Its my first time attempting to winterize my yanmar 3gmf, how do i go about doing this? Im not sure where i run in the anti freeze.
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Winterizing
Most engines have a petcock drain on the heat exchanger to drain fresh water but be careful not to open the coolant side. Depending on your system but just shut the raw water thru hull and disconnect the hose coming out the thru hull going to the motor and use a funnel in hose and pour antifreez in while you run the engine until you see it coming out the exhaust. Nick
Most engines have a petcock drain on the heat exchanger to drain fresh water but be careful not to open the coolant side. Depending on your system but just shut the raw water thru hull and disconnect the hose coming out the thru hull going to the motor and use a funnel in hose and pour antifreez in while you run the engine until you see it coming out the exhaust. Nick
That was yesterday's job
Remove the hose that is attached to the water intake thru hull and stick the end in a jug of pink anti freeze and start the motor. I use a 9.5 litre jug- 2.5 US gal. and it takes about 3/4 of it to run a good pink colour out of the exhaust. I then leave the hose end unattached and clipped up so the anti freeze stays in. Thats it for the anti freeze in the exchanger. Check the anti freeze in the block, loosen the belt that drives the alternator and water pump, and some remove the water impeller for the winter ( then comes the controversy as to what to store the impeller in!) Any one anything else to add?
Remove the hose that is attached to the water intake thru hull and stick the end in a jug of pink anti freeze and start the motor. I use a 9.5 litre jug- 2.5 US gal. and it takes about 3/4 of it to run a good pink colour out of the exhaust. I then leave the hose end unattached and clipped up so the anti freeze stays in. Thats it for the anti freeze in the exchanger. Check the anti freeze in the block, loosen the belt that drives the alternator and water pump, and some remove the water impeller for the winter ( then comes the controversy as to what to store the impeller in!) Any one anything else to add?
Antifreeze Installation
Since you will need to do this chore every winter, I'd suggest making a 1-1/2 gallon container with a 1/2" or 3/4" nylon barbed fitting that fits your intake hose when removed from the intake seacock. I used a nylon thruhull with the barbed hose end pointing out from the side of a large household detergent jug and sealed it in with silicone. When I remove the intake hose from the seacock and connect it to the jug, I can pour in a gallon or more of antifreeze and start the engine. This winterizes the intake strainer, the seawater pump, heat exchanger, and waterlift muffler. I also use -80 or -100 degree antifreeze --not the 'pink stuf' which turns to slush at some normal winter temperatures. Remember you are adding the antifreeze to a system that already has a gallon or more of water, so use a little more than you think you need and use the best protection possible particularly on an engine. Don't forget to glug-glug some antifreeze into any hose or drain that has a (closed)seacock below the water line. This will protect the seacock if any water were in the hose above it when the boat is hauled. Drain it out when you next visit the boat after haul out.
Since you will need to do this chore every winter, I'd suggest making a 1-1/2 gallon container with a 1/2" or 3/4" nylon barbed fitting that fits your intake hose when removed from the intake seacock. I used a nylon thruhull with the barbed hose end pointing out from the side of a large household detergent jug and sealed it in with silicone. When I remove the intake hose from the seacock and connect it to the jug, I can pour in a gallon or more of antifreeze and start the engine. This winterizes the intake strainer, the seawater pump, heat exchanger, and waterlift muffler. I also use -80 or -100 degree antifreeze --not the 'pink stuf' which turns to slush at some normal winter temperatures. Remember you are adding the antifreeze to a system that already has a gallon or more of water, so use a little more than you think you need and use the best protection possible particularly on an engine. Don't forget to glug-glug some antifreeze into any hose or drain that has a (closed)seacock below the water line. This will protect the seacock if any water were in the hose above it when the boat is hauled. Drain it out when you next visit the boat after haul out.
I agree with just about all
of what Stewart suggests below to winterize your engine, only that you may not even need to use a barbed fitting. I've found that ordinary 5/8-in inside diameter garden hose fits perfectly on the water strainer fitting (held by a hose clamp). The other end goes into the bucket with one gal of -100 antifreeze. Start engine, suck up the gallon on antifreeze, shut off engine. You are done (with the engine that is). You may not even need to pour -50/60 antifreeze into your seacocks if your boat is hauled and you can get there to open and drain them shortly thereafter. Leave them open over the winter, but grease and exercise them periodically over the winter. I've found that you can grease the seacocks without taking off the hose to which they are attached by doing this: take a small dowel and smear on some Lanacote or other appropriate grease and stick it up the closed seacock thru the underside of the boat. That will grease half of the ball in the closed seacock. Now go into the boat and rotate the seacock handle to about 45 degrees. This will open the ball just enough for you to once again stick the greased dowell into it from the outside. Feel your way with the dowell until you can scrape some grease onto the other side of the ball (the dowell passes all the way thru the ball and is now above it. As you slowly pull the dowell back down, it will scrape grease onto the other side of the ball in the seacock. Work the handles a few time to spread the grease. Don't forget to winterize whatever fresh water systems you have on the boat, including a water heater if you have one.
of what Stewart suggests below to winterize your engine, only that you may not even need to use a barbed fitting. I've found that ordinary 5/8-in inside diameter garden hose fits perfectly on the water strainer fitting (held by a hose clamp). The other end goes into the bucket with one gal of -100 antifreeze. Start engine, suck up the gallon on antifreeze, shut off engine. You are done (with the engine that is). You may not even need to pour -50/60 antifreeze into your seacocks if your boat is hauled and you can get there to open and drain them shortly thereafter. Leave them open over the winter, but grease and exercise them periodically over the winter. I've found that you can grease the seacocks without taking off the hose to which they are attached by doing this: take a small dowel and smear on some Lanacote or other appropriate grease and stick it up the closed seacock thru the underside of the boat. That will grease half of the ball in the closed seacock. Now go into the boat and rotate the seacock handle to about 45 degrees. This will open the ball just enough for you to once again stick the greased dowell into it from the outside. Feel your way with the dowell until you can scrape some grease onto the other side of the ball (the dowell passes all the way thru the ball and is now above it. As you slowly pull the dowell back down, it will scrape grease onto the other side of the ball in the seacock. Work the handles a few time to spread the grease. Don't forget to winterize whatever fresh water systems you have on the boat, including a water heater if you have one.
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