First time winterizing

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Karrmite

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Winterized my 2004 seadoo gti today

First things first put stabil in gas tank

I lifted the ski up as high as i could and started it to get excess water out

I then bought 2 gallons of rv antifreeze and ran it through flush inlet on the back of ski with ski running.

Pink liquid came out the back and side pisser.

Then took out spark plugs sprayed fogging oil

Disconnected battery and put in my garage

Am i missing a step or is that all there is to winterizing?

ThAnks in advance
 
Sounds good to me, how about the oil inside the jet pump impeller hub, do you also check that for water? And lubricate the drive shaft splines at the PTO before taking it out next spring, I like to grease it before the first trip out as opposed before winter, less tension on the carbon seal bellows that way.

Speaking of carbon seal bellows, I'd think about releasing the tension during winter by removing the stainless steel retaining ring c-clip.
 
Pull the exhaust hose off of the top of the can and vacuum the water out of the can just to make sure there isn't much water left in there to rust it.
 
I am new to this and not to familar.

I will look at it again tommorow but since i ran antifreeze thru it shouldnt antifreeze be in the exhausr
 
I don't leave water (who knows until it's checked?) set inside my pump impeller hub over winter for 2 reasons, corrosion of the bearings and water freeze expansion may crack the housing.
 
1st time winterizing a jet ski for myself to. Hoping to get out one last time this weekend though. Anybody have an opinion on whether the Marine- Stabil is better then regular Stabil for adding to the gas for storage? Marine Stabil also claims to help with the the harsh effects of ethanol blended gases during regular running also. Do you think it makes that much of a difference?
Thanks
 
Hey Karmite, just noticed in your post that you used RV anti-freeze. Is this the same stuff we use to winterize the plumbing in our cottages?
I would be very careful as a lot of this is meant to be be used only on plastic pipes. I am nor 100% sure but I think you would want to run an anti-freeze through that is 100% compatible with aluminum. Even if there is just a small amount sitting in the engine or exhaust pipe over the winter.
Would like to hear from some other members with more experience in winterizing.
Thanks
 
Both are good I used regular Stabil for years, Marine Stabil has additives to threats ethanol gasoline. The cost of using both are about the same, you only need to use half as much Marine Stabil.

RV/Marine antifreeze it what you want to use, PG, Propline Glycol, I use -50F, it dilutes to probably around 50% so you may need to use -75F or even -100F in your area.

Here's a real good thread on winterizing.

http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?57271-1999-Speedster-Winterization

Lou
 
I run RV Marine anti freeze, but I also use compress air to blow out the anti-freeze. Because the antifreeze is an alcohol base product, blowing air through the system evaporates the anti-freeze. I also remove the muffler to empty out the water, but once I started using compress air to clear the system, I notice that there is very little water left in the muffler.
 
Okay I need to clarify a bit. I just bought anti-freeze last week for the cottage plumbing that is called RV- antifreeze. It is good to -50C It has a disclaimer on it that cautions "for plastic pipes only". it was only $2.99 gallon It is used for the plumbing system in Boats, RV's and cottages. I don't think this is what we want to use for winterizing the SeaDoo is it? Would it be corrosive to metal?
 
Someone on here had a long post about the harsh effects of rv antifreeze on an aluminum engine. I think it was waterluvr. It was something about the rv antifreeze gumming up inside the head.

And just my personal experience, my family has been using rv antifreeze on our old bow rider since we bought it new in 1986. We never had a problem with it. I winterized my ski last year with it and also had no problems.
 
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As far a price goes that sounds about right, most people on this forum use RV/Marine antifreeze, I've used it for several years. The bottle(s) I have says, "safe for all metal and plastic components, provides corrosion protection". If you don't want to use PG antifreeze you can use regular automotive antifreeze, but be very careful disposing of the antifreeze and do NOT discharge into the lake.

Lou
 

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Ok, there may 2 or 3 completely different types of antifreeze up here in the north for winterizing. I will check on what the different ingredients are today when I am out. The one for $2.99 a gallon is for RV, Marine and cottage plumbing and septic systems and cautions that it is for use "only in plastic pipes" There is a $10. gallon jug that states that it can be used in metal or plastic safely but nothing about any corrosion inhibitors like the jug LouDoo has. Then there is car antifreeze which is safe for aluminum applications but is running $15. gallon and is safe for use in aluminum blocks. I believe that is the one which is propylene glycol.
I hear what you are saying LouDoo about disposing of it. Definitely a no- no. Especially if you have pets around. I think I am going to try to save as much as I can back into a jug for re-use and take the rest to the oil disposal place.
 
To the OP. When you have it running it is a good idea to either remove the small rubber plug on the air cleaner and spray some fogging oil down the carbs to get some of that oil to the lower crank bearings. A much cleaner method is to remove the top half of the air box and spray the fogging oil directly on the metal screen over the carbs. After this is when I remove the plugs and give one short spray in the plug holes then bump it over to coat the cylinder walls.

