D3 engine running ,flushing, on the trailer

[BB marine]

Trying to level the boat in the drive




When it was time to winterize and change the oil this fall I brought the boat to our house and had it in the driveway. Now it's time to run the engine. Our driveway has a grade to it so taking the hose and putting it in the strainer and relying on all extra water to just go out the drain plug wasn't going to work. So I made this.


It is one of my old sterndrive flushing muffs. I slid the one side off, bent the rod into a hook. Now I just put the rod in between two fins on the water pickup on the bottom, slide the muff tight to the bottom turn the water on at the spigot. Start the engine and its just like being in the water. The water pressure blows out around the muff when the engine is off and when the engine is running the pump picks up needed water for pumping. I ran the engine for 20 minutes to get good temperature for changing the oil. Shut the engine down let it sit for a few minutes check my oil level on dipstick ( on a slight grade) measured it and sucked the oil out , filled , started it back up, worked great. I then used two small plastic kiddy pools under $15.00 for two of them one under the boat at thru hull and one under exhaust outlet. One small 110V pump with a garden hose attached 5 gallons of 100 below propylene glycol in the pool, plug in the pump start the engine, run the engine until I don't see antifreeze coming into the sea strainer shut it down. The engine is flushed and winterized. The anti-freeze that came out of the exhaust is still good for 50 below so I pumped it into a container and will use it again next year. The 2 pools were 36" diameter and one fits into the other for easy storage. It took longer this year because I had to get everything together but next year the flushing ,winterizing will take 20 minutes. The 20 minutes doesn't include oil change ,fuel filters, transmission, and water system winterize :shock:
Brian Brown
Cutwater 26
PORT-A-GEE

 

[NorthernFocus]

All great ideas, Brian. The kiddie pools never occurred to me for catching the antifreeze.

Where did you get the gadget on the rod for holding the cup against the inlet on bottom of the boat. Did you make that or is it something readily available?

 

[BB marine]

Part Number: 44357Q2 Mercruiser flushing attachment. I had one in my tool box, slid the blank half off the rod, then bent the rod to form the hook. Worked good.
Brian Brown
Cutwater 26
PORT-A-GEE

 

[NorthernFocus]

Part Number: 44357Q2 Mercruiser flushing attachment. I had one in my tool box, slid the blank half off the rod, then bent the rod to form the hook. Worked good.
Brian Brown
Cutwater 26
PORT-A-GEE

OK I see it now. Hadn't seen that design before. Or hadn't paid attention at least.