Yanmar 1GM Engine Care during Winter

[Anthony Bavuso]

Greetings. I have some questions about what you'all do about your engines during the winter. My 1GM yanmar is raw water cooled. And during the winter I still use the boat on the good days. So I get out to use it at least once every two weeks or so. I am wondering what should I do in this situation to ensure the cooling water in the cylinder doesn't freeze?Lately I have been removing the water intake hose and removing the water output hose where it connects to the mixing elbow, and placing both in a bucket till the water in the bucket warms up to ensure the antifreeze gets into the cylinder. But this is a pain to do each time after I use the boat.I spoke to a mechanic and he suggested in my situation to not put any antifreeze into the engine and just use something to heat it. A well heater, an oil pan heater or some kind of light to keep the temp above freezing.What do you'all think?

 

[Dan]

heater

We don't have hard freezes down here on Galveston Bay but I have been keeping 2 60 watt lamps on all the time to keep the temperature above freezing inside the boat. I would guess tht one or two of those Golden rod dehumidifiers would probably keep you above freezing in mild freezing weather. You might need some other form of heat if the temps get too low. You might also be able to mount a small light or golden rod inside the engine compartment also. That would give it a much smaller area to heat.Good luck,Dan LaFon

 

[Steve Dion]

Couple of Golden Rods!

Anthony:I have seen some engine compartment heaters available. They seem expensive but are designed for this purpose. My only concern would be if you have a power outage that would last for several days. If this is not a concern you may also look at Golden Rods. They are used to control mold/mildew in the winter months and put out some decent heat in an enclosed space. They run about $25-35 a piece depending on the size. You can just plug them into an AC outlet. They get very warm to the touch be never HOT. They are going to be much safer than a light bulb which will do the same thing. You can get them at most any marine store.