Single point drain winterization

[Stinnett21]

Access is the problem. Had engine builders worked with boat builders in designing interiors that were more mechanic friendly maybe the I/O would still have life left in it. For example why not make the panels on each side of the engine folding and attached with buckles or some sort of quick disconnect system? Why not make the sofa back fold down similar to back seats in cars? I know cost. Just blowing off steam ha.

 

[Lou C]

Agreed the best set up is a simple dog house with jump seats on both sides so you have total access.
Mine has the big sun pad and full size rear seat. What I did was use a 2 piece rear seat instead (actually two 36" pontoon benches) that can be removed as needed and I made the wood partitions easily removable with wing nuts. The big bulkhead behind the seat is hinged like a door, and the hinges are take apart hinges to I can open it and lift it off.
If I were really ambitious I'd have changed it to the dog house design but I didn't want to give up all the storage inside the pontoon benches.
these pix give you an idea how I did it. Bench seats go right in front of the bulkhead.

 

[Bt Doctur]

its a 3 way fitting ,no can do

 

[Stinnett21]

Nice work Lou. I've just been biting the bullet and dissembling it all as it was built but not sure how much longer I"m willing to tolerate it all at my age. Sorry I left my portable toilet in the pic.

 

[Mcfltfyter]

its a 3 way fitting ,no can do

Any chance you could be a little more detailed? As far as I can tell all of the raw water flows through that valve and either goes up to the elbows, or into the circulating pump. Is there a different feed line that I'm missing?

 

[lrdchaos]

Are you able to pull the boat out of the water? It might be easier for you you to do the old....run it till it’s warm and then switch over to antifreeze and let it circulate through the block method.

 

[Lou C]

Are you able to pull the boat out of the water? It might be easier for you you to do the old....run it till it’s warm and then switch over to antifreeze and let it circulate through the block method.

Well if you don’t drain it first and the thermostat doesn’t open fully guess what can happen? This is a risky method, that should not be used on raw water cooled engines. It can be used on engines with closed cooling. You are basically gambling that the engine gets warm enough long enough to keep the stat open so all the raw water flows out of the block via the exhaust system. Drain manually and poke the holes. Then backfill with AF if you want to use AF.

 

[Mcfltfyter]

I'm just looking for a relatively easy and guaranteed drain. If draining water was a once a year thing, sure pulling some hoses wouldn't be a big deal. Early and late season is a gamble not draining, and I am out of town so often I don't want to be begging people to go pull hoses off every time a freak storm rolls through.

 

[Lou C]

There is no other way around it. Use conventional drains that are fool proof and try to improve access to them. This is why after their first boat many people buy outboards. Put the motor down and it drains. If you replace an engine, add closed cooling, then you can use the winterizing tank idea. The worst system ever, is modern sport boat design (all molded in fiberglass around the rear seats and engine, you can't get at anything for draining and even just regular maintenance). If the boat companies wanted to make sure that people switched to outboards, what they did is what is causing that to happen. No one wants to deal with these abominations any more. They are thick headed and ignorant, to believe that people will put up with these difficult to maintain abominations. Yes outboards are expensive but time is money.

 

[Mcfltfyter]

There are no conventional drains on my engine, that's the issue I'm trying to solve. I'll probably just have to remove the single point drain and see exactly what it does and figure something out.

 

[Lou C]

if you can post up a schematic of the system you have, then some members here might be able to advise you as how to disconnect it and use conventional drains.

 

[Mcfltfyter]

As far as I can tell it is this one

 

[JASinIL2006]

Are you able to pull the boat out of the water? It might be easier for you you to do the old....run it till it’s warm and then switch over to antifreeze and let it circulate through the block method.

Also known as the 'best way to get a cracked engine block method'...

 

[lrdchaos]

Also known as the 'best way to get a cracked engine block method'...

That’s weird because thousands of dealerships do it around the nation along with owners in their drive, and I’m going to guess the failure rate is less than 1 percent.

according to most boating sites, it seems that the only true way to ensure there is no water in the engine is to completely disassemble the engine every winter.

