# Winterizing mercruiser 228



## vib-E (Jun 21, 2015)

Just received this boat and motor today was wanting to winterize it tomarrow.first inboard i owened.whats the proper steps to winterize?i was told to run rv antifreeze up threw muffs into engine.will that work or do i have to find all drains petcocks?and is fogging the carb nessisarry?


----------



## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

I used to winterize a Mercruiser 228 back in the 80's... Chevy 305 motor... we drained the block via the petcocks... didn't fog anything. I'd put some fuel stabilizer in it with todays crappy gasoline. Running rv antifreeze into it is a good idea though.


----------



## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

either way will work. you can get a kit to winterize it. it comes with a 5 gallon tank, hoses, and instructions. or you can drain it. there is a petcock on either side of the block that needs drained and 1 on each exhaust manifold that needs drained. then I take the lower hoses loose and the main hose going to the water pump on the motor just to be safe.
sherman


----------



## vib-E (Jun 21, 2015)

Got it done.drained block.plug on each side.and manifoldsactualy there was 3 plugs on each manifolds so i drained them all.unhooked all the lower waterhoses.before i drained i ran rv antifreeze thru engine.so whatever water left behind after draining it should have antifreez mixed with it.fogged the carb...removed plugs sprayed in fogger in each.replaced plugs.hope it all works.


----------



## captk (Mar 13, 2008)

Don't forget the power steering oil 
cooler.


----------



## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

vib-E said:


> Got it done.drained block.plug on each side.and manifoldsactualy there was 3 plugs on each manifolds so i drained them all.unhooked all the lower waterhoses.before i drained i ran rv antifreeze thru engine.so whatever water left behind after draining it should have antifreez mixed with it.fogged the carb...removed plugs sprayed in fogger in each.replaced plugs.hope it all works.


you should be good to go. sounds like you didn't take any chances.

the manifolds on my 86 228 hp only had 1 drain plug in the back of them. sorry if I mislead you.
sherman


----------



## vib-E (Jun 21, 2015)

sherman51 said:


> you should be good to go. sounds like you didn't take any chances.
> 
> the manifolds on my 86 228 hp only had 1 drain plug in the back of them. sorry if I mislead you.
> sherman


Mine had 3 plugs on each side.didnt see any others.ill double check.


----------



## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

I'm not familiar with the motor, but if you have an outdrive, you need to change the fluid in the outdrive or at least pull the bottom plug and make sure no water comes out. If there is water in the outdrive and you don't catch it, it can crack.


----------



## vib-E (Jun 21, 2015)

Misdirection said:


> I'm not familiar with the motor, but if you have an outdrive, you need to change the fluid in the outdrive or at least pull the bottom plug and make sure no water comes out. If there is water in the outdrive and you don't catch it, it can crack.


Yes.i drained the outdrive.i think.pulled the plug on bottom of lower unit.no water was in it.im familiar with outboards but the inboards r new to me.


----------



## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

The lower unit of the drive is no different than the lower of an outboard.

My cooling system was a basic raw water cooling... I always subscribed to the "dry" method of winterizing. Drain the block, manifolds and pull the hose on the recirculating pump. Any pockets of water left won't hurt anything, however adding antifreeze could get diluted and that could be problems. In addition, which one of you would drink the pink antifreeze? Look at how many gallons are being put back into the water shed in the spring when all these boats come back to life.


----------



## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

KaGee said:


> The lower unit of the drive is no different than the lower of an outboard.
> 
> My cooling system was a basic raw water cooling... I always subscribed to the "dry" method of winterizing. Drain the block, manifolds and pull the hose on the recirculating pump. Any pockets of water left won't hurt anything, however adding antifreeze could get diluted and that could be problems. In addition, which one of you would drink the pink antifreeze? Look at how many gallons are being put back into the water shed in the spring when all these boats come back to life.


the pink rv antifreeze is non toxic but I wouldn't want to drink it from the jug. but after winterizing a rv there is going to be some residue left in the lines. it would be well diluted but if you use the water in the motorhome for drinking or cooking or making coffee your going to be drinking some rv antifreeze.

