[HK]

jamesgangnc wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
...
jamesgangnc wrote:
wrote in message
...
I just realized they don't use a radiator and only circulate the
water. If the block is drained, why add antifreeze?
Most people simply drain the block and do not add antifreeze. All the
blocks have a drain plug at the lowest point in them. There is also
typically drain plugs on the exhaust manifolds or you disconnect the
hoses going into the bottoms of the exhaust manifolds. Often you
disconnect the hose coming in from the outside as well. On a Mercrusier
this often will be going to a water exchange power steering fluid cooler.
The out drive should be lowered for storage and it will drain it's self
in this position.

Unless you have one of the more sophisticated closed cooling systems
there is not any antifreeze anywhere. "Raw water" cools everything and
then is pumped back out with the exhaust. There are closed systems that
have a water exchange radiator instead of an air exchange one. It will
look like a big tank somewhere on the front of the engine. They still
need the raw water sections drained but it's not likely your friend has
one of these.

The oil is usually pumped out the dipstick tube. There are electric
pumps and cheaper hand pumps. It is way easier to get the oil if you run
the engine and get the oil hot first. Don't run it on land without the
rubber garden hose muffs hooked to the outdrive and the water turned on.
Or if it has a raw water pickup on the bottom there is other solutions
for hooking a garden hose to it. The raw water supply pump is rubber
vaned and the rubber will melt in short order if it is run dry.

Are outdrives stored for the winter with the drive up or down? Most
outboard boats that are properly covered and stored up here where we have
freezing temps have the outboard tilted up (for ground clearance), and the
through-hub exhaust taped and covered so water cannot get into the
apparatus there, freeze, expand, and do damage.

Outdrives should be stored tilited down, ie the position where the prop
shaft is parallel to the boat hull. You want the rubber bellows in a
neutral position when it sits so it doesn't "take" a curved shape from
sitting. Just about all boats have clearance for the drive, i/o or
outboard, to be down because of the trailer height from the ground. If your
outboard sticks further down than that you probably have it mounted too low
anyway.



Naw. For winter storage, most of us prop the front of the trailer way up
high...not high enough to lift the front wheels of the trailer up off
the group, but high enough to assure good drainage if any water gets
into the boat because of a shrink wrap failure, or because of condensation.

That tends to lower the stern.

I can trailer my boat with the outboard down, but I don't.

[John H.[_4_]]

On Wed, 28 May 2008 09:57:16 -0400, "jamesgangnc" wrote:

"HK" wrote in message
...
jamesgangnc wrote:
wrote in message
...
I just realized they don't use a radiator and only circulate the
water. If the block is drained, why add antifreeze?

Most people simply drain the block and do not add antifreeze. All the
blocks have a drain plug at the lowest point in them. There is also
typically drain plugs on the exhaust manifolds or you disconnect the
hoses going into the bottoms of the exhaust manifolds. Often you
disconnect the hose coming in from the outside as well. On a Mercrusier
this often will be going to a water exchange power steering fluid cooler.
The out drive should be lowered for storage and it will drain it's self
in this position.

Unless you have one of the more sophisticated closed cooling systems
there is not any antifreeze anywhere. "Raw water" cools everything and
then is pumped back out with the exhaust. There are closed systems that
have a water exchange radiator instead of an air exchange one. It will
look like a big tank somewhere on the front of the engine. They still
need the raw water sections drained but it's not likely your friend has
one of these.

The oil is usually pumped out the dipstick tube. There are electric
pumps and cheaper hand pumps. It is way easier to get the oil if you run
the engine and get the oil hot first. Don't run it on land without the
rubber garden hose muffs hooked to the outdrive and the water turned on.
Or if it has a raw water pickup on the bottom there is other solutions
for hooking a garden hose to it. The raw water supply pump is rubber
vaned and the rubber will melt in short order if it is run dry.


Are outdrives stored for the winter with the drive up or down? Most
outboard boats that are properly covered and stored up here where we have
freezing temps have the outboard tilted up (for ground clearance), and the
through-hub exhaust taped and covered so water cannot get into the
apparatus there, freeze, expand, and do damage.

Outdrives should be stored tilited down, ie the position where the prop
shaft is parallel to the boat hull. You want the rubber bellows in a
neutral position when it sits so it doesn't "take" a curved shape from
sitting. Just about all boats have clearance for the drive, i/o or
outboard, to be down because of the trailer height from the ground. If your
outboard sticks further down than that you probably have it mounted too low
anyway.


What you say, especially for I/Os sounds reasonable, so I called one of the
bigger marinas in the area to see how they did it. Their response was that
they were stored with the outdrive up, and/or the outboard up.
--
John *H*

[JimH[_2_]]

On May 28, 9:57 am, "jamesgangnc" wrote:
"HK" wrote in message

...

jamesgangnc wrote:
wrote in message
...
I just realized they don't use a radiator and only circulate the
water. If the block is drained, why add antifreeze?

Most people simply drain the block and do not add antifreeze. All the
blocks have a drain plug at the lowest point in them. There is also
typically drain plugs on the exhaust manifolds or you disconnect the
hoses going into the bottoms of the exhaust manifolds. Often you
disconnect the hose coming in from the outside as well. On a Mercrusier
this often will be going to a water exchange power steering fluid cooler.
The out drive should be lowered for storage and it will drain it's self
in this position.

Unless you have one of the more sophisticated closed cooling systems
there is not any antifreeze anywhere. "Raw water" cools everything and
then is pumped back out with the exhaust. There are closed systems that
have a water exchange radiator instead of an air exchange one. It will
look like a big tank somewhere on the front of the engine. They still
need the raw water sections drained but it's not likely your friend has
one of these.

The oil is usually pumped out the dipstick tube. There are electric
pumps and cheaper hand pumps. It is way easier to get the oil if you run
the engine and get the oil hot first. Don't run it on land without the
rubber garden hose muffs hooked to the outdrive and the water turned on.
Or if it has a raw water pickup on the bottom there is other solutions
for hooking a garden hose to it. The raw water supply pump is rubber
vaned and the rubber will melt in short order if it is run dry.

Are outdrives stored for the winter with the drive up or down? Most
outboard boats that are properly covered and stored up here where we have
freezing temps have the outboard tilted up (for ground clearance), and the
through-hub exhaust taped and covered so water cannot get into the
apparatus there, freeze, expand, and do damage.

Outdrives should be stored tilited down, ie the position where the prop
shaft is parallel to the boat hull. You want the rubber bellows in a
neutral position when it sits so it doesn't "take" a curved shape from
sitting. Just about all boats have clearance for the drive, i/o or
outboard, to be down because of the trailer height from the ground. If your
outboard sticks further down than that you probably have it mounted too low
anyway.

Bingo! You care indeed correct. I keep my I/O down during the winter
and down even when idle at the dock.