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  1. #1
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    winterized mercruiser today, one question

    So I winterized my 7.4L mercruiser today, in my 95' scarab 22. I have one question. I was following the directions in the mercruiser manual (the one that came with the engine). After running it for a while and then fogging it, i went to drain all of the water out of the engine. I started with the exhaust, then went to the starboard side of the engine. On the picture in the manual, there is suppose to be a "Y" where the temp sensor goes into the block, and one side of the "Y" is a drain plug, well mine didn't have that "Y" so I just pulled the temp sensor to let it drain. However, when I pulled the sensor, nothing came out. I used a small screwdriver to see if the hole was blocked, but there didn't seem to be anything obstructing the hole (also, the sending unit was working fine). When I went to the port side and took out the plug, alot of water came out. Is that normal for nothing to come out of one side? I went ahead and after I got everything closed back up, puled the thermostat and put a gallon of antifreeze (mixed 50/50) in it. It just seems odd that nothing came out of ths starboard side when I pulled out the sending unit.

  2. #2
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    ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS

    Make sure you get antifreeze out of EVERY drain hole BEFORE you put the plugs back in. You should have had water drain out of it. are you sure you did'nt pull the knock sensor by mistake? I would definately go back and double check. That is a possible very expensive mistake.
    My procedure is to drain the block and manifolds, pull the hose from the water pump(circulating pump) to the thermostat housing, to drain the water out of the pump and hose, connect it back up to the water pump and pour the anti freeze into the hose untill you see anti freez coming out of BOTH the drain cocks on the block, put the plugs back in and pour another half gallon or so in. Next take the hoses off the t-stat housing leading to the manifolds and pour a small amount in untill it comes out the drains, put the plugs back in and pour a little more in each manifold hose. Next , if you have a sea pump, which you do, pull the hose that feeds from the transom off, let it drain, pull the hose off the t-stat housing from the sea pump, and pour some anti freeze in untill it runs out of the sea pump, this way you get the oil and p/s coolers. Put the hoses back on. I have done literally thousands of boats in the 17 years I've been doing this and never had a broken motor. Also, use the blue -100 f propylene glycol anti freeze, it's much nicer on the enviornment, and I have seen a dnr officer write a HUGE ticket to a guy who fired up his boat in the spring at the ramp and all that pretty green stuff was shooting out the exhaust tips.

  3. #3
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    Could it have been the knock sensor? I didn't know it even had a knock sensor, it's the carbed motor. Not there's not some carbed motors with knock sensors, I just didn't know. It was just infront of the starter, looked like the same spot as the drain plug on the other side. It also looked like the spot shown in my manual. If that was indeed the temp sensor, and nothing came out, what does that mean?
    Last edited by ga1990; 10-17-2004 at 10:40 AM.

  4. #4
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    Lightbulb

    carb motors have no knock sensor. As I recall the temp sensor goes in from the top or the side of the tee, and you can't really get a straight shot where it screws into the block to clean it out if there is some sand or whatever plugging the hole. I would pull the whole tee out just to be safe. It's a pain in the ass to get to, I know, but so is a broken block.

  5. #5
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    Thanks for the replies...there was no tee on my motor, the sensor went right into the block. After I pulled the sensor, i cleaned out the hole in the block, and still nothing came out.

  6. #6
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    My I/O has drains on both sides....

    But according to the manual, there ARE some blocks that only drain from one side. Just make sure you dump a couple gallons of RV anti-freeze into all of the upper hoses and into the top housing to make sure you've protected the block. IF you're unsure still, then you COULD take it to a dealer and let them assume the responsiblity for your block next spring when you fire it up.................
    Nothing fast right now
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  7. #7
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    will this work ok? a five gallon can with antifreeze on the swim platform connected to a hose with muffs. i have old little kiddie pool to catch the spent anti freeze. I went through all that hassle last year with twins and dont want to be bothered again.
    Helmut
    slow boats

  8. #8
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    Thumbs down

    not a good way,if it hard to get a good seal for the flush kit
    on the drive unit for it to suck up the antifreeze

    then when you do get antifreeze into the engine it wil go strait from the thermosthat housing into the exhaust leaving all the sea water still in your engine.(until it reaches operating temp.)

