1992 330 Sundancer Winterization Problem

[sr330newengland]

Hello,

I just joined this forum and just purchased a 1992 Sea Ray 330 Sundancer. The boat cosmetically is in great shape but I suspect the previous owner may not have winterized the boat properly.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to go through the closed loop cooling system to investigate if anything is damaged due to raw water freezing?

The motors are original 1992 blue water closed loop cooled mercruiser 454's. Looking at the manuals it looks like raw water pass through: sea strainers, two oil cooler type devices, and then the coolant reservoir. It also looks like raw water goes through the exhaust and into the lift mufflers.

Before I start ripping everything apart I figured I would ask for some advise on places to start / look.

Thanks!

 

[Creekwood]

Hard to know where to start in responding. I am shocked you would buy a boat without knowing the answers to what you are asking now. Your costs of repair could be anywhere from near nothing to a $ number that might be close to what the boat is worth. But since you bought it thinking they did not winterize properly and you are in Boston, I hope you got the boat for a really good price. You may have gotten lucky and with the freshwater antifreeze cooling the block might be OK.

To be honest, if you have to ask what and how to test things, you will be much better off just hiring a marine mechanic to test all the systems for you and give you an estimate for any repairs. That will be money well spent, even it it is somewhat too late to save you money.

 

[Alegria]

Well the closed systems are pressurized so check fluid levels. Are they dropping? Then if the are check the cooler for that fluid. If you are losing a significant amount then you might just want to replace it. Pressure test the engine coolant system. If you need to know the pressures let me know and I can get them for you. Really the key is fluid loss. Or water in the oil. Other than that look for leaks as you follow the raw water flow.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

 

[fwebster]

Lets not paint a total gloom and doom picture here...........it is a freshwater cooled engine so the sea water side (not winterized) is separate from the freshwater side (50/50 distilled water and glycohol based coolant). Any non-winterizing issues should be isolated to the seawater side......and, of course, the potable water system in the boat. First check the antifreeze level in the freshwater side. If it checks well below freezing and is full, then any damage, if there is any, is isolated to the seawater side. If the seawater side is dry, then the boat may have been drained instead of winterized. These are 7.4 Mercruisers which are known to have riser problems, so the next thing to do is to pull off the risers and check them before even thinking about starting the engines with cooling water flowing. Replace the risers if needed. Then I would try to get the engines running on a hose. From there look for leaks and keep an eye on the oil and coolant to be sure you don't end up with water in the oil or oil in the water.

The 330DA is a great boat.....good luck with getting her going again.

 

[sr330newengland]

Guys,

Thanks for the responses. I was working on the boat today. The potable water system has the pink stuff in the system so I think that's ok.

On the freshwater side I pressure tested both heat exchangers at the fill cap. Both held 15psi for approx 20 minutes. Both exchangers have the correct level of coolant.

Regarding the risers, if I take them off, what am I looking for? What about the raw water pumps, any way to check these before trying to start the engines up?

 

[fwebster]

At a minimum you should replace the impellers in the sea water pumps. If you stand on your head long enough to remove the end covers and check the impellers, you just as well go ahead and replace them now. If you wait and try to start the engines, the old impellers may disintegrate on you. If that happens you will have to disassemble the cooling system and back flush from the risers forward to get all the fragments of impeller blade out if the cooling system.

Sounds like you are making progress............