[Public-List] Questions about wintering an atomic 4 engine

[Michael Connolly]

Hi David,
The pink antifreeze George is talking about is available at Menard's in T.C.  It is what rv'ers use to winterize their heads and water systems.
George has got it covered for you.  My Alberg has the original cast iron muffler which has a drain cock on it, so that must be opened as well.  With Georges technique all in the system should end up with antifreeze in it.
After the addition of the pink stuff you can then open up the coocks and leave the hose off.   I don't know what you mean about the three plugs in the side of the engine.  The "hubbard" plugs are freeze plugs and should stay in place. They are in strategic locations so if water freezes in the engine they are supposed to pop out and save the block from damage.  They many times don't function as intended.

Winterizing the Atomic 4 should take about an hours time, plus materials which are almost nothing, maybe $12.00  So if this guy is charging you more than about $60 for the work you are being screwed my friend.
Michael #133
> On 05/13/2024 2:03 PM EDT George Dinwiddie via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
>  
> David,
> 
> There are two basic ways to winterize the engine:
>   1. Drain every bit of water from it, &
>   2. Fill the water passages with an antifreeze solution.
> 
> I used to do #1, but found that to be more work. Now I simply
>   1. Warm up the engine so the thermostat lets water flow through the head,
>   2. Stop it and move the intake hose from the through-hull to a bottle 
> of pink non-poisonous antifreeze,
>   3. Start the engine again and run 2 gallons of antifreeze through so 
> pink stuff comes out the exhaust.
> 
> Taking out plugs is part of the "drain every bit of water" path.
> 
> A T-fitting simplifies the antifreeze intake a little, but if I'm hauled 
> out I want the hose off the through-hull (which I leave open in case 
> rain gets below), anyway.
> 
> There are other things you can do, such as squirt a little Marvel 
> Mystery Oil into the spark plug holes to keep things lubricated. Some 
> people "fog the engine" but that seems a bit more complicated to me.
> 
>   - George
> 
> 
> On 5/13/24 11:03 AM, David Terrell via Public-List wrote:
> >     I have some questions about winterizing the atomic 4 engine.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >      1. How long should it take?
> >      2. Do you have to warm the engine up to winterize the engine?
> >      3. Do you have to take out the 3 "plugs" on the sides of the engine?
> >      4. Is having the t fitting absolutely necessary to winterize the
> >         engine?
> > 
> >     I am asking these questions because I suspect the person who is
> >     winterizing the engine is overcharging me  - a lot.
> > 
> >     Thanks for your consideration
> > 
> >     David 432.
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> 
> -- 
>   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>    When I remember bygone days                         George Dinwiddie
>    I think how evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
>    So many I loved were not yet dead,           http://www.Alberg30.org
>    So many I love were not yet born.                          also see:
>                 'The Middle' by Ogden Nash     http://idiacomputing.com
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> 
> 
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