Out drive not sucking water!! PLEASE HELP!!!!

[joe17423]

Hello - I have a 2000 Chaparral 280 ssi - Duel Mercruiser 350 Bravo 1 engines. Boat was fine when I took it to the hauler. Once on land I tried to winterize the first engine. I set up a blow up pool under the engine - fill with antifreeze - then pump antifreeze through earmuffs. Immediately the antifreeze wouldn't flow through the earmuffs and exit the exhaust. I started the engine and ran until hot. Still nothing. I then moved on to the 2nd engine and everything went fine. I went back to the 1st engine and replaced the impeller (which I fried because I ran the engine too hot). I tried pumping antifreeze again and still nothing would come through the exhaust. I searched YouTube and can't find anything. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[QBhoy]

Hi joe.

Bad news.
You may just have damaged your engine driven impeller if you ran it too long like this. The bravo with its engine driven pump can be difficult to lift water from muffs or a bin or tank etc. Can be a hit or a miss

Good news
This method of getting AF In is a risky one for a few reasons and to be avoided in my opinion. Despite the countless YouTube videos from across the pond showing this method...there is a much easier and less risky way to do it, stick with me;

All you need to do on your engines are the following;

After draining all drain points on each side of block, exhausts etc (there are a few variations depending on year), simply take the large hose off the thermostat housing, fill it with AF (I use 2 parts AF concentrate to 1 part water giving to -19oC usually) until AF fills the block and comes out overflowing from the exposed thermostat housing. The block is now full. Then remove each of the two smaller hoses from the thermostat that go to the exhausts. Fill them until AF overflows out the drive at the back of the boat (eco friendly ofcourse). Then you’re done. You’ll need just under 20l to be sure to have plenty.
I won’t need to remind you to poke the drains when draining initially and that it’s crucial you use concentrate at the right mix for the winter.
All is then well and you can sleep soundly.

 

[QBhoy]

Fill at points 1,2 and 3.

1 is the block fill and AF will come out the TStat where Jose was connected.

2 and 3 are to exhausts and will overflow to the drive.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xGVRarq4k8koXYvE6

 

[simonfraser]

Hi Joe, plenty of help and experience on this forum, we understand you are worried, but no need for capitals.

'Immediately the antifreeze wouldn't flow through the earmuffs and exit the exhaust. I started the engine and ran until hot. Still nothing'
ask here first, then you would know to stop the engine if there is no flow of water out of the exhaust and no subsequent damage to your engine.

at some stage you will have to figure out if you damaged just your impellor or more, put up another post on this forum and find out

 

[spannerman]

Fill at points 1,2 and 3.

1 is the block fill and AF will come out the TStat where Jose was connected.

2 and 3 are to exhausts and will overflow to the drive.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xGVRarq4k8koXYvE6

Yes but what about the water in the servo steering oil cooler and in the fuel cooler on injection engines? These are before the seawater pump so you can*t fill these with AF with your method

 

[joe17423]

Hi joe.

Bad news.
You may just have damaged your engine driven impeller if you ran it too long like this. The bravo with its engine driven pump can be difficult to lift water from muffs or a bin or tank etc. Can be a hit or a miss

Good news
This method of getting AF In is a risky one for a few reasons and to be avoided in my opinion. Despite the countless YouTube videos from across the pond showing this method...there is a much easier and less risky way to do it, stick with me;

All you need to do on your engines are the following;

After draining all drain points on each side of block, exhausts etc (there are a few variations depending on year), simply take the large hose off the thermostat housing, fill it with AF (I use 2 parts AF concentrate to 1 part water giving to -19oC usually) until AF fills the block and comes out overflowing from the exposed thermostat housing. The block is now full. Then remove each of the two smaller hoses from the thermostat that go to the exhausts. Fill them until AF overflows out the drive at the back of the boat (eco friendly ofcourse). Then you’re done. You’ll need just under 20l to be sure to have plenty.
I won’t need to remind you to poke the drains when draining initially and that it’s crucial you use concentrate at the right mix for the winter.
All is then well and you can sleep soundly.

Thank you very much for the response! I did destroy the impeller and changed this. We had a quick drop in temp, as did most of the country, so I actually used this method on Sunday. Maybe it's overkill, but I always felt better actually running the AF through the system. This method is much easier. If I make it through the winter and she runs fine in the spring, I'll be doing it this way for now on. Thanks again!

 

[joe17423]

Thank you for your help!

 

[joe17423]

Hi Joe, plenty of help and experience on this forum, we understand you are worried, but no need for capitals.

'Immediately the antifreeze wouldn't flow through the earmuffs and exit the exhaust. I started the engine and ran until hot. Still nothing'
ask here first, then you would know to stop the engine if there is no flow of water out of the exhaust and no subsequent damage to your engine.

at some stage you will have to figure out if you damaged just your impellor or more, put up another post on this forum and find out

Thank you for your help!

 

[QBhoy]

Yes but what about the water in the servo steering oil cooler and in the fuel cooler on injection engines? These are before the seawater pump so you can*t fill these with AF with your method

Hi spanner man

Firstly I would say that I’m presuming it doesn’t have cool fuel and may not even be an MPi at that age.
But secondly, if even it was, there is a communal drain system on the mpi that would drain that. You wouldn’t need AF in there really.

I think at its most, it would be an efi, or likely a carb 350. Mpi at that age would be rare, but not impossible. Cool fuel at that age, I’m almost certain didn’t exist.

 

[Greg2]

Hello - I have a 2000 Chaparral 280 ssi - Duel Mercruiser 350 Bravo 1 engines. Boat was fine when I took it to the hauler. Once on land I tried to winterize the first engine. I set up a blow up pool under the engine - fill with antifreeze - then pump antifreeze through earmuffs. Immediately the antifreeze wouldn't flow through the earmuffs and exit the exhaust. I started the engine and ran until hot. Still nothing. I then moved on to the 2nd engine and everything went fine. I went back to the 1st engine and replaced the impeller (which I fried because I ran the engine too hot). I tried pumping antifreeze again and still nothing would come through the exhaust. I searched YouTube and can't find anything. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

I can’t offer any authoritative comment on Mercruiser drives but I can say, from experience, that muffs just don’t work on Volvo DP drives. Can’t explain it but tried and no joy so ended up taking the raw water pick up pipe off the impeller pump and putting a tube from the pump into a drum of anti-freeze was the solution. Even then it needed some revs and priming gets raw water strainer to get it flowing.

Not sure why one engine worked and not the other but reflecting on my experience perhaps the one that worked was sufficiently primed?

 

[QBhoy]

Thank you very much for the response! I did destroy the impeller and changed this. We had a quick drop in temp, as did most of the country, so I actually used this method on Sunday. Maybe it's overkill, but I always felt better actually running the AF through the system. This method is much easier. If I make it through the winter and she runs fine in the spring, I'll be doing it this way for now on. Thanks again!

No worries Joe. Just be sure of your concentration mix ratio, if you’re leaving it full. If that’s ok...I’m certain it’s the best thing for your engines over winter. Keeps the cold corrosion gremlin at bay.