I have been pinking my 1985 Chris Craft for 35 years and always fill with pink through the drive after warm up with water then drain, then pink. You should not leave this plugs out as you will introduce moisture into the block and will create rust. The point of filling and leaving pink in is a rust inhibitor without air.
Thanks! Looks like a great way to handle the block protection. I previously would warm the engine with muffs and clean water. Once warm, feed pink into the muffs via barrel and hose configuration. When pink ran out very dark, several gallons later, shut it down and call it done. This makes more sense and uses far less product.
Thank you! You mean my method uses less product correct? The warm up and pump through method is very easy and not as labour intensive! However leave a jug of that stuff out at -40 and look at it! It has froze before and that is why i drain and pour this through as a precaution.
Thanks man. My dad has the exact same engine on his 2002 Chaparral. We put the plugs back in and hook the hose backup because he keeps his in a barn and we were afraid of mice or insects getting in there. That was simple. 20 mins tops.
My boat has a merc mag350 mpi…. With a heater… i disconnect hoses at heater and use my dewalt blower to blow water back through block while drain plugs are out. And leave them disconnected as well. Its about 10 extra mins but saves me $200+. I plan to add a strainer to my lake water intake this spring- one with a hose flush port on it. I am not really a fan of the fake a lake plunger thing. But since my water first passes through the vdrive… i kinda want to make sure it gets pink as well.
They are good filters. Never had an issue. There is the 51069 and if you have room you can also fit a 51061 it is longer and may provide more filtration.
Thanks for the great video. Super helpful! I do have one quick question…when I did this on my boat all went exactly like the video except that antifreeze only came out the side with two plugs. The other side had no pink fluid come through. Does that mean I have an issue with my engine?
It does not mean you have an issue. I would poke in the hole on the other side . It likely is plugged and this is why i throw the antifreeze through to be sure it is not plugged and you can visually see it.
I have an older 5.7. Not sure if it has those plugs. Is there a benefit for either running a 5 gallon tank of antifreeze through the sterndrive or dumping it into the heater hoses. Ive seen both ways done. Of course I like the easy approach to doing it. Figure I would get your opinion on it?
I have almost the same exact motor but my alternator is in the way of the hose on the left side and won’t come off, it won’t even budge a bit because it’s already up against the alternator. Do I have to remove the alternator and if I do, is that a big deal to remove??
I have had those before. You should be able to get the hose off. I have never had to take off an alternator. Try and get a pic or a small flat blade screwdriver in behind the hose to break it free.
Can you tell me why you don’t run the motor until the thermostat opens up and then have a way of running the antifreeze through the system? Also what is your reasoning with not putting the drain plugs back in so the antifreeze wouldn’t just drain out. Doesn’t seem like this method would work at all. You’re kind of defeating the whole purpose of having antifreeze in your block and manifolds.
I see lots of people just flushing coolant through and not leaving it in. Mercruiser/Mercury recommends to keep it in.. what is best? Has anyone had a block Crack with good coolant fill? I have the 5.0...
Hey Justin, I am a licensed mechanic and that is what i do. However every mechanic differs and i’m not saying my way is the best. However every single one of my teachers in trade school said to leave them dry. That is why i do it this way.
This is a good technique but probably wont work for most mercruisers with bravo drives that have the seawater pump located in the engine compartment. Its a low spot in the system with no drain (not sure why mercury didnt put a drain plug there also) The only practical way that i know of to handle those situations is to flush with antifreeze.
hi please I need your help.. so I started the boat yesterday for 10 minutes with the outter unit was all the way up and today when I went out on the lake the boat overheated and smoke came out from engine. the temp was up to 200! do you think when I started the boat a day before with the outer unit all the way up (with the water hoes connected) you think the water pump impeller got burned? sorry for my English please help me
I noticed on all the videos I see they pull the therostat hose off the left side and do what you did. If you pulled out the right side would that not work?
I can’t reach the starboard side petcock, so can I successfully drain the block by opening only the port side petcock? And on the port side, what is the 3rd plug you pulled, the lowest one?
You mentioned that "newer" Mercruisers don't have issues with internal rust. How old is old? I'm looking at a 2001, and I'm doing my research. What year is the one in the video?
Ive recently heard people asking about running the engines to open the thermostat. If I follow your directions exactly as described in your video, I shouldnt have any concerns about the pink getting around the thermostat. Is that right?
It is up to you. Some guys do and some don’t. For one winter i don’t. I believe the oil does more harm then good on the intake side and gums up the carb.
