help winterizing
#1
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help winterizing
I have a 2000 fountain w/ 502's and bravo drives w/ low water pickups. there is a garden hose attachment in the engine compartment for flushing the motor. I wanted 2 winterize traditionaly by pouring 2 ounces of 2 stoke oil into filter and running empty, then pulling plugs on block and drain, then pop off thermostat and and fill with anti freeze. problem 1 i can't find the block drains, and they should be obvious, npt fittings at a 45* angle with blue wing bolts? problem 2 i cant get to the fuel cooler 2 take out the drains in that any ideas? Then i tried using a low water pick up muff and cant get it to work not enough suck to get it to work? please help its getting cold here!
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Thats weird that you cant see the block and manifold plugs. They should be there. Maybe black plugs, or knock sensor? Try using shrink wrap tape or duct tape to cover the secondary pick ups on the drives. I wouldnt worry about the drains in the cooler. Just make sure that you drain both sides of the block and manifold good. Poke holes with zip tie or nail to clear any debris that might be plugging the drain. Run with a couple of gallons of -100 to be safe. Just my .02.
#4
Ginger or Mary Ann?
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1 of the block drains on each motor is right in front of the starter and has a hose connected to it for your WP gauge. Good luck removing it. The drain on the other side of the motor is approx same location. Don't remember if mine are plugs or brass drain valves as I don't remove them, but they are not the blue twist off drain caps. You can always undo the bottom hose going to the PS cooler and hold it down to drain the fuel cooler. I can get to mine, but only after wiggling down on the bottom in front of the motors to reach them. Not something a big person can do.
Why don't you want to use the flush attachment instead of trying to use muffs? Muffs suck!
Why don't you want to use the flush attachment instead of trying to use muffs? Muffs suck!
Last edited by US1 Fountain; 11-04-2007 at 09:22 PM. Reason: wrong name
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thank you thank you thank you. yea i tryed using the flush sys. but the suck from low water was keeping it from sucking out the antifreeze. so today i used a plasic bag and muffs to make it suck up at flush. But doing it this way everyone says is not as protective as draining all of it and pouring into thermostat housing. So i did it through the flush hope to god it works, i pulled the t-stat to see residual afreeze in the motor to double check the t-stat opened and am going 2 pour pure afreeze till full in later i used 6 gal of 50/50 mix per motor to try to get as pure as possible. US1 how do u do yours? I am slightly fat 220 6'3 took my swim pad off trying to see every thing thought i was crazy when i could not find plugs. It looks like starboard side has knock sensor and port has huge bracket for fcooler in the way. would like to discuss more with every one if you any one wants to chime in.
#7
Ginger or Mary Ann?
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I installed flush hose adapters (like the water tank fill) for each motor that connects to a tee right in front of the seawater pump. No valves, no nothing. Just cut the main hose and slipped the tee in. I have a 5 gal bucket with a short hose attached to it and screw the other end to the flush attachents. Start the motor, and it instantly sucks the antifreeze from the bucket and into the motor. I set the bucket on top the motors so easier to pull from. (You aren't just sitting the bucket on the ground? Gotta be higher than the seawater pump.) No need to block off the drive pick ups. The sea water pump will pull the antifreeze that direction once the motors are started. I would think your flush would work in the same way.
Just did mine yesterday at the ramp after running it long enough to get up to temp to open the stat and heat the oil up for draining. Maybe 5 minutes time to do each motor. This year I did pull the bottom of the large C shaped hose at the water pump and removed the blue screws on the bottom of the ex manifolds to help drain most of the water in the system so my antifreeze would be diluted as much beforehand and thus not using as much.
BTW, I'm only 150#, so no problem reaching under the motors.
Just did mine yesterday at the ramp after running it long enough to get up to temp to open the stat and heat the oil up for draining. Maybe 5 minutes time to do each motor. This year I did pull the bottom of the large C shaped hose at the water pump and removed the blue screws on the bottom of the ex manifolds to help drain most of the water in the system so my antifreeze would be diluted as much beforehand and thus not using as much.
BTW, I'm only 150#, so no problem reaching under the motors.
Last edited by US1 Fountain; 12-02-2011 at 11:13 AM.
#8
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oso and wanting money 2 view pic's, (cough) B.S. i have 2 upgrade my membership!!! I have the same flush as my water tank that is t'd into the line that comes off my through transom before the cooler. so the water pump when on would not draw the a.f. even when container was above motor it would just suck through low water. but my main concern with this method is that the t- stats dont shut or are all the way open and it get a good flush of A.f. Do you know how that fountain dealers winterize? Thank you very much for all the help u have been giving me us1 and others .
#9
Ginger or Mary Ann?
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Not following.
Is your flush hose connected between the transom and the seawater pump, or between the seawater pump and the oil cooler?
I've never really looked close enough at the factory flush system to know how it is plumbed.
Is your flush hose connected between the transom and the seawater pump, or between the seawater pump and the oil cooler?
I've never really looked close enough at the factory flush system to know how it is plumbed.
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On the factory fountain freshwater flush systems, there are 2 valves for each engine flush system. One valve blocks the hose from the drive to the seawater pump and the other one is a 1/4 turn valve that blocks the hose from the flush fitting (where you attach the garden hose) to the seawater pump hose. If you have the factory installed system and are sucking air from the drive, you don't have that valve closed! You do need to remember to re-open it before you use the boat, otherwise you will melt your seawater pump impeller because it won't suck any water up from the drive.