question for those who have used inboard/outboard setups in cold weather

[fish_hntr]

If the weather stays decent I intend to hit the gorge over Veterans Day weekend. Our Lund is an I/O with the 5.0 motor, it's currently drained. My question is, if we come off the water and the block is still very warm, will it retain enough heat to not have to drain the block if it dips into the 20's overnight?
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[SkunkedAgain]

I don't have an I/O but I do face a lot of those questions with irrigation pumps and such around the farm that needs to be drained to avoid block breakage... What I've found over the years is you're usually okay to about 27 degrees F over night... Then there is a fuzzy zone of maybe and maybe not and by the time you get to 23 and down then you are definitely at risk of freezing and problems, then you need look at maybe putting an old electric blanket over it and plugging it in or putting some RV antifreeze into it... and it's all going to depend on cold duration and wind chill and water section thickness and engine retained heat... But the nights are long this time of year and the engine heat won't last through the night till morning if it gets very cold... Those low 20's is my cutoff to where I expect problems.... Too bad you can't figure out how to put compressed air to it to blow it out... Might make them usable all winter... Good luck and I hope it will work for you... Later J
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[PBH]

I wouldn't risk it.


I'd take some RV antifreeze and the muffs. After you pull the boat for the night, hook up the muffs with a good funnel and run some antifreeze through the motor.

RV antifreeze is pretty cheap. Don't risk your engine block because you didn't want to spend $15 on some antifreeze.
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[Bduck]

If you know where the drain plugs to your engine block and manifolds would be easy enough to drain. Or if your going to be near an outside power source you can take a clip on shop light replace it with a heat lamp for bilge area. I always drained my engine block and manifold. As far as the outdrive lower it for draining or water will stay trapped. This will be the most exposed area to freezing.
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[fish_hntr]

[quote PBH]I wouldn't risk it.


I'd take some RV antifreeze and the muffs. After you pull the boat for the night, hook up the muffs with a good funnel and run some antifreeze through the motor.

RV antifreeze is pretty cheap. Don't risk your engine block because you didn't want to spend $15 on some antifreeze.[/quote]

Muffs and antifreeze actually do very little, the thermostat doesn't open and the antifreeze can't circulate. Even on a warm day at wide open throttle it takes a while for the thermostat to open. I will just plan to contort around the motor and drain it each night if we go, but I really want to use my full enclosure and catch some burbot!!
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[fish_hntr]

[quote Bduck]If you know where the drain plugs to your engine block and manifolds would be easy enough to drain. Or if your going to be near an outside power source you can take a clip on shop light replace it with a heat lamp for bilge area. I always drained my engine block and manifold. As far as the outdrive lower it for draining or water will stay trapped. This will be the most exposed area to freezing.[/quote]

I know how to drain it, but usually catch my knuckles on the end of one of the worm clamps just above the left rear manifold plug. Hmm, I can rotate that clamp away from the plug!! Maybe even see if I can replace the brass plugs with the plastic type that twist by hand.
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[Bduck]

My previous IO had a plastic wing nut for the block but a small brass plug for the manifold. However since I was draining after every trip(I never left any water in engine when not in use) I had to keep spare plugs on hand. The key is not to over tighten them so they break or strip out. Just a little tweek is enough to keep them from vibrating back out. The brass plugs were susceptible to damaging threads.
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[Lundman]

I have a Lund with the 4.3 liter V6 and it has 4 of the blue plastic drain plugs - 2 on the block and 2 on the exhaust manifolds - I don't worry about using my boat in cold weather as the engine will stay warm after initial start and warm up for quite sometime - just be sure to put the outdrive down on the ramp and allow it to drain for several mins to get all the wet stuff as well as leave the plugs out after draining. Never had a problem accept for the one time I forgot to put the drain plugs back in the motor - that was a $1000 lesson
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[fish_hntr]