I don't use rv antifreeze to winterize my boat. but I always run my motor at home on a set of muffs before taking it to a lake. I recommend to anyone to run there motor and go through the gears at home just to make sure there's no problems before going boating. it really sucks to get to the lake and launch the boat just to find you have a problem.

we made a trip to erie many yrs ago right after I started running a boat with a mercruiser. when I parked the boat that fall everything was just fine. we launched the boat and went to put it in reverse and the motor died. every time we tried to go in reverse the motor died. we put the boat in the shop and they finely got around to adjusting the shift cable. but after a couple of trips out it started doing the same thing again. so we did the rest of our fishing without reverse. when I got home I had a new shift cable installed. they told me that sometimes during storage the old cable would stretch. so now I always run the motor and shift the gears before using the boat.
sherman


----------



## vib-E (Jun 21, 2015)

sherman51 said:


> the pink rv antifreeze is non toxic but I wouldn't want to drink it from the jug. but after winterizing a rv there is going to be some residue left in the lines. it would be well diluted but if you use the water in the motorhome for drinking or cooking or making coffee your going to be drinking some rv antifreeze.
> 
> I don't use rv antifreeze to winterize my boat. but I always run my motor at home on a set of muffs before taking it to a lake. I recommend to anyone to run there motor and go through the gears at home just to make sure there's no problems before going boating. it really sucks to get to the lake and launch the boat just to find you have a problem.
> 
> ...


Yeah very true sherman.who jumps in there boat for the first time at the start of the season and just heads to the lake?figured its a normal thing to check make sure it all operates as should.then again i never owned a brand new boat...lol


----------



## firemanmike2127 (Mar 17, 2013)

As was previously mentioned, if your boat is equipped with power steering the P/S oil cooler should be drained also. The raw water comes from the lower unit & passes through the cooler first, before entering the thermostat housing. Most early Mercruisers weren't equipped with a drain plug, so you'll probably have to disconnect the water supply hose & either blow through the hose or just tilt the cooler to properly drain it. When draining the block, manifolds, & exhaust risers (6 plugs in total) I always use a small screwdriver to keep the rust scale from obstructing the drain hole, which can allow water to be trapped in the cooling passages. Additionally, I always add a small quantity of RV antifreeze to the block & manifolds to mix with any residual water. Ethanol blend Stabil or Startron stabilizer added to a full tank of fuel is an excellent idea also (I run it year round in all my arine engines). Mike Bruns


----------



## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

vib-E said:


> Yeah very true sherman.who jumps in there boat for the first time at the start of the season and just heads to the lake?/QUOTE]
> 
> Raises his hand......


----------



## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

vib-E said:


> Yeah very true sherman.who jumps in there boat for the first time at the start of the season and just heads to the lake?figured its a normal thing to check make sure it all operates as should.then again i never owned a brand new boat...lol


Never spent much time around a marina in the spring have ya?


----------



## vib-E (Jun 21, 2015)

firemanmike2127 said:


> As was previously mentioned, if your boat is equipped with power steering the P/S oil cooler should be drained also. The raw water comes from the lower unit & passes through the cooler first, before entering the thermostat housing. Most early Mercruisers weren't equipped with a drain plug, so you'll probably have to disconnect the water supply hose & either blow through the hose or just tilt the cooler to properly drain it. When draining the block, manifolds, & exhaust risers (6 plugs in total) I always use a small screwdriver to keep the rust scale from obstructing the drain hole, which can allow water to be trapped in the cooling passages. Additionally, I always add a small quantity of RV antifreeze to the block & manifolds to mix with any residual water. Ethanol blend Stabil or Startron stabilizer added to a full tank of fuel is an excellent idea also (I run it year round in all my arine engines). Mike Bruns


Appreciate it mike!!


----------

