Texas Deep Freeze = Cracked...something on 2016 Mercury 4.5L Alpha

So the 4.5 Alpha is a sleeved aluminum block. Doesn't sound quite as rugged as a repurposed GM cast iron V-6.
 
Pirate Lady said:
sucking up af thru od I never trusted. I remove all drain plugs. Pull off all hoses and leave plugs and hoses off for winter, never cracked block yet. Knock/wood.
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The suck up method "sucks" - it's a dangerous dance of making sure the thermostat opens, did you suck in enough anitfreeze etc, etc. Instead drain the block / manifolds, then pour antifreeze in through the big circulating pump hose until it comes out the exhaust - at that point everything is full of antifreeze. Takes me < 30min.
 
As Bill mentioned, the preferred "tried and true" method of winterizing is to FULLY drain the engine/mani's, then backfill through the t-stat housing. Super simple, and guaranteed to work - as opposed to pumping it through which is not always guaranteed.

However, this new (Merc designed and built) engine has been vastly redesigned from the ground up to be a marine engine as opposed to a truck/boat hybrid. While there are a lot of very cool things, of note is that the t-stat housing is now in about the middle of the engine, as opposed to the top. Because of that, filling through the hoses doesn't work. Because of the way they designed everything, though, using the jug method is completely OK with this engine and this is actually what Merc now recommends. But of course, fully draining is still paramount.

The 4.5L uses an iron block.
 
BillK2632 said:
The suck up method "sucks" - it's a dangerous dance of making sure the thermostat opens, did you suck in enough anitfreeze etc, etc. Instead drain the block / manifolds, then pour antifreeze in through the big circulating pump hose until it comes out the exhaust - at that point everything is full of antifreeze. Takes me < 30min.
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Thank you for the advice. My understanding is I should fill it with antifreeze as you suggest then drain it all. Any fluid left in a nook or cranny would be freeze proof.
Lazy Daze said:
As Bill mentioned, the preferred "tried and true" method of winterizing is to FULLY drain the engine/mani's, then backfill through the t-stat housing. Super simple, and guaranteed to work - as opposed to pumping it through which is not always guaranteed.

However, this new (Merc designed and built) engine has been vastly redesigned from the ground up to be a marine engine as opposed to a truck/boat hybrid. While there are a lot of very cool things, of note is that the t-stat housing is now in about the middle of the engine, as opposed to the top. Because of that, filling through the hoses doesn't work. Because of the way they designed everything, though, using the jug method is completely OK with this engine and this is actually what Merc now recommends. But of course, fully draining is still paramount.

The 4.5L uses an iron block.
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LastCall350 said:
If it's a 4.5 and IF it pushed out freeze plugs, I guarantee it cracked in the sleeves between cylinders and will need a long block. Being this is a full Mercury engine (they designed, and casted that block) it's much different than buying a replacement GM small block. Long block must come from Mercury as they haven't been around long enough for "reman" options and will be in the neighborhood of 10k for the long block. I have personally seen it on the new Merc casted 6.2's and 4.5
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I'm always curious. Is this a cast iron block with inserted steel cylinder wall sleeves? If so, are the sleeves pressed in or do they have O-rings at the head gasket? Why would they have sleeves when cast iron is a good traditional wearing surface for piston rings? Is this a naturally balanced 60 degree V-6 or is it a truncated 90 degree V-8 that requires balance shafts? Who makes the blocks? Aren't the heads made of aluminum and done in-house by Mercruiser? Make mine a V-8!
 
Arminius said:
Thank you for the advice. My understanding is I should fill it with antifreeze as you suggest then drain it all. Any fluid left in a nook or cranny would be freeze proof.
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Drain completely, then fill with AF and leave it in there. It has anti-corrosion properties. This also is a "double check" just in case there's a pocket of water left that didn't drain (a blockage somewhere, for example). There's also usually some water left in the upper part of the engine under the intake.

Most of your other questions are something I don't have the answer for. But Merc contracts to another manufacturer to make the block to their specs. Merc makes the aluminum and composite parts.