[quote Lundman]I have a Lund with the 4.3 liter V6 and it has 4 of the blue plastic drain plugs - 2 on the block and 2 on the exhaust manifolds - I don't worry about using my boat in cold weather as the engine will stay warm after initial start and warm up for quite sometime - just be sure to put the outdrive down on the ramp and allow it to drain for several mins to get all the wet stuff as well as leave the plugs out after draining. Never had a problem accept for the one time I forgot to put the drain plugs back in the motor - that was a $1000 lesson [/quote]

I was thinking about that when I bought the boat, I just leave the drain plugs sitting on the seat so I see them as a reminder before starting. I'll have to see if anyone local sells the plastic drain plugs, would make life easier. Is your 4.3 efi or carb'd? And were you saying that you do not drain after using it and going back out the next day even if it gets below freezing overnight?
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[Lundman]

Peterson's did sell the Blue drain plugs last year as I had to replace one.

I do drain everything on the ramp - block, manifolds, outdrive, live wells, & bilge - the warm block water is sometime great way to warm your hands.

I have the carburetor not the EFI

Be happy to assist in anyway -- glad to help
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[Quicky]

Universal closed cooling kits are available but I’m not sure how that works with the lower unit on an I/O drive. Closed cooling is super nice on a jet though. I just open a ball valve and drain the raw water from the heat exchanger and it’s done.
If you plan on fishing more during the winter then a closed cooling system might be something to look into.
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[N.E.T.O.]

I would drain it. Both exhaust manifolds and both block plugs. Pain in the butt, but not worth the risk. If you have a Volvo you need to drain the impeller hoses also. I just replaced an impeller housing for my cousin this last spring on his Volvo after he drained the manifolds and block last fall...but didn't undo the seawater pump (impeller) hoses. $300 lesson.
Randy
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[Lonnie]

When I was running a I/O I had a 30 gal drum I cut down a bit . I would add antifreeze and drop the outdrive in , start it and let it idle for a bit . This would get antifreeze throughout the motor. That's how I winterized my boat for years with no problems. We would do the same thing when we went cold season fishing. I had 3 5 gal buckets that I kept the antifreeze in between trips. Just a thought
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[fish_hntr]

[quote N.E.T.O.]I would drain it. Both exhaust manifolds and both block plugs. Pain in the butt, but not worth the risk. If you have a Volvo you need to drain the impeller hoses also. I just replaced an impeller housing for my cousin this last spring on his Volvo after he drained the manifolds and block last fall...but didn't undo the seawater pump (impeller) hoses. $300 lesson.
Randy[/quote]

It is a Volvo, the hoses are the easy part, it's the rear plugs that are a pain. I drain the hoses and remove the housing, vaseline the hose fittings and impeller before winter storage and reinstall. Love the boat but sometimes miss our old outboard, it was much easier.
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[PBH]

this thread just makes me happy that I have an outboard.
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[Kent]

[quote PBH]

this thread just makes me happy that I have an outboard.

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Same here. It is easy to pull the boat out of the water, lower the outboard, crank a couple times and not have to worry about anything freezing. My first boat was an i/o and I would spend an entire day winterizing it. Then I would get frustrated because it would stay warm for another month and I couldn't use it. In the springtime I would wait until I was confident that it would no longer freeze before using it the first time. Had outboards on every boat since then. I also appreciate having more room inside of the boat. The i/o was more fuel efficient though, which was nice.
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[Quicky]

I loved having an outboard. Until a direct injector costs over $400 and air pressure regulator/fuel pressure regulator combo goes bad and there goes $500. A powerhead rebuild is over $3K but all of the rest of the engine, like injectors etc would cost more than it’s worth even if it’s rebuilt. Outboards are nice except the cost. Now I have a boat with a carbed 351 Windsor that drives a Hamilton jet. Closed loop cooling. All I do is open a valve and the heat exchanger drains into the bilge. That’s all that needs done for winterizing. No raw water goes through the block.

I truly believe inboards with closed cooling are going to give the biggest bang for the buck. A marine 351 on summit racing is $1700. That’s cheap compared to the outboards with equivalent power. If someone has an inboard then converting to closed cooling is the way to go.
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