I almost cried...
Yeasterday it was finally warm enough to pull the cover off and unwinterize the tow rig. As i lifted up the dog house i saw one of the worst sights a boat owner can see. I was an unusually long and cold winter, and my heart sank as i saw a freezout plug lying in the bilge. So i started prepairing for the worst. Let me give you all the back story: last fall i had to move unexpectedly, and the boat winterization got put off until the last minute. You know, the "oh sh*t its going to snow tomorrow, i better winterize after work" kind of last minute. One of the drain plugs on the block, down by the engine pan, was stripped. No way i was getting it out where the boat was. So i filled the cooling system with antifreeze, ran the engine and sucked up a 5 gallon pale of coolant. Fogged it to shut her down, topped off the coolant, pulled the impeller, hoses and finished up the winterization.
so i Ran down to the Local Napa, bought a new freeze out plug and installed it with a just a dab of rtv to make sure it seals good. reconnected all the hoses and plugs and fired it up. It ran for about 5 mins on ym home made fake a lake, and everything seems ok. No milkshake in the oil, no leaks, no immediate overheating, so i THINK im in the clear. I guess i'll know for sure on the first test drive of the season.
On a side note, I notice A LOT of scale and deposits in the cooling jackets of the engine block when the freeze out plug was out. I cleaned as much out as i could, but theres still a ton in the engine. its also building up in the exhaust manifolds. Does anyone know a good way to flush/clean out the cooling system?
1988 Supra Sun Sport 454 PCM
1972 Olds Cutlass 455
1998 BMW 750il
1996 BMW M3 coupe
1995 Toyota Tacoma 4x4