Quick Winterizing question

[Nikj 2]

I have a 2005 Centurion Lightning with the Mercuriser 350

I pulled 4 blue plugs

Is there any others to get the water drained out of the block

Have to go away for work for a week and can't get it into the shop

Also how are you guys charging your batteries during the winter with the 2 deep cycle batteries in here is there a trickle charger I can set them up on together

Thanks in advance

[Wylie_Tunes 146]

IIRC, the Merc has 6 plugs plus you need to make sure the hoses on the raw water intake is drained, trans and v-drive.

 

For the batteries, the most ideal setup, is a dual bank marine on-board smart charger that mounts in the boat and stays wired to the batteries and can be left plugged in. Next best IMO, is to check and charge the batteries prior to layup and make sure the main battery switch is off. If needed, remove them.

[daz28iroc 73]

I keep my boat in a storage center that doesn't allow batteries to remain onboard.

I bring 'em home, hook 'em together with some short leads and hook up the charger once a month or so just to keep them topped up.

[N8 Froelich 12]

One thing we learned the hard way, granted this was a much older Merc. Is that silt can build in the block drains. When you remove the plug it's a good idea to run a piece of wire inside the hole. Our block froze and cracked one year because of this. In later years when clearing the hole it would be completely blocked and the engine block was full of water until you cleaned the blockage.

[South Shore Marina NJ 99]

Which 4 plugs did you remove? You'll have one on either side of the block, one on each exhaust manifold, two at the raw water pump, and one on the front of the engine at the circulation pump. Also, you may have a vent plug on top of the thermost housing. If you have a heater, pull the hoses and blow out the water. The v drive has a metal drain plug as well. We then run anti-freeze through the engine.

Edited November 28, 2016 by South Shore Marina NJ