Time to Winterize my twin 4,3 Lx / # of Drain Plugs & Locations

[Pete_a]

threads wont rust as long as you put them back in after draining, leave em out.... the receiving threads will most certainly corrode and rust...

What motor do you have? My plugs dont go into cast iron but into brass bung

 

[Starcraft5834]

3.0.. not the 4.3 no bungs... will brass corrode? yep.. quickly? nope.. advantage of putting them back in when empty= dont lose em..

 

[HPLou]

peter_a My boat is out o the water since last Saturday. I will be winterizing it next sunday. Now that I have some very good info from you guys, I feel confortable to do a good job. I have not look for my drain plugs yet but kno were to look now. My only concern is that my twin engines are pretty close together. Hope there is room to see the Block Drain Plug on the bottom!!
Air compressor and Shop Vac, Yes I have and will use them if require.
I will get back with the conclusion.
Thank you again Guys.

 

[JASinIL2006]

No, you do not need to buy new ones unless they're damaged, or you want to swap from plastic to brass (or vice versa).

While I agree that it's best to drain the PS cooler, it's a pain and physically impossible for me to do any longer. Instead, I disconnect that hose at the water pump and pour 1/2 gallon of AF through it. The AF will run out the bottom of the outdrive. If you have an air compressor, you could blow the water out first, then treat whatever might be left in the cooler and hose with AF.

My .02

I seem to recall seeing some pictures of boats that have a plug on the line going into the power steering fluid cooler. Would that be available as an add-on? Emptying the PS cooler line is my least favorite part of winterizing. The fewer hoses I have to disconnect, the better!

 

[JoLin]

peter_a My boat is out o the water since last Saturday. I will be winterizing it next sunday. Now that I have some very good info from you guys, I feel confortable to do a good job. I have not look for my drain plugs yet but kno were to look now. My only concern is that my twin engines are pretty close together. Hope there is room to see the Block Drain Plug on the bottom!!
Air compressor and Shop Vac, Yes I have and will use them if require.
I will get back with the conclusion.
Thank you again Guys.

My engines are close together, too. I can't get down there to see them all, so I find and pull the block and manifold plugs by feel. Sometimes I need to refer to the drain point diagram before I start.

My drains are the plastic wingnuts. I keep a small screwdriver in my hand. I bend over the engine, find the plug, unscrew it, and hang onto it while I poke the screwdriver into the hole to clear it. I get a gush of water, wait until it drains (only takes a few seconds), then put the plug back in before I 'lose' the spot it came from. You'll get the hang of it. fold an old blanket over the top of the motor so you can kinda lay over it without getting stabbed.

 

[HPLou]

thank you JoLin for the hint.

 

[Pete_a]

I seem to recall seeing some pictures of boats that have a plug on the line going into the power steering fluid cooler. Would that be available as an add-on? Emptying the PS cooler line is my least favorite part of winterizing. The fewer hoses I have to disconnect, the better!

Could you find a brass tee fitting a the hardware store maybe one with a reducer and than install before cooler have short piece of hose with plug and hose clamp on reduced side keep small hose long enough to make reach easy and simply lay hose downinto bilge to drain. Small 1/2" hose you could even blow out with air.

But id just disconnect this hose from the water pump and blow it out with shop vac.