www.iFourWinns.com

Hey Lou

just wanted to send you a big ole "THANK YOU" for all of the advice you've given me this season, plus how to winterize. We are suppose to hit about 29F tonight and again Saturday night. So, yesterday, I started the winterizing process, after cleaning the boat, I removed the 3 small drain screws from the outdrive, and lowered the outdrive to let drain. surprisingly not much came out of these holes, just a couple drips. I probed them with s stiff wire too, but I haven't used the boat in about a month, so the outdrive hasn't seen much water.

I then removed the small diameter raw water intake hose at the water pump, and held it low, again a couple drips of water came out, but not much in the raw water in it really. Same with the larger hose under neath it that goes from water pump to block. Then lastly I did the two brass petcocks, the one on the block and other on the manifold. Opened block petcock and water came streaming out, lots of water. I then unscrewed the manifold petcock, and NOTHING came out! hmm.......so I followed your advice LOU, and I took a smaller screw driver that would fit up in each one, and sure enough the petcock on the manifold was clogged up with some debris and crud. I loosened it up and water came flowing out. YEAH! again, lots of water out of both petcocks. I stuck the little screwdriver in a couple more times in each hole, just to be sure they were completely drained. They are!

Now, I went out to purchase antifreeze, BUT, all I could find was the pink -50F stuff. nobody has the -60 or -100F stuff. Will I be OK winterizing my raw water system with the -50 stuff? It's the same stuff I use in my camper that sits "up nort" all winter. Our temps can and DO dip to 5F - 0F every winter, and every once and a while hitting -5F below.

So right now I have ALL the raw water out at least.

I am attaching a photo again of the top view of my engine. Can you point out where I pour antifreeze in again? You can see from the pic, I have the larger hose removed from the water pump outlet, as well as the smaller raw water intake hose, which is currently just laying across the back of the engine at an angle, just so it's out of the way.

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1990 Four Winns 170 Freedom, 3.0 OMC Cobra 4 cyl.

-50 is what we typically use up here in the Great White North. You will be good to go.

Lou's first post on page 1 explains how to fill the system with antifreeze.

Cheers.

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2004 - 288 Vista
Twin - 5.0 Volvo Penta GXi DP

WHOOO HOOOO!

Ok, today, I decided to pull up the floor decking covering the gas tank in my 170. I put a new fuel sender in last spring, and just got no reading ALL summer long..and never was sure what was going on, so I just topped up the tank after each boating trip and called it good.

Anyway, since I had time, I decided to dig into it the last several days. As you know I checked the fuel gauge itself with a voltmeter, and by disconnecting different wires..It was GOOD.....today I pulled the sending unit out of the tank, turned on the ignition switch and lifted and lowered the float by hand several times, and the fuel needle went from full to empty as I raised and lowered....what the heck?? The fuel sender is good to..plus the wiring in between..SO I slowly put the sender back down into the fuel tank..and here is what I found. The metal "rod" holding the float was TOO LONG, and it was catching on something inside, so it would not raise and lower properly. I re-read the instructions on the sender float arm, and trimmed it down another couple inches (as the 170's tank is only 6 inches deep) and smoothed off any part that could catch on anthing. I reinstalled it, and now it is reading correctly!! YIPPPEEEE. One issue gone.

Now, I did have one question. I had my grease gun attached to the gimbles grease fitting, and gave it about 12 pumps of grease. I just guess how much to do, is there a minimum or max amount of grease I should be putting into the gimble housing??

Thanks again

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1990 Four Winns 170 Freedom, 3.0 OMC Cobra 4 cyl.

Good job on the gas gauge sometimes you need to fiddle with it to see what's wrong.
The gimble you should grease with the engine running in neutral to spread the grease out on the roller bearings like a trailer wheel bearing but don't sweat it. The anti freeze should be fine, the -50 is burst temp it will slush up but not expand. I like the -100 because it stays liquid to very low temps. To fill the engine fill it from the big hose when it comes out the thermo housing re connect it. Manifold disconnect the hose leading to the Thermo housing and fill it till a f runs out the exhaust then re connect . Just did mine on Monday...nice 70* day hate freezing my fingers.

