Winterizing Twin Crusaders Model 270

[pguibord]

Hello to All!

I have a 1981 AFT Cabin Model 3007 with twin crusader model 270 engines and its time to winterize them. I was reading online and most links state (non crusader 270's) that there are 2 fresh water drain plugs on the engine, one on each side of the block. I went to my local service store and they pulled the engine up on the computer and they stated that there is only one drain plug in the block. Does anyone know for sure and any tips and suggestions for winterizing these engines would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Paul

[km1125]

I would bet there are two on the block... one on each side located just above the oil pan.

There are a whole lot more on the engine though. Is your system fresh water cooled or raw water cooled? If fresh water, you don't need to drain the block (if it has the appropriate antifreeze). If it is raw, then you either need to ingest enough antifreeze to fill the whole system, or drain it. In addition to the drain plugs in the block, there could be two or three on the manifolds and risers, two on the raw water pump and one or two on the oil coolers. I usually ingest enough to completely fill the raw water pump and oil coolers, but maybe not enough to get through all the manifolds and block, so I also drain those just to be safe. My friends just ingest more antifreeze and hopes it is enough...they never pull the plugs.

[pguibord]

KM, thank you for the quick reply! It is a raw water system, it pulls water directly from the lake for cooling. Let's take a count:

Water Pump = 2 (could only find 1)
Oil cooler = 1 (that's all I could find)
Exhaust manifold = 1 (according to the service center I spoke with)
Engine block = 1 (according to the service center I spoke with)

Also I was just speaking to a friend at the doc and he mentioned there might be a water drain plug on the transmission? I reached down there and felt around and could not locate one. He said his has one which are not Crusader model 270's.

I should also note that I am definitely going to disconnect the hose from the main source and pull non toxic anti freeze through the system until pink comes out of the exhaust. I read online the Crusader 270 holds about three gallons.

If anyone could confirm the above and KM's post I truly would appreciate it. The boat is being pulled this coming Monday 8:30 AM.

Thank you,

Paul

[buster53]

Let's do it the easy way. First, remove the T-stat as you never know if it is open or closed.
If you have a Sea strainer, just close the sea cock, open up the strainer, have someone fire up the engine while you pour 3 gallons of AF into the strainer.
No strainer, take the intake hose off, put it in a bucket full of AF, start the engine and let the water pump suck up the AF. 3 gallons and you are done.
No need to open up any drain plugs.

[pguibord]

Thank you buster! Can I use pink AF (-50) or should I use the blue AF (-100)?

[km1125]

Source of the post Thank you buster! Can I use pink AF (-50) or should I use the blue AF (-100)?

There's a whole thread on here discussing the AF and the important take-away from that is there are TWO versions of pink poly antifreeze. The cheaper ones include alcohol, which you do NOT want in your engines. They make a -50, a -60 and a -100 versions of the engine antifreeze and they are all just different concentrations of Polypropylene glycol and water.

I like to use the -60 or -100... just in case there's extra water inside somewhere that dilutes it down.

[km1125]

Just dug out my official Crusader Service Manual for all 1980-1990 engines.

It says there are TWO plugs on the block... one on each side (which makes sense because there is no way to get water from one half of the block to the other, except though the head or water pump, which is not at the lowest point).

There should be one on each manifold and one on each riser (if you have risers). I thought there was two on the water pump but looking at the diagram I only see one - however, in the manual it says there are two. If you have the "U" shaped cooler, then there is only one at the bottom... if you have two coolers (one for engine and one for tranny) then you'd have two - one in each.

Here are some pages from the manual:

draining_block.jpg

crusader_water_diagram.jpg

[km1125]

Also... just because I posted that stuff doesn't mean I'm advocating that you have to drain the system. If you warm the engines up (or remove thermostats) and ingest 3 gallons in each motor then you should be fine. If you want a quick check, just drain the risers to see if they are full of antifreeze.

[pguibord]

Buster, thank you for saving me time!

KM, thank you for backing up Busters post and being so thorough, it truly truly is appreciated! Now I can do this with absolute confidence.

Paul

[RGrew176]

I have the same exact boat. I am going to have the mechanic at my marina winterize my engines and A/C. The rest I can do myself. I will winterize the fresh water system, head and holding tank and the shower sump. I figure if they screw up they will fix the problem come spring.

Could I do the engines myself, probably yes but I feel more secure having the professionals do the job.