Winter Storage Question

J

j.hunter9999

.
Oct 30, 2019
574
Due to an unanticipated busy schedule, we hauled out early. As part of the haul out, I changed the oil, drained the bilge, removed the keel plug, and ran marine anti-freeze from a bucket into the raw water intake for about 5 minutes.

My primary concern is that the antifreeze made it into all the necessary parts of the MD6A diesel. Is there a thermostat on the MD6A that I need to make sure is open before I run the antifreeze? Does that mean I should run the engine for 5 or 10 minutes with a water hose hooked up before I run the antifreeze through? Is there a plug on the MD6A that I need to use to drain the water from the block?

Thanks,
Jack
 
P

perry_basden

.
Oct 31, 2019
15
Hello, Jack

I usually warm the engine while the boat is in the water waiting to be
hauled. This ensures that the thermostat is open. I then run the
anti-freeze as you have indicated. I've never had a problem with this
procedure. If you want to be sure that it will not freeze there is an
engine drain fitting on the port side of the engine, just behind the motor
mount and slightly above it. I've attached a photo of the drain plug....
hope it comes through. If not, I'll forward the photo to you directly.

Best regards

Perry Basden
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
 
I

itheilmann

.
Oct 31, 2019
14
Hi Jack. Like Perry I do the antifreeze bit just before being hauled out. I close the raw water intake valve and disconnect the hose to the engine from the valve and place it in a container of 50/50 antifreeze/water solution just in front of the flywheel and run the engine until the antifreeze appears out the exhaust at the stern. It seems to take about a litre or so.

Iver Theilmann
Petawawa, Ontario (Tara2490)
 
T

trevy_kins

.
Oct 31, 2019
230
Just curious -- how do you guys who winterize in the water catch the
antifreeze before it goes in the lake? Trev (v2915)



PS - here in Southern Ontario we're heading into a very warm autumn and
are planning on sailing and swimming (in the fresh water - yes, sorry
about that for you Vegan's out in B.C) until November at least :)

________________________________

From: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Pam and Iver Theilmann
Sent: September 14, 2009 9:39 AM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] Winter Storage Question





Hi Jack. Like Perry I do the antifreeze bit just before being hauled
out. I close the raw water intake valve and disconnect the hose to the
engine from the valve and place it in a container of 50/50
antifreeze/water solution just in front of the flywheel and run the
engine until the antifreeze appears out the exhaust at the stern. It
seems to take about a litre or so.

Iver Theilmann
Petawawa, Ontario (Tara2490)
 
I

itheilmann

.
Oct 31, 2019
14
I've tried catching the antifreeze in a small container on the end of a stick. at the exhaust outlet. Not too successful. Would prefer zero amount to go into the water but I would rather be sure that the engine is full of the antifreeze mix for when it hits -25C or so. You just need to see the colour change at the exhaust and then shut the engine down. I would prefer to do it on land but have concerns about the cutlass bearing with the prop shaft turning.

Iver (v2490)
 
P

perry_basden

.
Oct 31, 2019
15
Hello, Trevor .... et al

I hang a bucket off the stern rail so that one lip of the bucket is just
below the exhaust. The bucket is usually at a slight angle so that the
furthest edge is above the exhaust outlet. This catches any anti-freeze
that sprays out of the exhaust. The lower edge of the bucket is below the
exhaust and catches any drips. As long as you don't rev the engine too
high, the water just comes out in spurts and is caught in the bucket.

In the spring when starting the engine for the first time, flushing the
system is done on the hard with a bucket of fresh water placed inside the
vessel with the raw water intake hose submerged in the bucket of fresh
water. Another bucket tied to the stern rail as above to catch any
anti-freeze before it hits the ground. When the engine is started the raw
water pump pumps the fresh water through the engine and flushes out the
anti-freeze through the exhaust.

Please, don't try and pump anti-freeze through the engine without the engine
running. The exhaust flow is necessary to force the water or anti-freeze
out of the wet exhaust system. If you use an auxiliary pump without the
engine running the water or anti-freeze may back-flow into the engine,
through the valves and into the cylinder bores.... not a nice thing to have
happen.... but I saw it done once.Regards

Perry Basden
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
 
J

j.hunter9999

.
Oct 30, 2019
574
Well, I found the drain plug, just aft of the forward, port side, engine mount. When I removed it, very, very little water came out. Any idea why so little water would come out? I haven't noticed any overheating on the engine. Granted, we don't run it very often. But we motored the day before for about an hour.

Is it possible that the thermostat is stuck closed? Where is it on the MD6A and how hard is it to remove and check?

Thanks,
Jack
Bella - V2620
 
P

perry_basden

.
Oct 31, 2019
15
Jack.

The drain port is probably plugged with gunk from inside the engine. It
probably hasn't been opened in years and because it is the low point of the
drain area it collects all the sediment, etc. If you can, push a wire or
small metal rod into the hole once the drain plug t-handle is removed. The
hole in which the drain plug is threaded is a straight line which rises at a
slight angle for about 6 inches or so, so there is no danger of jamming
something in the hole. It runs at an angle upward right into the head with
a couple of side passages for draining the block.

MarinePartsEurope.com has all the exploded views of the MD6A as well as
other Volvo Penta engines along with part numbers and prices in Euros.
Remember these are Volvo Penta prices. For what they charge they should be
giving you the engine for free. Try
MarinePartsEurope.com
for the view of the cooling system with the thermostat shown.

If you will also note on the bottom of the page there is a square block with
the magnifying glass and a plus sign. Click on this to get an enlarged
view. It's probably copyright violations, but you can put your cursor over
the diagram, right click and copy the image. You can then paste it into a
word document and print it out full page for your repair manual.

Regards

Perry
 
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