Winterizing a I/O

[stmichael]

Anybody know the correct way to winterize/maintain a Mercruiser 4.3 liter? Or where to get a manual for it? A coworker has one, we do not know how to change the oil/fluids in it. He was told that there is a frost plug somewhere on it, but, could not find. The boat/motor is a 1997. There does not seem to be a lot of room to get to the oil pan, is there a cubby hole or something? Would a person have to syphon the oil of the dipstick? He bought it from a relative that has done nothing to it, just parked it in the garage. Have they just gotten lucky over the last few years or does it not require winterizing?

[Surface Tension]

Heated garage I hope?

If it hasn't been winterized he'll be lucky if the block or riser isn't cracked. You can get a Mercruiser manual from any Mercruiser dealer. It'll go into detail how to winterize and location of drain plugs and petcocks. You can get the siphon that goes into the dipstick to drain the oil pan but it takes a long time and you not getting any debris out. Get a drain pan that looks like a jug molded into a drain pan. There will be plugs in the pan so that once you have the oil pan drained you put the plug into the pan and then can tilt the pan out without making a mess. Once you get the oil drained you can go one step better and get the hose that screws into the drain hole and stays there. On the other end of the hose is a petcock. Now the next time you need to drain the oil you just put the hose through the hulls drain, open the petcock and the oil will drain into you container.

[stmichael]

Thank you for the information. The garage was not heated, He had the motor running with the muffs and all appeared to be okay. What would a guy look for while it is running, IF there was a problem?

[cold one sd]

I use a rotary pump on an electric drill to pump the oil out of the engine. You will notice that the top of the dipstick tube is threaded. This is so you can use a piecce of garden hose to pump it out. I bought some clear plastic hose and put the female end for a garden hose on it. My boat doesn't have enough room under the engine for a drain pan. When winterizing, there are plugs in the block that have to be removed and hoses that have to be taken loose and held down for the water to drain. If you have power steering, there is a power steering cooler that has to be drained. I would suggest either having it done at a dealer or getting a manual. After reading about how this 4.3 was maintained in previous years, I would have someone around that knows what to look for when using this boat the first time. The dealership forgot to winterize mine the first winter and it cracked both exhaust manifolds and the block. I ended up breaking in a new engine. There is also a water separating fuel filter that should be replaced in the fall.

[Surface Tension]

Look for water in the oil, water dripping from the engine block and manifolds, and water in the cylinders.

Theres going to be maintenance that needs to be done, that probably hasn't been done. Get the manual or have him bring it in.

[stmichael]

Thanks Guys!

[jigeye]

I would suggest replacing the pickup water pump that is mounted on the crankshaft if it hasn't been replaced before and keep an eye on the water temp gauge this summer. Good luck.

[cold one sd]

When mine froze it had water spraying out of both exhaust manifolds when it was running. The crack in the block wasn't discovred until it was in the shop. If you aren't sure of the condition of the engine get it checked out.