Winterizing engines using strainers

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MrsRobinson

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I would like to winterize the raw water side of the main engines (1/2 system fresh water cooling) and genny by pouring the pink stuff into the strainers while the engines are running.

I have never done this before. Is this an acceptable method? Will I risk damaging the raw water impellers if the flow is not enough?
 
Yes, very easy to do, as long as there is any amount of liquid on the impeller you will be fine. It's easy to do with 2 people, one at the helm, you pouring the pink. Just pour it in, don't rush and spill and make a mess, just take your time and you will be ok.
 
This is what i do with my a/c. Should work with the engines also.
 
Depending on the type of strainers you have you may be able to hook a 5 gallon bucket to them.
I have screw on caps on my strainers. I have PVC plumbing couplers (homedepot) that screw into the strainer, I run a 2" hose from this coupler to a 5 gallon bucket (hose is about 4 feet long)
Hose is permanently connected to the side of the bucket close to the bottom (beer tap).
I place the bucket on the salon floor, connect the other end of the hose to the strainer (close sea cock) and fill the bucket with pink stuff.
Start engine, fog thru intake while shes sucking down the pink stuff and close the choke (or pull ignition wire) to kill engine when pink stuff is gone.
Done.
 
That's what I did on the Tiara last year. Both engines and the genset too. No problems whatsoever in the MN winter. So, that's what I'm doing again this year.
 
my engines suck water too fast to pour it directly into the strainers. instead, i bypass the strainers and run a hose to a bucket that i fill with pink (and keep filling until i see pink out the exhaust). i also open the seacocks and pour pink into the strainers until it comes out the thruhulls.
 
I've got a similiar set-up with brass Perko strainers. My strainers have a cap on top held in place by two screws. The top comes off to allow access to the screens. I made a new "top" for the strainers out of 1/4" plexiglass, I only use the top for winterizing. I drilled a hole in the plexiglass top and threaded in a garden hose fitting. All I have to do to winterize is close my seacock, switch caps on the strainers and hook up my winterizing bucket which has a garden hose coming out of the bottom of it. Easy.
 
Greg, I do that with my 454 Crusaders. I just pour antifreeze into the strainers as fast as the strainer will take it. The strainer fills from raw water at the top and empties to the engine from the bottom. I never saw the need for the fancy strainer tops you can buy that let you hook a hose to the top for flushing/winteriztion. Just pour it in. I do the same for the generator. One trick though is to close the seacock when you do this because when the strainer gets full to the top, antifreeze will be running backward also out the bottom of the boat thru the raw water intake. When you're done, open the seacock again to let any water trapped in that hose to drain out. I leave them open all winter just in case there is any water trapped there. (don't see how there could be though). When you shut the engine off, pour a little more anti-freeze in and it will run out the water intake hose via the strainer intake.
 
quote:
Originally posted by btoran

my engines suck water too fast to pour it directly into the strainers. instead, i bypass the strainers and run a hose to a bucket that i fill with pink (and keep filling until i see pink out the exhaust). i also open the seacocks and pour pink into the strainers until it comes out the thruhulls.

Click to expand...

Like Greg posted above, it really doesn't matter how fast it sucks up the pink, just pour in until the system is purged of fresh water and is completely filled with pink.

No need to go crazy disconnecting hoses from the strainers (assuming gas engines here). Just pour the pink in a steady stream until you have think pink color coming out of the exhaust, it all doesn't have to do in at once.

On my diesels though, the motor will suck a 5 gallon pail in 5 seconds, 10 times faster than my gas motors did. In this scenario, I do use a 5 gallon pail, the 2 1/2 inch hoses do come off easily.
 
On raw water cooled engines shouldn't you allow the engines to warm up enough to open the thermostats before you run the antifreeze through them?
 
I was told that you had to bring them up to temp as well. When I did the genny I let it run for 15 mins before pouring into the sea strainers. When I do the engines they should be warm enough once I arrive at the marina to flush in the slip before the boat is pulled.
 
Thermostats need to be open on RWC engines. Your genset is probably FWC, so not a problem.
 
Only takes a few minutes to take the Thermostats out. That way there's never a worry as to wether or not they were open.
 
quote:
Originally posted by rtribble

On raw water cooled engines shouldn't you allow the engines to warm up enough to open the thermostats before you run the antifreeze through them?

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Yes you should,

Original poster has FWC system.

On my raw water engines I used run the motors on muffs with water, fog the motor till it stalled then pulled the drain plugs on the motor and drain, remember to clean out the crud that can block the drain holes with a piece of wire to make sure all the water drains out, remove the 2 big hoses from the thermo housing and fill the block with pink.

I was never comfortable with the thought of the thermo not opening and me coming back to a cracked block in the spring.
 
Twin 7.4 1998 MPIs...raw water side only (yes, the engines are fresh water cooled/ 1/2 system), any idea how much antifreeze per engine?
 
quote:
Originally posted by Robyns Nest

No need to go crazy disconnecting hoses from the strainers (assuming gas engines here). Just pour the pink in a steady stream until you have think pink color coming out of the exhaust, it all doesn't have to do in at once.

Click to expand...


So does this mean that we are not fogging engines on inboards?
 
I used to fog after I was done running the pink thru. Took center wire off dist cap and sprayed fogging oil down the carb while cranking the motor. Never had issues with doing it that way, layup was only 5 months. Never fouled plugs either.

Also ran fuel treatment a week before winterizing.
 
quote:
Originally posted by MrsRobinson

Twin 7.4 1998 MPIs...raw water side only (yes, the engines are fresh water cooled/ 1/2 system), any idea how much antifreeze per engine?

Click to expand...


I used to do 6 gallons per side which I think is way overkill. Best if you have someone looking out to see heavy pink come out of the exhaust, then you're done. My helper was on the flybridge and couldn't see the exhaust from up there so I never really knew how much was the right number.
 
Greg,

I have been using 5 gallons per engine with no problems. I also remove the drain plugs from mufflers on both engines and genset once complete.
 
Greg, I ran 3 gallons full strength thru each engine. My only concern was getting strong enough antifreeze in the pumps, manifolds and exhausts, as i drain the blocks when I'm done and backfill them. When I tested the antifreeze laying in the exhausts, i was good to minus 34.
 
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