Keeping my fingers crossed tonight

[sbbamafan]

Well - being stupid and procrastinating may end up costing me a lot tonight. My mechanic could not winterize my boat on time...my fault, not his. Temperatures in North Georgia went into the mid 20's last night and into the teens tonight. I had already put a small block heater on the oil pan last week. It did not seem to warm much at all more than a couple of inches from where it was. Last night I added a small 125 watt heat lamp in the engine compartment. I don't really know what else I could have done so now I can only cross my fingers and hope...

 

[oldjeep]

Good luck. For the future, learn how to drain it yourself.

 

[pckeen]

You may be just fine. I live in Canada, and used to have a water pump in an unheated crawl space below the house. We prevented that area from freezing during the depths of winter by leaving a 100 watt light bulb on in the small 5x5x5 room that housed the pump.

 

[thumpar]

Just pull the plugs and hoses. I couldn't get a nights sleep with water in the block at those temps. You can put the plugs back in to do the full winterization when your mechanic can get to it.

 

[smokeonthewater]

uncross ur fingers and put in ur slippers..... go drain the water.... takes between 5 and 30 minutes depending on the motor and the person doing it.... Air doesn't freeze.....

 

[MH Hawker]

Well - being stupid and procrastinating may end up costing me a lot tonight. My mechanic could not winterize my boat on time...my fault, not his. Temperatures in North Georgia went into the mid 20's last night and into the teens tonight. I had already put a small block heater on the oil pan last week. It did not seem to warm much at all more than a couple of inches from where it was. Last night I added a small 125 watt heat lamp in the engine compartment. I don't really know what else I could have done so now I can only cross my fingers and hope...

Its your boat

 

[roscoe]

Pay a friend, relative or neighbor to let you park it inside for a few nights?
Make sure it is covered.
Cover it with a really big tarp, big enough to reach down to the ground on all sides, and seal her up.

Knock out the living room wall and back it in, us plastic tarp to cover hole in wall.

 

[bspeth]

They are right of course,but IMO you probably dodged a bullet if the lamp was on the entire time.

 

[achris]

You may be just fine. I live in Canada, and used to have a water pump in an unheated crawl space below the house. We prevented that area from freezing during the depths of winter by leaving a 100 watt light bulb on in the small 5x5x5 room that housed the pump.

Until the power goes out.

 

[Triangleboater]

Not sure of the site now, but for my 3.0 i found the free factory repair manual online and found the drain plugs. It may have taken me 2 mins to drain the block and manifold. Then I lowered the lower unit, Tada, done.

 

[BRICH1260]

Draining the block and manifolds is a relatively easy process and something that all boat owners should know how to do in case of emergency. Its not a complete winterization, but it can help save the most expensive components. As long as your lamp stayed lit, you should be ok.

 

[Ostsideend]

More easy to you is probably go to the next car part dealer and buy coolant antifreeze to fill a 20 liter can for a mixture fitting to minus approx 40 degrees celsius. buy so called flushing ears. Connect them to a garden hose which ends in the can you place on your swimplatform. Place the flushing ears to the z drive intake and start the engine. stop it after 20 liter of minus 40 degree antifreeze was sucked through.

If your motor will get the coolant not from the z drive, connect the hose to the right opening.

Thats the way it is mostly done in europe. Antifreeze will protect the metallic parts from rust (air does not). A mixture of 20 Liter for -40 °C will protect your motor for at least minus 25°C if the motor and the manifiolds are still filled with sweet water when you do this way of winterizing. It takes 5 minutes to do....

 

[achris]

More easy to you is probably go to the next car part dealer and buy coolant antifreeze to fill a 20 litre can for a mixture fitting to minus approx 40 degrees celsius. buy so called flushing ears. Connect them to a garden hose which ends in the can you place on your swimplatform. Place the flushing ears to the z drive intake and start the engine. stop it after 20 litre of minus 40 degree antifreeze was sucked through.

If your motor will get the coolant not from the z drive, connect the hose to the right opening.

That's the way it is mostly done in Europe. Antifreeze will protect the metallic parts from rust (air does not). A mixture of 20 Liter for -40°C will protect your motor for at least minus 25°C if the motor and the manifolds are still filled with sweet water when you do this way of winterizing. It takes 5 minutes to do....

This is NOT the way to get AF into an engine (and why would you anyway, air don't freeze!). After this process ^ all you will have is a manifold full of AF, but the engine block will remain filled with water. Thermostat will not have opened by the time 20 litres has been sucked up (approx 2 minutes)....

Repeat... There is NO alternative to removing the block and manifold drains and draining the water from the block this way. Even if you intend to fill with AF (complete waste of money IMHO), you MUST start by draining the block and manifold(s)....

Chris.........

 

[redneck joe]

as long as the heat sources stayed on you should be good. But yeah got cold last night - I'm on business in N GA and thought it would be warmer.

 

[Ostsideend]

OK, your fully right. The thermostate has to be open! I did a huge mistake not mentioning this !!!! Thanks for pointing this out!!

But the rest is fully OK. Air does not freeze, thats right, but AF will not freeze as well AND it will protoect cast iron parts and other metals from rust. It protects from not fully drained sections like the manifolds due to blocked outlets as well. But anyhow, its the way over here, no one must copy it.

 

[thumpar]

OK, your fully right. The thermostate has to be open! I did a huge mistake not mentioning this !!!! Thanks for pointing this out!!

But the rest is fully OK. Air does not freeze, thats right, but AF will not freeze as well AND it will protoect cast iron parts and other metals from rust. It protects from not fully drained sections like the manifolds due to blocked outlets as well. But anyhow, its the way over here, no one must copy it.

Unless you drain the block first you are mixing AF with water and that is it.

 

[Mischief Managed]

The thermostat does not need to be open to get anti-freeze in the block and heads. The coolant exits the block through the thermostat and enters via the circulating pump (note the big hose that goes from the thermostat housing to the circulating pump, coolant flows down that hose, not up.) The bleed hole in the thermostat lets the air out as the coolant fills the block and heads.

I'm not saying you should not drain the block before adding anti-freeze, just pointing out that the thermostat has no effect on filling an empty engine.

 

[redneck joe]

opcorn:


I'll be standing by.

 

[thumpar]

The thermostat does not need to be open to get anti-freeze in the block and heads. The coolant exits the block through the thermostat and enters via the circulating pump (note the big hose that goes from the thermostat housing to the circulating pump, coolant flows down that hose, not up.) The bleed hole in the thermostat lets the air out as the coolant fills the block and heads.

I'm not saying you should not drain the block before adding anti-freeze, just pointing out that the thermostat has no effect on filling an empty engine.

The block is full of water not air, unless you drain it first. Yes the block fills from the bottom but if the thermostat is not open and block not drained VERY little AF will end up in the block. It just goes out the exhaust.

 

[pckeen]

So what happend? Did you get this sorted out?