As far as the antifreeze, I am not sure there is a need for it. When you have it running for a short time to fog the engine most of the water is blown out of the exhaust and pipe because it is not running long enough to need to connect it to the hose. The seadoo's have a low level water drain at the base of the cylinders that drains the water out the back of the ski so there should not be any signifigant amount of water left in the engine or exhaust system that could cause freezing issues. Now the disclaimer... IF your drains are plugged or you don't run it and leave large amounts of water in the exhaust then you could have a problem.

Although I am no expert on freezing because here in sunny California if it hits 32 degrees once in the winter you would think people were going to die. Sorry, I couldn't resist rubbing it in, although we have no water to ride:(.
 
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Anyplace on this forum that has winterizing procedure with pics??? Attempting this for the first time on 2003 GTX STD and 2006 RTX 4-TEC. Helping a friend save some money. I have lots of experience working on cars but zero on Waverunners. Just want to do it right the first time......
 
Personally I use dex cool anti freeze, because it is specifically formulated for aluminum engines and has additives to protect it. But any antifreeze is fine really.
 
Hey Colenzae, on thread #9 above LouDoo posted a link with some good info and pics for winterizing. Karrmite, sorry for the threadjacking.
This is what I found at the local Canadian Tire auto parts store. Cheap anti-freeze that says "for plastic pipes only" contains ethanol as the main ingredient. Some also have isopropyl alcohol or a salt brine mix in them. No corrosion inhibitor and not recommended for steel pipes ( so i would assume not aluminum either) . Mid priced Anti-freeze was propylene glycol. It says it can be used on plastic or steel and contains corrosion inhibitors. I assume this one wouldn't damage the metal in the engine. The most expensive anti-freeze was the one formulated for car engines and it has ethylene glycol and a bunch of other glycols as additives in it. It is meant for aluminum and has corrosion inhibitors in it. For this year, I think I will just go with the ethylene glycol to be on the safe side.
 
Raymond 88 said:
Hey Colenzae, on thread #9 above LouDoo posted a link with some good info and pics for winterizing. Karrmite, sorry for the threadjacking.
This is what I found at the local Canadian Tire auto parts store. Cheap anti-freeze that says "for plastic pipes only" contains ethanol as the main ingredient. Some also have isopropyl alcohol or a salt brine mix in them. No corrosion inhibitor and not recommended for steel pipes ( so i would assume not aluminum either) . Mid priced Anti-freeze was propylene glycol. It says it can be used on plastic or steel and contains corrosion inhibitors. I assume this one wouldn't damage the metal in the engine. The most expensive anti-freeze was the one formulated for car engines and it has ethylene glycol and a bunch of other glycols as additives in it. It is meant for aluminum and has corrosion inhibitors in it. For this year, I think I will just go with the ethylene glycol to be on the safe side.
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Yuk, isn't EG toxic to the environment? EG antifreeze should not be dumped in a lake, reservoir, or on the ground, isn't that illegal?
 
Hey Sportster 2001, Was someone suggesting to dumping EG or any other anti-freeze in the lake or the ground? I didn't see that post.
 
Raymond 88 said:
Hey Sportster 2001, Was someone suggesting to dumping EG or any other anti-freeze in the lake or the ground? I didn't see that post.
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I go through more than a 50 gallon drum of food grade PG-100 and mix that with water each fall. Most all of this eventually goes on the ground or in the lake, it's not captured or recycled. Not sure how you can winterize with any antifreeze and avoid any release of magnitude from occurring.
 
Wow 50 gallons!!! What on earth is going on down there? Certainly couldn't afford to do it that way. Ok just found the blurb in 1999 shop manual for the 1999 GTX, GSX RFi, XP, SPX, GS, GTI Section #2 page 02-05-03 SeaDoo recommends only to use ethylene glycol with corrosion inhibitors. I think there process is referring to using a hose pincher on the coolant exhaust line and then trying to capture all you can in to a jug when you let the pincher off.
I am with you Sportster 2001, you need to be very careful of any EG that is not captured in the jug. or a pan or drum under the exhaust. It is very toxic stuff and pets tend to like the taste of it if you leave a puddle around.
That is exactly why we are asking for help. Sometimes the best solutions are not in the shop manual.Your solution does sound a little more eco-friendly. But a 50 gallon drum? What would that cost?
 
Hi,Just to get back to the original question and info.For people new to winterizing there SeaDoo Can we all agree that what they sell up in these parts as "RV Anti-freeze" that contains only ethanol/ alcohol/ salts and no corrosion inhibitors is NOT what we want to use for winterizing the engine in your SeaDoo.
 
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