Edit: Oh... they do make a V8... a 6.2L and an 8.2L :)

Also, there's certainly nothing wrong with an aluminum block sleeved with steel. Outboard manufacturers have been doing it for a long time and they're some of the most robust, long-lasting blocks out there.
 
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LastCall350 had referenced "sleeves" and I thought he might be an insider with info. Questions were directed at him. My 1st car was a TR3 and it had a cast iron block with sleeves that worked fine. Aluminum blocks w/o sleeves have a checkered history starting with Vega and Porsche. The last big 2-stroke O/B Merc had an aluminum block with the rings bearing directly, barely any oil, and a forever guarantee. 6.2 is a small block stroker introed by Chev in 1956 as a 265, while the 8.2 is the venerable 454 Big Block. Chev and Mercedes each needed a V-6 in 80's so they took 2 cyl off their V-8s at existing factories and added balance shafts. Worked fine for Chev but the Mercedes's overengineered balance shaft drive gears dissolved about 1995 and the class action led them to build 60 degree v-6s. I hope the Mercruiser V-6s don't have the additional complexity of balance shafts. Maybe he didn't mean "sleeves" in the technical sense.

I like the idea of draining the anti-freeze which should be red, not green, to avoid poisoning anyone's pet.
 
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Arminius said:
6.2 is a small block stroker introed by Chev in 1956 as a 265, while the 8.2 is the venerable 454 Big Block
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The current 6.2 and 8.2 are completely, 100% Mercruiser's design. Like the 4.5L, the block is still made to their specs by someone else, but it's all Merc now.
 
Sorry to keep anyone hanging - my work week has been very busy but I was in touch with Progressive. I have not yet been back to the boat since Tues night but plan on going by this morning with a mirror on a stick to try and look closer.

The first thing the adjuster said was "freezing is specifically excluded" and in fact the policy says that, and it also says "extreme temperatures" are excluded. However, they asked for as much documentation as possible showing that I made a proper attempt to protect the engine (winterization receipts, etc.) so we'll see what happens. They did say that they had a lot of these claims coming in so it'd be a few days before they could get someone to come out and look at it in person. We'll see.

As far as winterizing, the procedure I followed was to run the engine in the water until it was at normal operating temps, then on my lift (engine off) I drained it completely through the seawater drain. Then, I attached earmuffs connected to a CAMCO winterizing kit and let the engine pull the propelyne glycol through until it began expelling through the prop. Shut off, done.

I did go and look at the reviews for the antifreeze and noticed a couple of people had tested theirs by putting it in a freezer - and their antifreeze jugs froze! That's concerning in itself but I doubt I'd have any recourse...

More to come once I've had a chance to look at it a bit closer.
 
Hope I didn’t misread your post, But straight af will freeze, that’s why it has to be cut 50% water. Or nowadays you can buy precut but why pay for half water.
 
scoflaw said:
I did go and look at the reviews for the antifreeze and noticed a couple of people had tested theirs by putting it in a freezer - and their antifreeze jugs froze! That's concerning in itself but I doubt I'd have any recourse...
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It will turn to gel/slightly solid, yes. But it won't actually start to EXPAND until it reaches the temperature it's rated for - often referred to as a "burst" temp. Don't always trust what you read online... which of course is where you are getting the information that I am writing from... ;)

Good luck - I hope it's something simple.

Did you check the drain holes and "clear" them after they stopped draining? Something could have clogged them up, preventing full draining.
 
Pirate Lady said:
Hope I didn’t misread your post, But straight af will freeze, that’s why it has to be cut 50% water. Or nowadays you can buy precut but why pay for half water.
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I believe what Scoff was responding to was your bolded statement. This is incorrect - adding water to the AF will cause it freeze at a HIGHER temperature.

Now, with cars and trucks, the reason water is added to AF is because AF, by itself, is not as good as water at dissapating heat.
 
Lazy Daze said:
I believe what Scoff was responding to was your bolded statement. This is incorrect - adding water to the AF will cause it freeze at a HIGHER temperature.

Now, with cars and trucks, the reason water is added to AF is because AF, by itself, is not as good as water at dissapating heat.
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Straight anti freeze will freeze at 0 to –5 deg F.
Adding water to 50:50 ratio lowers the freezing temperature.
Google it!
 
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