Winterizing Volvo Penta MD2030

[wvansl]

Hi!
First time sailboat owner and the boat is out of the water now.
I will leave the boat for the winter, in Greece, it won't freeze here.
Oil and coolant are changed very recently.

I read the manual but I'm not fully sure what to do exactly. Google and forum search is also not very clear. Some say to disconnected the hose near the saildrive connection (throughhole) and connect a longer hose to it and then in a bucket (so its in the water).
Then turn on the engine and let it run a bit so the "sweet water" gets run through the system.

Seems quite difficult to do this when alone, is there a better or other way? Any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[Baggywrinkle]

The pipe marked in red is your raw water (sea water) inlet on the engine and is more accessible than the other end which is on the saildrive ... you can attach a pipe here and submerge the other end in a big bucket of fresh water.

BEFORE REMOVING THIS HOSE MAKE SURE YOU SHUT THE VALVE ON THE THROUGH HULL (Saildrive) IF THE BOAT IS IN THE WATER.

Then run the engine until it has sucked the contents of the bucket out (and flushed it through the exhaust) and you will have removed (or at least diluted) the salt water in the heat exchanger and exhaust.



PS: Also a good idea to do this as the last thing before lift out or on land, obviously if you run the engine in the sea aftwerwards then the system gets filled with salt water again.

 

[wvansl]

Thank you for your reply.
Yes, the boat is out of the water again, I will try to do what you say here.

I read also that it is better to remove the impeller for the winter (I'm going to change it anyway next season), does it make any sense to keep the impeller housing open then?

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Thank you for your reply.
Yes, the boat is out of the water again, I will try to do what you say here.

I read also that it is better to remove the impeller for the winter (I'm going to change it anyway next season), does it make any sense to keep the impeller housing open then?

I'd personally replace the impeller just before putting it back in the water. If you put a new one in now, then it will just be sat in the housing, with a few of the fins compressed for the duration of the winter.

Best to do it just before re-launch and leave the housing closed over winter so the mating surfaces remain clean and uncontaminated.

It is generally not a good idea to leave machined surfaces exposed to the elements as they will corrode and may not seal properly again. It obviously depends on the metal used, but as a rule of thumb, never leave gasket surfaces exposed for long periods, and if you have no choice, protect with a layer of grease & plastic.

PS: Impellers are relatively cheap and easy to change, and although they can do multiple seasons, I replace mine at the start of every season, and keep the old one as an emergency spare.

 

[nevis768]

Personally, I wouldn't bother in Greece. I have the same engine. Just turn the engine over a few times with the engine stop pulled out, and it will pump all the water out. But everybody has different views on this.

 

[wvansl]

I've done it today, pumped about 3 buckets through it. Was not a lot of work.

Thanks for the comments