Engine overwinter

[Scareyclott]

Ok I need to over winter my engine and am unsure on the procedure.

I can understand that I need to drain any water out that is in there but how do I fill it with antifreeze? Do I need to start it to do this and if so can this be done with the boat out of the water??

The engine is a Yanmar 1GM10 the boat is currently out of the water having a peel and will hopefully not re enter the water this season

I would be greatfull for any advice

Scott

 

[rafiki_]

If you are confident that all the water has drained from the cooling side, then you do not need to fill with antifreeze solution. I am not familiar with your engine configuration, so is it raw water cooled? My (mobo) has twin engines, with sealed cooling (like a car), and the raw water cools via a heat exchanger. I have not filled the raw water side with antifreeze, but I will be using tube heaters on thermostats to keep the engine room above freezing. with a previous raw water cooled mobo, I filled the coolant with antifreeze mix, but ran the engine to ensure it circulated properly. You can do this easily enough with a sterndrive. With your set-up, you should be able to pur antifreeze mix in through the impellor housing, assuming you will remove the impellor. Clearly if you do this, no point in running the engine.

 

[Gordonmc]

If the engine is fresh-water cooled (via a heat exchanger cooled by sea water) then the closed cooling system anti-freeze should be checked for strength. This a good opportunity to reverse flush the water galleries to get rid of any crud and replace with fresh coolant.
Rafiki_ and I differ on the need to use anti-freeze in the raw water side. Anti-freeze is anti corrosive and will displace raw water sitting in pools in parts of the system, as well as protecting against freezing.
Get the right mix of anti-freeze and fresh water in a bucket and drop in the end of the intake hose, disconnected from your strainer or sea-cock.
Run the engine until the water has almost all been sucked through.
You might also consider removing the impeller from the raw water pump if you are laying up for a long time.

 

[Ricd]

Its a raw water cooled engine and ideally you would want to fill it with 50/50 antifreeze. As its out of the water:-
1. disconnect the raw water intake pipe from the sea cock and put it into a bucket of fresh water with a hose handy to keep it topped up.
2. run engine to temperature keeping the water bucket feeding the cooling topped up from the hose.
3. When at temperature and with engine still running, let bucket run to to about a third full and then add neat antifreeze to bucket to achieve roughly 50/50. When bucket is almost empty switch off engine and system will be full of roughly 50/50 antifreeze.
While engine is still warm would be good time to change oil and oil filter.

 

[Scareyclott]

Thank guys, that doesn't sound too bad a job. I'll give it a go at the weekend


Scott

 

[maby]

If it's out of the water, I think the suggestions here are over complicated. Get a couple of feet of hosepipe, stuff the end into the water inlet skin fitting (wrap with kitchen paper if necessary to get a good seal), put the other end in your mouth and give it a really good blow! You may need to take the impellor cover off if your impellor is reasonably new... I would expect that to get enough of the salt water out that you should be safe.

I have to say that I've never tried it myself - our boats stay in all year round and are sailed frequently. The heating will be on pretty much full time - I'll freeze before the engine does!

P.S. If you do want to fill it with antifreeze, make the hosepipe longer, stick a funnel in the end, hold it up at cockpit level and pour antifreeze mix in till it comes out at the other end... If necessary, spin the engine on the starter with the stop control pulled to pump it through

 

[alteredoutlook]

Another 'hot tip' for the direct cooled engine is to dismantle and remove the thermostat from the cylinder head so that when the engine turns over the water/antifreeze mix actually circulates in the engine rather than potentially ejected into the exhaust.

Obviously, dont forget to reinstall the thermostat after you are happy that the water/antifreeze miz is well circulated!!!

 

[NormanS]

While engine is still warm would be good time to change oil and oil filter.

There's not a lot of point in merely putting new oil into the sump. The engine needs to be run after the oil change to let the new oil circulate throughout the engine.

 

[Scareyclott]

If it's out of the water, I think the suggestions here are over complicated. Get a couple of feet of hosepipe, stuff the end into the water inlet skin fitting (wrap with kitchen paper if necessary to get a good seal), put the other end in your mouth and give it a really good blow! You may need to take the impellor cover off if your impellor is reasonably new... I would expect that to get enough of the salt water out that you should be safe.

I have to say that I've never tried it myself - our boats stay in all year round and are sailed frequently. The heating will be on pretty much full time - I'll freeze before the engine does!