Been looking at moving to a bigger boat with a 350 from my evinrude etec outboard. This is making me rethink just such a bigger pain in the ass. The etec automatically fogs itself and shuts itself off when complete. This just looks like such a mess. Pissing anti freeze/water all over. Great video tho appreciated it
Great video man. For whatever reason on my boat, that bottom cool fuel plug you pull at 1:25 is situated in a way where no human hand on earth can get to it. I’m assuming it’s the same effect if I just get pull that whole hose?
Thanks Bro...Just did mine for the first time, but wanted to confirm i did it right..First i drained the water, then reinstalled plugs, then put 3 gal of -50 Rv Marine, and confirmed it came out the lower end as well..Then reinstalled plugs, pour another gallon in and redrained..Overkill im thinking now..The cool fuel hose you named..I had no plug there so i undid the clamp and pull the hose, then put it back on..Will that be ok?
Hey, so the Anti freeze is a visual aid. There is low spots caused by rust sometimes. I have poured it in to see if it comes out and had none come out. This allows you to poke at the holes and have the antifreeze flush the rust out. In a perfect world with no rust and debris it wouldn’t be necessary. It still isn’t if you choose not to put any in. It’s your choice.
I have been pinking my 1985 Chris Craft for 35 years and always fill with pink through the drive after warm up with water then drain, then pink. You should not leave this plugs out as you will introduce moisture into the block and will create rust. The point of filling and leaving pink in is a rust inhibitor without air.
Thanks! Looks like a great way to handle the block protection. I previously would warm the engine with muffs and clean water. Once warm, feed pink into the muffs via barrel and hose configuration. When pink ran out very dark, several gallons later, shut it down and call it done. This makes more sense and uses far less product.
Thank you! You mean my method uses less product correct? The warm up and pump through method is very easy and not as labour intensive! However leave a jug of that stuff out at -40 and look at it! It has froze before and that is why i drain and pour this through as a precaution.
Thanks man. My dad has the exact same engine on his 2002 Chaparral. We put the plugs back in and hook the hose backup because he keeps his in a barn and we were afraid of mice or insects getting in there. That was simple. 20 mins tops.
My boat has a merc mag350 mpi…. With a heater… i disconnect hoses at heater and use my dewalt blower to blow water back through block while drain plugs are out. And leave them disconnected as well. Its about 10 extra mins but saves me $200+. I plan to add a strainer to my lake water intake this spring- one with a hose flush port on it. I am not really a fan of the fake a lake plunger thing. But since my water first passes through the vdrive… i kinda want to make sure it gets pink as well.
Glad I watched your video otherwise I would have one freeze plug. Thank you!
Love the Napa Gold oil filter. I use them on my Merc 5.0 way better than Mercury and Quicksilver.
They are good filters. Never had an issue. There is the 51069 and if you have room you can also fit a 51061 it is longer and may provide more filtration.
They’re made by WIX , if I recall correctly .
What year did they start having cool fuel?
Thanks for the great video. Super helpful! I do have one quick question…when I did this on my boat all went exactly like the video except that antifreeze only came out the side with two plugs. The other side had no pink fluid come through. Does that mean I have an issue with my engine?
It does not mean you have an issue. I would poke in the hole on the other side . It likely is plugged and this is why i throw the antifreeze through to be sure it is not plugged and you can visually see it.
I have an older 5.7. Not sure if it has those plugs. Is there a benefit for either running a 5 gallon tank of antifreeze through the sterndrive or dumping it into the heater hoses. Ive seen both ways done. Of course I like the easy approach to doing it. Figure I would get your opinion on it?
I have almost the same exact motor but my alternator is in the way of the hose on the left side and won’t come off, it won’t even budge a bit because it’s already up against the alternator. Do I have to remove the alternator and if I do, is that a big deal to remove??
I have had those before. You should be able to get the hose off. I have never had to take off an alternator. Try and get a pic or a small flat blade screwdriver in behind the hose to break it free.
Great job man. I have a 2001 Stingray 220LX with a 5.7L EFI engine. Do you drain the anti freeze out after filling it?
Hey Ray, yes just pour through like i do and let it run out.
Can you tell me why you don’t run the motor until the thermostat opens up and then have a way of running the antifreeze through the system? Also what is your reasoning with not putting the drain plugs back in so the antifreeze wouldn’t just drain out. Doesn’t seem like this method would work at all. You’re kind of defeating the whole purpose of having antifreeze in your block and manifolds.
Great job thank you . i have same engine in my sea ray do i have to put some fogging oil in the injector please ?
Thank you
I see lots of people just flushing coolant through and not leaving it in. Mercruiser/Mercury recommends to keep it in.. what is best? Has anyone had a block Crack with good coolant fill? I have the 5.0...
