www.iFourWinns.com

The real great thing here is the block is safe and not cracked....Imagine that labor bill

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Guns kill people like spoons make people fat.
2007 Horizon 190 Gxi
97 Pathfinder SE 4x4
73 International Scout II

We started our Horizon 180 up last weekend and had the same problem. Dealer tells us it is a casting plug that blew and they needed 1-1/2 hours just to replace. Then they will be doing a pressure check to see if there are other leaks.

Your post gives me hope that all is still ok. We followed the winterize procedure to the letter. Hopefully we didn't miss a step. Winters in the Seattle area are not usually as cold as this last year was!
We filled up gas tank & added fuel stabilizer
turned on motor and run antifreeze through until it came out exhaust
fogged carburator until motor died
took out batteries and stored in the garage

Did we miss something? Still waiting on pressure results test from local dealer...

When you did the antifreeze, did you run the engine long enough for the thermostat to open? If not, part of your engine probably didn't get any AF.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

We ran the motor at least 5 minutes to get the anitfreeze out the exhaust, but the motor was warmed up before adding the antifreeze. I specifically remember this because my clothes smelled like a marina after the winterization process.

I have always used the 5-gallon jug of anti-freeze, hooked to the muffs (here in NH). To reiterate the prior posted notes:


* Have your jug and feeder hose all set and ready to be hooked up to the muffs (you could even have a second set of muffs already attached to the jug's hose).

* Make sure the engine is fully warm, thermostat open (note that the correct procedure would be to remove the thermostat).

* Once the engine is "on the stat", you must quickly shut the engine off, connect the anti-freeze jug & muffs, turn on the flow, and start the engine. You don't want the the engine to get cool enough to keep the 'stat closed.

* Make sure you have visual note of the anti-freeze coming out of the drive. Run the jug through .... Just before you shut-off, spray the foging oil in the carb/throttle-body. Shut it down.

If you remove the thermostat, you don't have to worry about keeping the engine hot & the 'stat open.

Finally, even though the bottle of pink anti-freeze says -50 degrees, this is at 100% concentration. Additionally, it starts to slush long before -50. If you've had plugs pop out (very lucky indeed), you may want to use the lower temp anti-freezes next time.

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Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner

Dealer says we may have a cracked block. What questions should I ask to be sure they ran correct test to diagnose this. Estimates on repair cost?
*&$#@*& darn

I tried that method the first time I did our 88 FW, when I checked the block drains to be sure I found what looked like weak AF+water. So I drained it manually and just back filled the hoses with AF. I have done it that way every year for the past 6 seasons. For one thing, if you are in freshwater and drain properly (boat/engine level, follow EVERY step in the manual to the letter) you probably don't need AF. I use it because I am in a salt water area and we need all the help we can get. The problem with sucking AF up the drive with a raw water cooled motor is that unless the temp is at least 170 the thermo will not be all the way open and you may not be circulating much AF in the block+heads. So I would either just drain, and leave it, or you can drain, and backfill through the hoses. This is specifically noted in my old OMC shop manual under "optional winterization procedure". To my knowledge, there is NO I/O manufacturer that recommends winterizing a raw water cooled motor by sucking AF up the drive. All recommend draining, and some recommend adding AF, by backfilling.
BTW, if you use AF use the good stuff, -100, the -50 and -60 start slushing up at temps that are too close to wintertime lows for my comfort. The - temp rating is burst rating, not freeze rating, and the -60 would probably be fine, but why take a chance?

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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

You're right, Lou, about removing the hoses and dumping the AF in from there, as well as opening all of the drains. This leaves no potential problem areas.

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Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner