be achieve by either draining your block or running the RV antifreeze through it with the option to drain (I don't drain mine).

Yep, I had your thread bookmarked as well, and it was super helpful.

[FoggyNogginz]

Slight hijack:. On an Ilmor 5000, I have pulled the two plugs on either side of the block, and drained the water from the oil cooler hose.

What else should be drained, and where do I add the antifreeze? Manual is not clear on this at all. Pictures appreciated! Thanks.

[HDAVIS]

When I first had mine winterized, I just asked the mechanic to tell me how. Been doing it myself ever since. That was 22 years ago. Well worth the time/money.

[FoggyNogginz]

I did the same, and that worked for five boats. Ilmor is a different animal.

[lilyspad4321]

You don’t HAVE to run it to winterize. It helps drain the oil faster when the engine is warm, and if you’re running antifreeze then that’s one way to circulate it. But you can drain oil using the drain tube and an oil pump. As for the block, you can just drain it, or pour antifreeze downstream of the t-stat. I used to do antifreeze. These days I just drain.

IMO, the only things absolutely necessary to do is change oil/filter/impeller, and drain the block (or run antifreeze through it). Many of us (myself included) do extra things, like clean/wax, change trans fluid (I do this every other year), top off gas and add some fuel stabilizer, etc.

Just find the oil drain tube near the oil pan, and poke it out the transom drain plug hole, and use that to drain. With the oil drained, go ahead and change out the filter. Use NAPA Gold 1060 oil filter (your manual may say another one, but the 1060 is better). Then fill with 15w40 Shell Rotella oil (5-6 quarts is usually what the 5.7 takes, IIRC). Find the drain valve on the starboard side of the engine (the port side if yours is a direct drive), unscrew the threaded valve to drain. The knock sensor on the opposite side is how you drain from that side. Just unscrew the knock sensor and water will drain. Turn engine over a few times with kill switch pulled out to blow out some remaining pockets of water. Then replace plugs and drain water from your bilge with the bilge pump and/or drain plug. Next, pull the impeller and zip tie a new impeller (Johnson 09-812B-1 impeller kit) to the steering wheel so you remember to put the new one in when you summerize it next spring. And finally, tow it to a gas station (preferably one with ethanol free gas), top off the gas tank, and treat it with Stabil Marine fuel stabilizer. Done.

Do you mind mentioning why changing the oil and filter is an absolute must?

[93Prostar190]

Draining old oil and filter are important since oil that has been used contains by products from combustion that while sitting in the pan contain “bad” residual items vs. clean and pure new oil, some of the “bad” may include moisture which dilutes and also accelerates oxidation, and other acidic by product.

So clean oil is a safe guard against your lower block, cam, and pan storing yuck oil which has lost its effectiveness.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[88 PS190]

Do you mind mentioning why changing the oil and filter is an absolute must?

Some people install fresh in spring too - I think that's a bit ridiculous. I will admit if I end up going past 50 hours and have <10 hours on oil I don't necessarily change it for lay up. I get why you should but previous oil analysis has shown that its not specifically necessary as long as the oil is low on hours. The exception if you have a 10 hour season change it.