New H6 Winterizing....Explain please Jeff!!

[Beg4wake]

Jeff...I just saw this pic posted on Planet Nautique's facebook with a little statement of how easy PCM has made winterizing...



Can you please explain this system?! Maybe a few more pics?! And are these standard on all of the new G's (or at least the ones equipped with the H6?) If so, and if it is all I think it will be, then I am even MORE excited about taking delivery of my new G!

[NautiqueJeff]

These new DI engines are all raw water cooled. No more closed cooling unless specifically ordered as an option. This is because in the past, the block and the heads were dissimilar metals, and REQUIRED closed cooling for that reason. Since everything is aluminum now, they can utilize raw water cooling, which is a better cooling system anyway.

The drain points on the engine and the v-drive all use these blue plugs now. You just follow the diagram in the manual to locate all of the blue drain hoses and plugs, remove them, and store the plugs in this storage location pictured. That way you know you have them all. Super simple, and NO tools needed! The only exception I found is that if you have a heater, you MUST disconnect the red heater lines and blow the water out of the heater core. This is an important step because the heater core is usually the first thing to freeze since the metal is so thin. This requires a small nut driver or a small socket and ratchet.

[scottb7]

Hope they made the blue plugs better then my old runabout (not nautique) from 2006. Cause after few years they break real easy leaving them in the holes and have to cut them out.

[NautiqueJeff]

Yeah, I hope so too. They feel very solid right now, but I guess time will tell.

[Quinner]

That appears to be a really great feature!! Not being at all familiar with this new engine, is there any knock sensors? Any provision for the trans cooler (assuming there is one), perhaps it just drains via the other drain points? Will the strainer drain or does that need to be done separately?

Suppose the only thing you would need to be cautious of is debris slowing/stopping up the drain points, would definitely want to be probing them to ensure good flow.

[Tryathlete]

Definitely have to watch those quick drains for junk. I like to open them all and still pull the bottom u-shaped hose under the rwp and pull the teams oil cooler line and check for water and junk there too. After all that...stored in a heated warehouse!


Sooner or later your toys own you

[Kenv]

Tryathlete...why do you do all that if you are in a "heated warehouse" ?? Does it get cold enough long enough to freeze in a heated building? I see that you are in ILL. Just curious.

[fooseball]

Do you need to look at the fuel/water separator?
I also know people that install the plugs and circulate the system to anti freeze to get water out of any low spots.

One other item on the winterization. I will also be changing the engine oil. I see there is an oil drain hose from the pan. There is not a plug in the back of the boat to stick the hose through to drain the oil into a bucket??

[charlesml3]

I see there is an oil drain hose from the pan. There is not a plug in the back of the boat to stick the hose through to drain the oil into a bucket??

Far easier to go with an oil extractor. It's simpler and cleaner. Something like this: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-...23?recordNum=1

Note: Do NOT thread it down the dipstick tube. Many of these engines have a sharp edge somewhere at the bottom of the dipstick tube that will catch the extractor tube and make it nearly impossible to remove. Instead, simply take the cap off the oil drain hose and slide the extractor tube down it.

-Charles

[Quinner]

Tryathlete...why do you do all that if you are in a "heated warehouse" ?? Does it get cold enough long enough to freeze in a heated building? I see that you are in ILL. Just curious.

Ken, apparently he missed your post, so I will answer for him. Building is insulated and heated however not really monitored daily thru the winter, if we are there to work on something perhaps but otherwise sealed up for the winter full of boats and stuff. We keep the Stat at 40deg however if the furnace stopped running or pilot went out chances are the temps inside could dip below freezing. We are in Northern Ill so temps can get way down below freezing at times.

Do you need to look at the fuel/water separator?
I also know people that install the plugs and circulate the system to anti freeze to get water out of any low spots.

One other item on the winterization. I will also be changing the engine oil. I see there is an oil drain hose from the pan. There is not a plug in the back of the boat to stick the hose through to drain the oil into a bucket??

You should at least remove the drain plug from the bottom the get the water out, which will be at the lowest point.
Back filling or sucking up anti freeze is well worth the $15 for 5 gallons of RV coolant IMO to as you mentioned ensure there is no water left anywhere.
You should change the oil/filter and run the engine before layup. You will need a vacuum pump to suck the old oil out, preferably do it with warm-hot oil. Myteevac extractor pump is a good one.

[M3Fan]

Bringing this one back to the top with a new question: When I got my H5 motor the first thing I did was take close look at all the plumbing on it. The H5 and H6 have both a trans cooler and an engine oil cooler, these heat exchangers flank both sides of the oil pan down at the bottom of the engine. The output of the raw water pump goes directly into one of these coolers, then a "U" shaped hose takes it around to the other side of the motor where the other heat exchanger is, then it's out and into the circ pump and the rest of the engine.

Here's the deal: I don't see how these heat exchangers would ever drain as they are literally a low point on the motor that none of these blue plugs address. As such I've been blowing the line out with air from the RW output hose and filling this section with RV antifreeze every year just in case. It's a real PITA knuckle busting job to do, though, so now that these engines have been used since 2016: is this necessary? Has everyone been fine just leaving this part alone?