Method and Device for Winterizing Boat Engines

The present invention has its most important application to winterizing small boat engines quickly and efficiently to prevent engine damage due to cold weather.

Currently, boat engines are generally winterized by removing the plugs in the engine block and manifolds and allowing the engine to drain passively, then replacing the plugs and pouring antifreeze into the manifold until the engine is full of antifreeze. This process takes approximately one hour. Utilizing the invention described herein reduces the time required to winterize a typical engine for a pleasure boat to approximately ten minutes. Furthermore, the system I have devised allows the operator to control the entire process from inside the boat. Methods currently in use require the operator to get in and out of the boat during the process. Finally, the system I have devised may be used to winterize inboard engines as well as outboard engines and inboard/outboard engines without taking the boat out of the water as the entire system can be contained on board the vessel. In short, the system I have devised is quicker, easier, and more efficient than the winterizing systems currently in use.

The winterizing system I have devised first flushes and cleans the engine by forcing a flushing liquid, either water or a chemical cleaner through the engine, then quickly fills the engine with the optimal amount of antifreeze. A "Y" valve is utilized to shift from the flush mode to the fill mode, directing first a flushing liquid, then a measured amount of antifreeze into the engine intake. With the "Y" valve set so as to permit the flushing liquid to flow from its source to the engine intake, the flushing liquid is forced through the engine while the engine is running, flushing and cleaning the engine. The flushing liquid is propelled either by water pressure if the source is a faucet or gravity if the source is a tank of liquid. When the engine has warmed up and is thoroughly flushed, the "Y" valve is closed to the source of flushing liquid and opened to the antifreeze from a bucket or other container, which is situated higher than the engine, typically on the swim platform or stern of the boat. This container holds a pre-measured amount of antifreeze, the exact amount of which will vary according to the size and requirements of different engines. When the "Y" valve is set to permit flow of antifreeze from the bucket to the outdrive intake port, a combination of gravity and the suction created by the outdrive water pump causes the container to empty into the engine. When the container is empty, the engine is completely winterized.

The preferred mode of the invention utilizes a garden hose attached to a faucet, providing fresh water as the flushing liquid. Other sources of fresh water, such as on-board tanks may be utilized, and flushing liquids other than water, such as chemical cleaners may also be utilized. When the system is used in connection with an inboard engine, the intake is accessed by means of a T-valve on the through-hull water pickup hose, rather than by use of flush muffs. The source of the antifreeze in the preferred mode of the invention is simply a five gallon bucket with an outlet in the base, although other containers may be substituted. The hoses through which the antifreeze flows should be made of clear plastic so that it is easy to ascertain when the antifreeze has been fully taken in by the engine. The single valve, "Y" valve and flush muffs are all standard, readily available items.