    Just drain the succer its not that hard,I allways pour in a couple litres of anti freeze after I'm done just to be shure, and to lubricate the circulating pomp.

    remember to put some fuel conditioner in your gas tank and let the engine run to get some of the conditioner into the carb. as well.
    then let it have some good amount of storeage seal

  9. #9
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    But according to the manual, there ARE some blocks that only drain from one side

    I have never ever seen a v-8 or v-6 that drains only from one side. I ALWAYS make sure that there is anti freeze coming out of both drains on the block before the plugs go back in. when I pull the plugs on the block and then the manifolds next, usually the manifolds drizzle very slowly because of the vacuum that is created by the water draining from the block, but if that was my motor I'd be back in there making sure that there was anti freeze coming out of both the drains in the block. Just my 2 cents trying to save someone about$5,000.00 worth of cents. And Helmut if you have already drained the motor there is nothing wrong with the way you have described. We used to have a big tank full of -100f and we'd drain the blocks/manifolds, and hook them up to a pump and run them for about 5 minutes or so. But if you don't drain the block, what Haqua decribed happens.

  10. #10
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    Hey Cappy..

    The single sided drain Mercruiser blocks are listed in my neighbors Crownline motor manual. He's got the V6, the manual shows a V8 that is one sided on the block. Circa 1999. Would make me worry too, as I get a LOT of water out of BOTH sides of the old ladies new 4.3.
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  11. #11
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    jdubya

    I did a maxum last week that they replaced the port drain plug with a tee and some sort of sender, (how a temp sender is going to work way down there, out of water circulation is beyond me) but the sender was screwed down so far in to the tee water just barely trickled out, so I spent the extra half and hour and a lot of bitching pulling the sender out and making sure the block was drained all the way, which it was'nt. I have never seen this one sided drain deal, the brand new ones have a nice fancy drain system which is real nice tho. For the past 17 years I averaged winterizing about 200-500 boats a year, and have yet to have a motor freeze and break, so I'm not changing the way I do anything. BUT I have fixed plenty of others winterizing boo boo's. And the blue plastic thumb screw drain plugs were the best invention ever.

  12. #12
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    YES!

    I have 5 of the blue drain thingies, AND I've got the 'easy-oil change kit' installed. Makes winterizing so much easier. I let my engine oil and lower unit oil drain at the same time into the same bucket for hours while I do the rest of the stuff.
    Keep those blue drain thingies on hand though, my neighbor twisted his right off when he re-installed one. I'm gonna have to buy a few extra to keep around.
    I did see the motor you describe in his manual with the drain tied into the same place the sender is in. His is like that. The water drained OK from his block on that side. I'll have to look at his manual again to see exactly what V motor had the single side drain.........
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  13. #13
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    Ah yes, where they tee and run a hose to the other side, yeah, I've seen that, one flaw is that like on Lake St Clair, people tend to suck half the bottom of the lake up into their manifolds and blocks, and you have to be damn sure both sides are clear. So I have to take back what I said about never seeing it. I keep a box full of the blue thingies and refit most boats I do with them, they make life sooo much easier. Nothing like getting a boat with a motor in a hole and having rounded off crappy old brass plugs. Still find the temp sensor in front of the starter deal odd though, the temp and waring horn sensors are in the t-stat housing. But you never know, someone always has a better idea..............

  14. #14
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    basically then if I warm the motors up first it should work fine?
    Helmut
    slow boats

  15. #15
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    Originally posted by stvhelm
    basically then if I warm the motors up first it should work fine?
    I would really drain the blocks first. It's pain in the arse, but so are the consequenses. When we were doing the big tank deal, we screwed around a bit with a boat that we did'nt drain and after running the motor for 10 minutes with pure -100f the block was still very marginal for freeze protection, we drained out a sample and I think it tested at 27 or 28 degrees. Water circulates right through the manifolds quickley, but not the block, especially at idle.

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