I don’t do it because I have a 5 drain system that I drain and then dump antifreeze directly into the hoses. According to some that’s wrong as well, but it did make it through -13 this winter. But so did my buddies boat that ran antifreeze through the engine the way I listed earlier....so who knows.

 

[Lou C]

The way they do it they recirculate the AF to keep it hot, which is difficult for the backyard mechanic to do (though not impossible) that's how they do hundreds of boats without a failure. It is simpler, if more work to simply drain and back fill with the correct antifreeze. The suck up the AF method, is very risky unless you know exactly what you are doing, I'd never advise that for the typical do it yourselfer.

 

[Mcfltfyter]

I got the plug adapters in the block, and the plugged manifold elbows installed. It is much easier and faster to drain now, and the I.D. of the block fittings are significantly larger than the quick connects, so that's always a plus.

What is the purpose of the blue plug at the bottom of the single point drain valve? Is it a vent? Maybe a backup in case the main valve gets plugged? Does opening the valve and removing the lower plug 100% guarantee the cooler and circ. Pump are drained?

I'm considering adding a valve to one of the old manifold drains, or just building a new pipe with a plug to replace the manifold completely.

 

[Mcfltfyter]

I find it interesting that everyone talks trash about the single point point drain, yet nobody seems to even know how they work. Seems legit

 

[Scott06]

I find it interesting that everyone talks trash about the single point point drain, yet nobody seems to even know how they work. Seems legit

then go get your free help elsewhere...

hoses labeled 14,13, 12, 10 (x2) are relatively small in diameter and can get clogged. They all feed the manifold #9 and drain through the plastic ball housing in the lower RH corner. Since you cannot see how much water comes out of each individual drain point in the block and manifolds ( 5 locations) you have no way of knowing if debris is blocking the drain path unless you remove the quick disconnects shown in detail dwg in lower LH corner of pic (16&18) and probe the drain points in the block.

Several professional mechanics on this and other similar sites have commented that they see these getting clogged giving the owner a false sense of being completely drained. I suspect this will work ok until you get a clogg or debris from raw cooling water or corrosion. Other common clomplaint is the distribution housing tends to crack is expensive to replace some have fabbed up copper sweat fittings to replace.

I have a 5 point drain plug set up on my 5.0 and they are really easy to get to so for me this is preferred. If you want to remove it you can remove the 4 drain lines I mentioned cap the manifold ports and keep the water supply side of the system. replace your block drains with 1/4" npt plugs and get drain elbow fittigns on the bottom of the manifolds

 

[Mcfltfyter]

then go get your free help elsewhere...

hoses labeled 14,13, 12, 10 (x2) are relatively small in diameter and can get clogged. They all feed the manifold #9 and drain through the plastic ball housing in the lower RH corner. Since you cannot see how much water comes out of each individual drain point in the block and manifolds ( 5 locations) you have no way of knowing if debris is blocking the drain path unless you remove the quick disconnects shown in detail dwg in lower LH corner of pic (16&18) and probe the drain points in the block.

Several professional mechanics on this and other similar sites have commented that they see these getting clogged giving the owner a false sense of being completely drained. I suspect this will work ok until you get a clogg or debris from raw cooling water or corrosion. Other common clomplaint is the distribution housing tends to crack is expensive to replace some have fabbed up copper sweat fittings to replace.

I have a 5 point drain plug set up on my 5.0 and they are really easy to get to so for me this is preferred. If you want to remove it you can remove the 4 drain lines I mentioned cap the manifold ports and keep the water supply side of the system. replace your block drains with 1/4" npt plugs and get drain elbow fittigns on the bottom of the manifolds

So you are saying the single point drain will reliably drain the lower inlet system, or it is still a gamble, just much cheaper than a cracked block?

 

[Scott06]

So you are saying the single point drain will reliably drain the lower inlet system, or it is still a gamble, just much cheaper than a cracked block?

I'm not sure how big hoses 11,12,&8 are I would think it would work as long as they are not small 1/2" or so hoses. Best way to find out is to take the hoses off and make sure they are drained, especially the cool fuel. This is why people scoff at the single point drain system to verify it works you need to remove hoses....