1996 Speedster Winterizing Problem

[treimche]

Please help. Sorry for the long post, but it is suddenly going to get very cold here and I don't want to wreck my Speedster engines (I f***ing hate winter!)

This is my first time winterizing anything so bear with me please. I'm having an issue when adding antifreeze to the engines. Flushed both engines from the rear ports on the boat. Fogged each engine while running, and turned off fuel valves while fogging until the engines died out. Fogged all cylinders through the spark plug holes. So, following the factory service manual, I have the small hose pinched off that runs from the pipe to the front of the cylinder head (pic 1). Instead of pinching the hose to the rear flush fitting, I have them capped off (pic 2). Then I have the clear engine drain hose disconnected from its T fitting instead of pinching it between the T and transom (pic 3). The 2 hoses that are disconnected are tied up above the tuned pipe as required by the service manual.

Here's the problem. When I fill the port engine from the top flush fitting with anti freeze, it has taken an entire gallon, and none of it has drained out of the engine or even filled up the clear hose. When I filled the starboard engine, it took about a half gallon like the manual said it would, and the anti freeze came up and out of the clear hose, which I'm assuming it should have done. So can anyone help me identify where all the anti freeze is going on the port side? I pulled a spark plug and it didn't look like there was any anti freeze in the cylinder. It isn't leaking anywhere into the bilge either. I'm totally stumped.

Also, there must be a mistake in the factory service manual. Pic #4 shows you disconnect the 2 small red shaded hoses in the diagram, but pic #5 shows that you disconnect the small hose from the pipe and the hose that runs back to the jet pump. I verified that leaving the hose connected to the jet pump (like Pic #4 shows), will drain right out the back of the jet pump, so I have to assume that diagram is wrong.

 

[mikidymac]

The manual method sucks in my opinion.

Just get a gallon af RV antifreeze a funnel and a piece of heater hose. 1/2 gallon per engine.

Take the rubber hose off the rear of the cylinder head, put your new hose and funnel on it. Clamp the other hose shut, really doesn’t matter which one. Start the engine and let it idle on the trailer then pour in 1/2 of the antifreeze. After it is in rev up the engine a few times to blow out as much as possible. Now let the engine sit and cool off.

Remove the airbox cover and start the engine and spray fogging oil into the air cleaner until the engine starts to bog down then turn the engine off. Turn the fuel off, remove the spark plug wires and place them on the grounding posts, remove the spark plugs. Spray some fogging oil down each plug hole then bump the engine over a couple times to spread the oil around the cylinders. Put the plugs back in, wires on and disconnect the battery.

Now you are completely winterized and ready until spring.

Keep in mind the engines and exhaust drain pretty much on their own. By adding the antifreeze you are just diluting and displacing any small water that is trapped in there so that it doesn't freeze and crack anything. In reality if your low level drains are not plugged there isn't enough water left in the engines to hurt anything. You are not filling up the cooling system like on a car.

And you should never be flushing or filling engines when they are off because you can force coolant into the cylinders through the wet exhaust system.

 

[treimche]

Thanks for the response. Your method sure sounds a hell of a lot easier than what the SeaDoo manual shows. With your method, I guess I don't really understand why you run the antifreeze into the engine while its running, then rev it up to blow it all out. Isn't the whole point of this to fill everything with anti freeze? Unfortunately I don't have indoor storage, and we will see temps down to -20F or worse in this frozen hell hole.

 

[treimche]

I think I figured out part of the problem with the port side engine. I tried running some compressed air into the clear hose that exits the exhaust side of the engine, to see if it would push air/water through the motor, and it does not. There must be something clogged. Should there be antifreeze in the small clear hose that runs from the top of the pipe to just before the hose coupler a little way back? I think the antifreeze is running through there and filling up the exhaust instead of the engine. Ugh this sucks.

 

[mikidymac]

Thanks for the response. Your method sure sounds a hell of a lot easier than what the SeaDoo manual shows. With your method, I guess I don't really understand why you run the antifreeze into the engine while its running, then rev it up to blow it all out. Isn't the whole point of this to fill everything with anti freeze? Unfortunately I don't have indoor storage, and we will see temps down to -20F or worse in this frozen hell hole.

These engines do not sit full of water like a car that has a closed cooling system, they are a total loss cooling system.
So when the engine is off or out of the water the entire engine cooling system drains out the back through the low level drain (assuming it isn't clogged).
The exhaust cooling system drains into the pipe and muffler. This is why you want to start the ski and rev it up so the exhaust pressure can blow out as much water as possible out the exhaust and cooling hoses. Remember all the pipe and cylinder cooling is connected so exhaust pressure will also blow out the engine and hoses a little too.

The reason you want it running is so the antifreeze doesn't backup into the system and get into the cylinders, remember, the exhaust and cooling are interconnected.

Let me repeat, you are not completely filling the cooling system with antifreeze you are just displacing and diluting the remaining water in the system with antifreeze, most of it will drain out and be blown out.
If all your drains are clear and you blow out the exhaust by revving the engine there will be very little water left in the system at all.