My block is drained, right?

nola mike · Tuesday at 7:52 AM

On a roll yesterday. Once again drained my neighbor's VP (I'm waiting for it to freeze so I'll get the boat for cheap...). Changed my oil in the fall! Also drained my 4.3, and didn't get a drop out of the starboard block drain. It was the last drain and I for sure got in there with a wire. PS cooler also drained by that point, I don't remember about the T-stat hose. The port side needed poked before continuing to drain. The boat is listing slightly to port, so guessing that's the reason. Anything to worry about?

Scott Danforth · Tuesday at 8:41 AM

how far in did you push the wire. there is usually a layer of sand/gravel/rust/dead fish in the bottom of the water jackets that you have to break up to get water out the drain plugs.

nola mike · Tuesday at 8:45 AM

Scott Danforth said:
how far in did you push the wire. there is usually a layer of sand/gravel/rust/dead fish in the bottom of the water jackets that you have to break up to get water out the drain plugs.

Naw, it was in there a few inches, wiggled around, repeated a few times. Felt like I hit the back wall of the water jacket. The other side had a bit of sediment that didn't take much effort to poke out.

racerone · Tuesday at 8:51 AM

Water MUST come out.----Assuming it is drained can cost many beer tokens.

Scott Danforth · Tuesday at 10:23 AM

Mike, do you have a portable air tank? sometimes you can blow air into the port to clear out the debris

the cylinder wall is only about 3/4" into the drain port. a bent wire can be fed in and turned. dont think I ever had a motor that didnt drain by probing with a wire.

Chris1956 · Wednesday at 5:36 AM

Crap, dump some full-strength antifreeze into the block and manifold hoses and watch for it to emerge from the drains. It will push out any residual water.

Scott06 · Wednesday at 7:00 AM

nola mike said:
Naw, it was in there a few inches, wiggled around, repeated a few times. Felt like I hit the back wall of the water jacket. The other side had a bit of sediment that didn't take much effort to poke out.

you can always pour some AF in the thermo and it will come out the block drains eventually. After I drain mine then put the plugs back in, take off the hose coming up from the outdrive (at therm hsg), I have a short piece of old cut off radiator hose that has a 90 in it so it points up easy to back fill the block if you want. I just use about a gallon to back flush out the outdrive and get any residual in the block.

Lou C · Wednesday at 9:53 AM

I don't think this is your problem but some 4.3s like mine that originally came with the large Delco direct drive starter had a 90* fitting on that side to clear the starter. Not needed with the smaller PMGR starters. Mine still has it because I didn't want to chance breaking it by trying to remove it but I got it to drain, by using a few different picks with angled tips on them. It took some digging but now it drains without even have to rod it out, which you should do anyway. Not sure if it helps but I do put in AF with corrosion inhibitors every winter. Last time I did it (about a week ago) both just drained without even poking. Then when I poured in the AF, I measured the strength with an antifreeze refractometer and it was at -25*F which is what I mixed it at.

Here's a pic, maybe it's just an OMC thing, not sure of Merc used these.
if using AF, definitely get one of these, it can really save you from having a BIG problem, much better than the crappy parts store ones! Plus it can be used for EG or PG.
$antifreeze & refractometer.jpg$

Lou C · Wednesday at 10:26 AM

head over to horror fright and get a set of these.....

Bt Doctur · Wednesday at 9:04 PM

remove the 90`S and install straight ones

nola mike · Thursday at 6:55 AM

I don't have the 90's on mine, and was using a piece of bent wire. I got plenty out of the port side. Guess the question was more if the drains were connected (or how closely connected) they are. I'll pull that drain again and give it another shot, try some compressed air. Going to hold off on the af, I don't feel like pulling all the drains again if I can help it. I miss my 3.7!

Scott Danforth · Thursday at 9:40 AM

on a V-engine. the only cross-over point on the block is the water pump connections. everything below that is in their own pocket on the port or starboard side of the block. on the 4.3, this should be about 1/2 gallon that is left in each side that will need to be drained

so something should have come out.

Lou C · Thursday at 10:47 AM

What I’ve done is open the block drains first, before removing that big hose at the bottom of the water pump, because that shows you if the drain on either side is clogged….

nola mike · 2025-11-21T15:24:07-0700

Well, gave it another shot today. Nothing. Probed, blew air in there, bow up/down.
@Lou C , good thought, will do that next year
@Scott Danforth , this was the last plug pulled, after I disconnected the hose at the WP.

Don't think there's much more to do at this point. If there's water still in there it isn't coming out. Once again, I'll volunteer my boat as a data point...We'll see what happens come spring.

Lou C · 2025-11-21T15:26:36-0700

Thinking back I did it that way this year (block drains first) and a lot came out of both sides.
To fill it took close to 2 gallons for the block only.
Those little picks do help...

nola mike · 2025-11-21T17:15:03-0700

Lou C said:
Thinking back I did it that way this year (block drains first) and a lot came out of both sides.
To fill it took close to 2 gallons for the block only.
Those little picks do help...

I have those picks. I think I own everything that HF stocks. But no resistance with them or the 12g romex strand that I was using either.

Chris1956 · 2025-11-21T18:53:04-0700

So that was a no to dumping some antifreeze into the block to see it emerge? That would sure help me to think the block is drained.

nola mike · 2025-11-22T09:45:21-0700

Chris1956 said:
So that was a no to dumping some antifreeze into the block to see it emerge? That would sure help me to think the block is drained.

No, didnt do that. Figured that it wouldn't really matter. If it's clogged that badly then what can i do about it? Probed best I can, blew out with air. If there's a clog, it would have to be solid on both sides of the drain. If I REALLY want an answer, I could also just fill the block back up with water and drain that port first.

My block is drained, right?

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