Pickling diesel for the winter R/V antifreeze or regular antifreeze?

[steveinak]

Brought my boat home the other day and now i've got to deside what antifreeze to use to pickle the engine for the winter. We get down to 30 below zero around here in the winter and i've always used regular(green) antifreeze run through the engine cooling system but this year i thought i'd try the pink non toxic R/V antifreeze so i bought some of the 50 below stuff, put one jug in the freezer and this morning its slush at 15 below. So what do you think use the pink or am i better off with the green.

 

[Raider Ronnie]

I pull the strainer, close the sea cock, run with fresh water for a good long time to give it a flush of the salt, then run it on auto (green) anti freeze while hanging a 5 gal bucket on the exhaust, both to re use and avoid spilling on the ground in my yard, as that fills swap 5 gal buckets to re use.
This year I added a big muffler to the boat so I guess I need to use extra caution & antifreeze.
The back of the muffler has a drain at the bottom so will drain after running on fresh water to make sure to get all water out and avoid freezing.
Usually dump the pink rv stuff into toilet, tank and all pumps & hoses I can.

 

[El Mar]

We have always used green automotive anti freeze in our Detroits.

The green stuff has rust inhibitors in it, depending on brand, the pink don't.

 

[CEShawn]

Great subject matter.

I've been using the Purple -60F at West Marine. I like it because its nontoxic and has protection for metals in it. It also is cheaper at something like $5.99 a gallon after the rebate. Isn't most antifreeze like $10 even at Walmart a gallon?

There is some great misunderstanding of all this with the temps they give you when that -60 doesn't mean your good to all that way but just in regards to burst protection. What does regular antifreeze give it to, -100F maybe, not sure.

Still though I find it funny people try to save money on antifreeze in regards to skimping on it when doing a system.

With that -15 temp though, damn very cold. Regular 50/50 freezes at -34F right, do you do anything to your coolant in the engine or are you running different than 50/50?

 

[BillD]

Alaska Temps !!!

Steve, your call up there in Alaska, gets dam cold up there!!
I use the 50/50 RV, about 3 gallons for each 6BTA 370.

As you know, down here MA/NH coast, the temp rarely gets below minus 5F or minus 10F.

I believe you can buy -100F RV stuff

 

[steveinak]

Great subject matter.

I've been using the Purple -60F at West Marine. I like it because its nontoxic and has protection for metals in it. It also is cheaper at something like $5.99 a gallon after the rebate. Isn't most antifreeze like $10 even at Walmart a gallon?

There is some great misunderstanding of all this with the temps they give you when that -60 doesn't mean your good to all that way but just in regards to burst protection. What does regular antifreeze give it to, -100F maybe, not sure.

Still though I find it funny people try to save money on antifreeze in regards to skimping on it when doing a system.

With that -15 temp though, damn very cold. Regular 50/50 freezes at -34F right, do you do anything to your coolant in the engine or are you running different than 50/50?

I think i'm going to do what i always did and use the green cut 50/50. I've checked on my old boat when it was 20 below out and the green was still liquid. You've got to remember that the 5.99 stuff you guys get is probably 8-10.99 here due to the freight robbers. I paid 4.89/gal for the 50 below pink stuff at walmart here don't know what you guys can get it for. Regular green antifreeze was $11.11 at walmart here.
We get a lot of -10 to -15 weather here and sometimes it lasts for weeks, coldest i've seen here was -45 but only lasted a few days then it warmed up to -25!!
In the block of the old boat i used 50/50 mix and always pickled the cooling system with 50/50 green, that rig had a 41P Volvo in it.
My old rig a 28x11 Buffalo bowpicker had 5200/hrs on the engine when i sold it this spring.

Heading for the tender with a load of salmon aboard

 

[steveinak]

So i decided to go with the old stand by regular green anti freeze, mixed up 3gals of green to about 2 gal of water. I also didn't want to waste a gallon or more just filling up the sea strainer so i pulled the hose off the raw water pump and made up a fitting with some hose on it so i could suck the antifreeze solution right out of the bucket. Drained the sea strainers and poured some of the pink -50 in the bottoms of them.

 

[CaptDave]

Steve,

Don't most of those bow pickers haul out for the winter, ask one of those guys what works for them. I am sure you will be OK the way you were planning on.

Dave

 

[steveinak]

Steve,

Don't most of those bow pickers haul out for the winter, ask one of those guys what works for them. I am sure you will be OK the way you were planning on.

Dave

Yeah i know i owned the Deception in the pictures for 20 years! Sold it this spring and replaced it with my 29 H&H w/300hp 6068JD in it.