P.S. If you do want to fill it with antifreeze, make the hosepipe longer, stick a funnel in the end, hold it up at cockpit level and pour antifreeze mix in till it comes out at the other end... If necessary, spin the engine on the starter with the stop control pulled to pump it through

Thanks Maby, I might give that a go as when I see her this weekend she will be on a dolly in a hanger with a peeled hull and I am unsure if I will be allowed to start the engine. (she is a lake boat so its fresh water that is in there)

Scott

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Its a raw water cooled engine and ideally you would want to fill it with 50/50 antifreeze. As its out of the water:-
1. disconnect the raw water intake pipe from the sea cock and put it into a bucket of fresh water with a hose handy to keep it topped up.
2. run engine to temperature keeping the water bucket feeding the cooling topped up from the hose.
3. When at temperature and with engine still running, let bucket run to to about a third full and then add neat antifreeze to bucket to achieve roughly 50/50. When bucket is almost empty switch off engine and system will be full of roughly 50/50 antifreeze.
While engine is still warm would be good time to change oil and oil filter.

+1 But I would advice running engine for a little while after changing oil and filter, otherwise a dry filter cannister can corrode and shell bearings etc could be left without a coating of protective oil for the winter.
Dont be tempted to just connect your garden water hose directly to the raw water intake pipe, only use the hose to fill and top up the bucket while the engine is running.
C_W

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

If it's out of the water, I think the suggestions here are over complicated. Get a couple of feet of hosepipe, stuff the end into the water inlet skin fitting (wrap with kitchen paper if necessary to get a good seal), put the other end in your mouth and give it a really good blow! You may need to take the impellor cover off if your impellor is reasonably new... I would expect that to get enough of the salt water out that you should be safe.

I have to say that I've never tried it myself - our boats stay in all year round and are sailed frequently. The heating will be on pretty much full time - I'll freeze before the engine does!

P.S. If you do want to fill it with antifreeze, make the hosepipe longer, stick a funnel in the end, hold it up at cockpit level and pour antifreeze mix in till it comes out at the other end... If necessary, spin the engine on the starter with the stop control pulled to pump it through

And then play Highland Cathederal on the bagpipes in one breath
C_W

 

[Scareyclott]

And then play Highland Cathederal on the bagpipes in one breath
C_W

Yea not sure I have the lungs for that, but I may be able to use a compressor if she is still in the hanger

Scott

 

[maby]

Yea not sure I have the lungs for that, but I may be able to use a compressor if she is still in the hanger

Scott

I don't think that the water volume of a 1GM10 would be particularly great.

 

[Scareyclott]

I don't think that the water volume of a 1GM10 would be particularly great.

I have noticed in the manual schematic there is a cooling water drain cock that might help

Question. If i drain all of the water out will it self prime when i start it next year??



Scott

 

[maby]

I have noticed in the manual schematic there is a cooling water drain cock that might help

Question. If i drain all of the water out will it self prime when i start it next year??



Scott

Should do provided it is not very far above the water line, I would think. The biggest risk is damage to the impellor in the short period that it is running dry. I would possibly take the impellor cover off next spring and lightly lubricate the tips of the blades with silicone grease before starting - just to reduce the friction before the water comes through.

 

[Matador]

Sorry to state the obvious, but don't forget to keep the battery charged up (at home or on the boat).Also an oily rag stuffed in the exhaust helps keep the damp and cold out, as it got to -10 down 'ere in Cornwall last year I covered the engine wiyh an old duvet!
Cheers, Chris W S26 Chablis.

 

[Scareyclott]

Cool thanks for that guys, the engine is about level with the water line so that should be ok, lubrication of the impeller is a top tip so is the oily rag stuffing will do both of them

Cheers
Scott

 

[PWR]

did it last weekend on a 1GM10, took about 3 litres of combined A/f and water. The whole job takes about 30 minutes as described above by contributors.

We had -17 C at one point last winter, so I was very pleased to have done this!

 

[Scareyclott]

Well not managed to do it yet. The boat was inside and on a work dolly so starting the engine was a no go.

I tried the bag pipe method - that didn't work.

I tried turning by hand with the starting handle with a pipe and funnel full of Af/h2o connected to the inlet. It went in there somewhere but never appeared on the outside before I got knackered!

I thought I would take the impeller out but one of the screws on the cover is behind the bottom pulley wheel and I didn't have a big enough spanner


All this did take a bit longer than 30 mins mind you it did give me a workout

I suppose I will have to wait until the work is finished and she is out of the shop so that i can start the engine at least I some one has fitted a T into the inlet so that you can suck up the antifreeze from in the boat