Hey Justin, I am a licensed mechanic and that is what i do. However every mechanic differs and i’m not saying my way is the best. However every single one of my teachers in trade school said to leave them dry. That is why i do it this way.
@@Schneids15 thank you. I appreciate your response. I am just going to drain the coolant and put my plugs back in..
I drain like he did then fill with -100 blue marine .
This is a good technique but probably wont work for most mercruisers with bravo drives that have the seawater pump located in the engine compartment. Its a low spot in the system with no drain (not sure why mercury didnt put a drain plug there also) The only practical way that i know of to handle those situations is to flush with antifreeze.
Hey Dave, correct yes. Sorry i have Alpha in my other titles but forgot in this one. On the newer Bravo’s they do have drain plugs thankfully.
hi please I need your help.. so I started the boat yesterday for 10 minutes with the outter unit was all the way up and today when I went out on the lake the boat overheated and smoke came out from engine. the temp was up to 200! do you think when I started the boat a day before with the outer unit all the way up (with the water hoes connected) you think the water pump impeller got burned? sorry for my English
please help me
At the 1:25 mark, what was that plug? The cool fuel? Not familiar with that one.
I noticed on all the videos I see they pull the therostat hose off the left side and do what you did. If you pulled out the right side would that not work?
I can’t reach the starboard side petcock, so can I successfully drain the block by opening only the port side petcock?
And on the port side, what is the 3rd plug you pulled, the lowest one?
You mentioned that "newer" Mercruisers don't have issues with internal rust. How old is old? I'm looking at a 2001, and I'm doing my research. What year is the one in the video?
Hey, so essentially they all rust. The thing is with ‘newer’ models the rust hasn’t developed yet and there is not issues. A 2001 is not bad.
I have twin 2001 350's approx 700 hours. Both needed a head job this season. FYI
Ive recently heard people asking about running the engines to open the thermostat. If I follow your directions exactly as described in your video, I shouldnt have any concerns about the pink getting around the thermostat. Is that right?
How can I tell if my power steering needs drainaged? I have a 2001 Sea Ray 240 with this 5.7 mercruiser engine.
Do you have to put fog oil in or no?
It is up to you. Some guys do and some don’t. For one winter i don’t. I believe the oil does more harm then good on the intake side and gums up the carb.
Been looking at moving to a bigger boat with a 350 from my evinrude etec outboard. This is making me rethink just such a bigger pain in the ass. The etec automatically fogs itself and shuts itself off when complete. This just looks like such a mess. Pissing anti freeze/water all over. Great video tho appreciated it
Wouldn't happen to have a carburetor for a King Quad 300 would you?
What about the power steering cooler and water pump
Water pump drains when large hose pulled from front. Power steering cooler on this model mounted up high and drains from gravity
Great video man. For whatever reason on my boat, that bottom cool fuel plug you pull at 1:25 is situated in a way where no human hand on earth can get to it. I’m assuming it’s the same effect if I just get pull that whole hose?
Mine was the same way on my 1998 regal. I used a winger and a flat head to
Get it loose. We will see next year how hard it is to get back on!
Pull out 4 blue plugs and that gets all the water out?
5 I believe
wouldn't you put plugs back in and fill it up?????
You could. The antifreeze is just a precaution. I like to leave them empty. Some people do fill them. However just how i was taught in trade school.
Good video!
Thanks Craig
Thanks Bro...Just did mine for the first time, but wanted to confirm i did it right..First i drained the water, then reinstalled plugs, then put 3 gal of -50 Rv Marine, and confirmed it came out the lower end as well..Then reinstalled plugs, pour another gallon in and redrained..Overkill im thinking now..The cool fuel hose you named..I had no plug there so i undid the clamp and pull the hose, then put it back on..Will that be ok?
Why would you put anti freeze in an engine that has no water left in it? Makes no sense.
Hey, so the Anti freeze is a visual aid. There is low spots caused by rust sometimes. I have poured it in to see if it comes out and had none come out. This allows you to poke at the holes and have the antifreeze flush the rust out. In a perfect world with no rust and debris it wouldn’t be necessary. It still isn’t if you choose not to put any in. It’s your choice.
On my 9 year 5.0 MPI, I have never fogged the engine. To fog or not to fog, I just don’t know.
Yep. I never fog the MPI stuff. Oil on all the sensors and injectors is not good for run ability in my opinion.
Much better
Hi, what about the out drive? Anything to do there?
Make sure no water has got in due to a bad seal. Otherwise drain and refill the fluid is recommended
@@Schneids15 Wouldn't there at least be some water trapped around or above the impeller?