Smackledorf
New Member
- Oct 12, 2014
- 18
- Boat Info
- 2001 Sea Ray 240 Sundeck
- Engines
- 5.7 Mercruiser w/Bravo 3
So last year I paid through the nose for a marina to winterize my boat. They didn't call me before showing up, and I caught them as they finished up. The boat is on my backyard hoist.
So I asked what he did. He put a little antifreeze in my water system, which I've had drained for years anyway. He stabiled the fuel, of course. The oil was pretty fresh, just 15 hours, so he said it should be fine. He recommended nothing to the drive lube, and did nothing to the lower unit/stern drive itself.
To the 5.7L mercruiser (260hp) he said it was as simple as pulling three petcocks, letting it drain, then cranking the ignition a bit to spit the last bit out. Then he removed one if the cooling system pipes and poured antifreeze in until it spilled over.
Seemed simple enough, so why pay 350 bucks for a house call, right?
So I did the same operation. Approximately 2.5 gallons drained out. If it matters, cranking my ignition IMMEDIATELY started the engine as usual (alternative would be disabling spark and flooding, no?). Obviously I shut her off asap. So I removed the largest of the hoses going to the engine and started pouring. It took just under a gallon....
Now I'm confused. So I called the place up and the front desk worker (no mechanic was available) said they used 4.5 gallons of antifreeze last year. She said they never recommend winterizing on a hoist instead of running a full flush, but that the way I described is the standard for hoisted boats.
So, what did I do wrong, that it only took a gallon of new antifreeze, and what do I do now? A couple friends of mine said hook my batteries back up and run it a second, then try to add more anti-freeze. Easy enough, but none of them are familiar with I/o engines, just outboards. Even then, half of these guys just drain it and trust their garage.
Final question: my oil pump refused to pump oil out through the dipstick. Oil is getting dark, and see two schools of thought on when to change. If I should still change it now, is there a trick to pumping it out? My 90 dollar pump failed, I hate to have to buy a new one if unnecessary. Oil was getting up to the pump itself, but releasing the handle at the top of the pumping had it snap back down, as though a heavy suction was on the other end. In a hundred pumps or so, barely an ounce made it out into my jug.
Fwiw, the owners service manual for the motor says to do exactly what I did: drain it, fire it up, replace petcocks, dump in antifreeze.
Thanks a ton for any answers.
So I asked what he did. He put a little antifreeze in my water system, which I've had drained for years anyway. He stabiled the fuel, of course. The oil was pretty fresh, just 15 hours, so he said it should be fine. He recommended nothing to the drive lube, and did nothing to the lower unit/stern drive itself.
To the 5.7L mercruiser (260hp) he said it was as simple as pulling three petcocks, letting it drain, then cranking the ignition a bit to spit the last bit out. Then he removed one if the cooling system pipes and poured antifreeze in until it spilled over.
Seemed simple enough, so why pay 350 bucks for a house call, right?
So I did the same operation. Approximately 2.5 gallons drained out. If it matters, cranking my ignition IMMEDIATELY started the engine as usual (alternative would be disabling spark and flooding, no?). Obviously I shut her off asap. So I removed the largest of the hoses going to the engine and started pouring. It took just under a gallon....
Now I'm confused. So I called the place up and the front desk worker (no mechanic was available) said they used 4.5 gallons of antifreeze last year. She said they never recommend winterizing on a hoist instead of running a full flush, but that the way I described is the standard for hoisted boats.
So, what did I do wrong, that it only took a gallon of new antifreeze, and what do I do now? A couple friends of mine said hook my batteries back up and run it a second, then try to add more anti-freeze. Easy enough, but none of them are familiar with I/o engines, just outboards. Even then, half of these guys just drain it and trust their garage.
Final question: my oil pump refused to pump oil out through the dipstick. Oil is getting dark, and see two schools of thought on when to change. If I should still change it now, is there a trick to pumping it out? My 90 dollar pump failed, I hate to have to buy a new one if unnecessary. Oil was getting up to the pump itself, but releasing the handle at the top of the pumping had it snap back down, as though a heavy suction was on the other end. In a hundred pumps or so, barely an ounce made it out into my jug.
Fwiw, the owners service manual for the motor says to do exactly what I did: drain it, fire it up, replace petcocks, dump in antifreeze.
Thanks a ton for any answers.