'07 24Ve - anyone have any experience with engine compartment heaters in V-drives? I live in central TX and I'd really like to be able to use the boat in the winter, but not have to winterize it after each use. Is it safe to use any space heater or do I need to get one of those $350 special heaters? Thanks for any feedback.
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We used to ride year round here in NC with our 22Ve and it takes literly 10 minutes to pull the plugs abd drain the block. I used to do it right there on the ramp after each winter trip out.
For times when I didnt feel like draining, I used an electric heater with a ceramic core ( $30 at Target) set down in the v-drive locker with the compartment divider pulled out. I did this only cause the boat was parked right here at the house.Mikes Liquid Audio: Knowledge Experience Customer Service you can trust-KICKER WetSounds ACME props FlyHigh Custom Ballast Clarion LiquidLumens LEDs Roswell Wave Deflector And More -
I know its peace of mind but does it really get that cold in Tx ? It would have to be well into 20's F for a few days before freezing a engine. If its that cold you wont be going out anyway right.Comment
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It gets into the low teens at least a couple of times each winter. I've seen it below zero before. I've also had both manifolds crack on a Glastron here in the 1980's due to neglect ($2,400 back then) so I am very paranoid. I am a bit insecure about trusting an $8,000 engine to a $30 heater and also the fire hazard. I live on a lake and keep the boat on my lift. A short ride each two weeks or so is good for the engine but it is sure a nuisance to take the 30 minutes to winterize it each time.
Thanks, guys for your ideas.Comment
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We hit 9 degrees in Austin last year. Even snowed a bit. It's definitely not like when I lived in Ohio or Colorado but it's enough to be annoying and enough to not make up for the summers. It will routinely get into the upper teens/low 20's overnight in the hills west of Austin. Popped a couple of freeze plugs on my 85 ski supreme last winter.Comment
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For a few hundred $'s you can get marine rated engine bay heaters. Xtreme Marine Heaters is one http://www.xtremeheaters.com/Originally posted by dherbert View PostMikes Liquid Audio: Knowledge Experience Customer Service you can trust-KICKER WetSounds ACME props FlyHigh Custom Ballast Clarion LiquidLumens LEDs Roswell Wave Deflector And MoreComment
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hmm..has this ever been done or is it possible. I am orginally from Alaska. It's funny when people come there and ask are the all the cars and truck here electric? They ask this because they all have electric cords sticking out the front. I always got a kick out of that question.
Anyway, those plugs are for the Battery Blanket, Core heater, and Oil Pan Heater. The batter blanket is obvious. The Core heater goes in place of one of the freeze plugs on the engine block. And the oil pan heater is litterally a flat piece of rubber that has electical wire in it that glues on to the oil pan...could these be put on the bottom of the areas that have oil? It might sound crazy to those of you that aren't familiar to this kind of thing but it is tried and true in Alaska. If you buy a car from a dealership up there, it comes with the "cold weather package".
You leave your car plugged at night. You go to bed and then about 30 minutes before you go, you turn on the switch to get things warmed up. You do this when it only gets to -10 or -15 below zero. But if it is colder than that, then you leave it turned on all night. When you get in your vehicle, the engine is warm and good to go.
What about doing something like this?Last edited by embo; 10-18-2010, 02:30 AM.Comment
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If you keep the boat on the lift your best bet is to watch the weather forecast and anytime it's forecast to get freezing, lower the boat into the water overnight. The warm water will keep the engine parts warmer than freezing. I kept my old boat in the water all year round in Lake Amistad, no problems with the engine blocks or manifolds freezing.Originally posted by dherbert View Post2009 RZ2, PCM 343, MLA Surf Ballast, Premium Sound.
2013 Toyota Sequoia 4WD W/Timbren SESComment
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The biggest danger with any electric heating system (a 100 watt light bulb will keep the engine from freezing) is the loss of electrical power. Get a severe ice storm with snapped power lines and all your attempts at preventing freezing would be for nothing.
Drain the block and manifolds each time your are done for the day in the winter. It will be time well spent.Ray Thompson
2005 22VComment
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30 minutes? You must have easier access to things like block plugs than on my engine. With all the hoses, harnesses, etc. running next to my knock sensors/block plugs it takes me a good 15 minutes just to get THOSE out. The exhaust system's four plugs aren't bad, but that still leaves the water pump's plug and the transmission cooler hose and the v-drive plug.Originally posted by dherbert View PostComment
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I keep our boat on Lake Travis year round on a lift and it gets cold enough to crack the block! This was an expensive lesson in winterization.Originally posted by KonaKing View Post
You can bet I'll be draining the water from my block this winter...
MikeComment
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How does the various products mentioned on the list compare, and which one can be said to be the best?
https://11must.com/best-baseboard-heaters/Comment
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I live in Austin and use the Xtreme heater in the winter
1) the point about losing power is key. You don’t want to lose power
2) I watch the forecast pretty closely. If it’s going to be below 28 or so for more then 48 hrs I pull the plugs anyways just to be sure. Note, the guy before me never ever did this and used the heater for 5+ years without issue
3) I keep my boat on a lift with the rudder just clearing the water. keep in mind that it’s. A little warmer there then say in your driveway due to water temp
Needless to say, the heater keeps my season going well into December with no issue. By January I will probably have drained the engine and let her sit until March, then back to the heater as a safety net
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