4.3 GL-A water drain locations

[Mi_fiveo]

I’m following the manual to drain my Volvo Penta 4.3 GL-A for winter storage. Some of the pictures in the manual do not match what I see on the engine. On the exhaust manifolds it shows a hose that I have to remove but mine has some kind of drain valve. I removed the plugs and water drained from each manifold. My cylinder block drains are also different from the manual. It shows a plug to remove but mine has a hose on each side that connects to a water intake hose with a garden hose connector. I removed each of them and some water drained out. I also removed the plug above the water pump to drain the water. I removed the hoses indicated and probed all the holes with a bent wire. Have I successfully emptied my engine of water now? Is it safe to store for the winter? Forgot to mention I already changed the drive gear lube, engine oil, filter, water separator filter, put stabilizer in the tank and fogged the carb till the engine quit. Thanks for any help!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Dont forget the small drain on front of intake manifold just below the t-stat and the hose between the raw wster pump and the PS cooler and the large hose from the wster pump to the t-stat housing

 

[Mi_fiveo]

I removed all the hoses to the water pump and t stat housing. Not sure where the the power steering cooler is. In picture 3 I’m pointing at the small plug I removed from under the t stat housing. Is that the one you were referring to?

 

[alldodge]

VP places the power steering cooler on the line coming in from the drive and going to the crankshaft water pump. Look or feel on the bottom of it for a plug

Yes, the plug your pointing at is the intake one

 

[Lou C]

Ok it looks like someone added hoses to the engine drains to make it easier to drain, I don’t think that is OE and not sure I’d trust it to completely drain because of the chance of rust flakes clogging it. Might have to replace those with standard drain plugs and make sure to poke the openings. The manifold drains are normal (there were 2 style, this and the rubber plug) and that plug in the front of the intake needs to be removed too. Make sure to disconnect the bottom end of the big hose that connects the thermostat housing to the circulation pump, that drains a lot of water. To drain the P/S cooler, you can try to remove that plug but it is fought to get at and easy to drop in the bilge. I would put the drive all the way down and disconnect the raw water intake hose at the impeller housing (this will also drain the impeller housing). Then point that hose down to drain out any water. Now hold the hose up, stick a funnel in it and fill it with -100 marine AF till it runs out the drive water intakes. This will flush water out of the ps cooler without having to get that hard to reach plug. My OMC is the same way in fact VP copied OMCs design here.

 

[Mi_fiveo]

Thanks everyone for all the information

 

[Lou C]

Also...those hoses since they are not an OE install, could be a safety risk because if one ruptured while running at speed it would allow cooling water to leak out of the engine potentially causing overheating...
so id for sure replace those with the normal brass plugs.

 

[Mi_fiveo]

They are both connected to a t connector and then a fresh water inlet for a garden hose. For flushing the motor or running out of the water I’m guessing.

 

[Mi_fiveo]

I can’t find the power steering cooler to drain it. I looked up a picture of one and can’t locate it anywhere on my engine. Guess I’ll have to get some rv antifreeze and dump a bunch into the hoses for extra insurance. Which hose would I pour the antifreeze into?

 

[alldodge]

There would be 2 ways to find the PS cooler; follow the hose from the sea water pump back to the outdrive, or follow the PS hydraulic lines to the cooler

 

[Mi_fiveo]

Is it directly on the back of the engine?

 

[alldodge]

Is it directly on the back of the engine?

It might, but being a VP it might not. If it was a Merc, that is where it would be

 

[muc]

They are both connected to a t connector and then a fresh water inlet for a garden hose. For flushing the motor or running out of the water I’m guessing.

Yes they were Volvo installed for one or two years. They are for flushing the motor when it is NOT running --- in the water or out.
If you want to run the motor out of the lake you must use muffs.

 

[Lou C]

The ps cooler is on the rear of the engine behind the starboard side manifold/elbow. There will be a hose that comes from the transom mount to your impeller housing (raw water pump). Disconnect this hose at the impeller housing and point it down in the bilge so it drains. Make sure the outdrive is all the way down then hold that hose up and fill it with -100 marine antifreeze till it runs out the outdrive water intakes.