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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

Ok, just so I got this straight..Here's a pic. I put antifreeze IN, the big rubber hose, where I drew the orange arrow. AND, it came out the water pump area, where I have the orange dots in this photo:




THEN...I'll take off this hose, and add antifreeze until it comes out the lower unit exhaust?



lastly, this is the smaller diameter raw water intake hose, I currently have removed from the water pump. I pour antifreeze into this, until it comes out the lower unit as well?

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1990 Four Winns 170 Freedom, 3.0 OMC Cobra 4 cyl.

You got it!!!
You also changing the gear oil in the Cobra drive? I posted the official OMC way to do this in a link from Crowley Marine. You can use the Merc/Quicksilver High Performance gear lube and Merc also sells the pump you need. I also replsce the 2 white plastic fiber washers on the drain n fill plugs and the bigger one under the dip stick in the top cap.

_________________
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

Yeah, I am going to change the gear oil next. I am debating on taking the entire lower drive off for the winter, as alot of people do, that way I can also check the shifter cable, lube inside stuff etc.

I do have ONE video I took AFTER I poured antifreeze into the raw water line and the exhaust manifold line. My antifreeze, when I poured it into the raw water intake hose came out primarily though a few small weep holes, and through the prop area, not much (if any) came out of the actual intake holes where the "muffs" go when on a hose. THEN, when I poured antifreeze into the exhaust manifold line, the antifreeze came out just below the gimble housing, where there are two small square holes.

Watch the video and you'll see what I am talking about.

Here is the link:
https://youtu.be/oHhFL3_b-nU

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1990 Four Winns 170 Freedom, 3.0 OMC Cobra 4 cyl.

Sometimes not much comes out the drive water intakes because depending on what position the impeller stops at, it can cover the port that runs from the impeller housing to the water intakes so not much will run out. The rest you showed us all normal. On mine I had to remove that screen because in salt water barnacles were growing on it and clogging the water intakes (one of the problems with mooring sterndrives in salt but it happens with straight inboards too).

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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

Great! Thanks again for the reassurance. I am ALL winterized then, except for changing the lower unit oil and POSSIBLY pulling the drive off for the winter.

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1990 Four Winns 170 Freedom, 3.0 OMC Cobra 4 cyl.

Quick question...can you find the year of an engine by it's serial number? I MAY already have an interested party in buying my boat yet this fall. They wanted me to show proof of the year of engine and when I had it installed. I thought I had the invoice from that in the glove box but I don't. It MAY be in my safe yet, I just have to dig through. BUT, if I can't find it, if I can show the serial number and year, that would probably do. I have the paperwork from the outdrive I did this summer though, so that's good.

dan

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1990 Four Winns 170 Freedom, 3.0 OMC Cobra 4 cyl.

Not sure about the serial number but for sure you can look it up by the model # in the BRP catalog.

_________________
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

Call me DUMB, but where would I find the model number?? Is that the sticker on the engine that I posted earlier in this thread?

this one:

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m212 ... 0jzszm.jpg

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1990 Four Winns 170 Freedom, 3.0 OMC Cobra 4 cyl.

Nope that's not it...It might be on the Thermo housing or valve cover and says "OMC Drive Systems, Waukegan Ill"...

_________________
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, besides that white sticker down on the oil pan..I only found a few more places that had ANY numbering at all. One was the exhaust manifold and the other was the engine block "GM"




Engine Block:

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1990 Four Winns 170 Freedom, 3.0 OMC Cobra 4 cyl.

So...from what little I've gathered so far from this "number"..is this is a GM "marine engine" they started making in 2004. That's about all the farther I've gotten.

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1990 Four Winns 170 Freedom, 3.0 OMC Cobra 4 cyl.