www.iFourWinns.com

Title says it all...... Took all the water out of the engine as per owners manual but I just saw today how easy it was to fill fit pink.

What do you guys do?

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97 258 vista 7.4 VP/DP......... 2008 GMC Yukon XL Denali


96 sundowner 5.7 vp/sx (SOLD)

I fill the block and manifolds on mine after draining. Takes 4 gallons with my 5.0 and gives me piece of mind... definately worth $14 for the stuff. It doesn't get Canada cold down here, but does get down into the 20s and sometimes in the teens during the winter.

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2008 FW F204 - 5.0 VP "Stand On It"
Former Boat: Larson 186 LXI - 4.3 VP

Techincally AF is not needed for freeze protection, you drain the engine to keep it from freezing...AF (if you use the right one) adds corrosion protection for raw cast iron...keep in mind these engines were not designed to run on straight water, they were designed to run on a mixture of ethylene glycol AF and water...running them on straight water or even worse salt water definitely causes corrosion in the cooling passages....

I use AF to cut down corrosion, I do not use the Pink -50 stuff because I don't think it stays liquid to a low enough temp, it starts to slush up (but not expand) at around 10*F. Also some brands do not have corrosion inhibitors added. In you region I'd use -100 which stays liquid well down to -50, not that you get that cold but it's an extra margin of safety. The idea of using AF is that iron rusts because of oxygen in the air (iron oxide=Fe O2) and if you keep out the oxygen by filling with AF that has corrosion inhibitors you will cut down on corrosion....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Lou, do you pour the AF directly into the somewhere? Say maybe like the thermo housing?

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1990 Horizon 200
5.7L OMC Cobra 260HP

I pink mine. Mine takes about 7 gallons, but still worth the money. And is so easy to do. I don't even mess with draining water anymore. Get yourself a 5 gallon bucket (clean or new), drill a hole towards bottom and retrofit a water hose valve similar to the one on your house (few dollars at any hardware store, short piece of hose between bucket (sitting on swim deck so it gravity feeds down) and your muffs on lower unit, start boat and run until you see pink coming out your exhaust port. Once solid pink coming from exhaust your done meaning all water has been flushed out and replaced with pink. DONE. Remember though to run the engine on water prior to this to get it up to operating temp so that your thermostat is open.

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

Yep I manually drain everything first, (including both block drains, remove the lower end of the big hose on the front water pump, and the manifold drains and lastly the raw water intake hose) then I replace the drain plugs and reconnect the bottom end of the big hose at the water pump end and disconnect the big hose on the front of the engine at the thermo housing. I fill it through that hose till AF comes out the neck of the thermo housing. Then re-connect the hose at the housing. Next I remove the 2 manifold hoses, I put a funnel in the hose and fill the manifold till the AF runs out the exhaust. Then replace the hoses. Finally I remove the raw water intake hose and drain it down in the bilge, try to get all the water out of it. Then I take that hose and put a funnel in it and fill it till AF comes out the water intakes of the outdrive. That also pushes water out of the power steering cooler on the back of the engine. This cooler has a drain plug but it is really hard to get to. In years past I drained down the hose and still checked by removing the plug as hard as it was to get to. The water always drained out but each engine could be a little different. Then re-connect the raw water intake hose.

Don't forget there are 3 drain plugs on the pivot housing (the part of the transom that the drive bolts to) that should be removed and drained....some water does come out of them each year. On the right side as you face (have to trim up to see both) the top one is a vent, bottom is a drain. On the left side the only one there is a drain. They are about the size of the oil drain plug on the drive.

I don't use the suck the AF up the drive method because I am concerned that if the thermo does not open all you might wind up with a diluted AF mix in the block....

I don't have freshwater experience but here in the salt pond it is VERY common for raw water cooled thermostats to get sticky, and when that happens they usually don't close all the way, the engine never warms up...if it doesn't close, it will never warm up enough to heat the engine to the point where it will open enough to allow the AF mix in the block.....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II