Winterizing V drive
 

Hi guys,
Wife and I bought a new to us boat this year. Im pretty handy so I dont want to pay someone to winterize the boat for the season. I have drained the engine block and poured in some anti-freeze but am having trouble with the V drive itself. Its a 2004 MB sports B52 with a Hurth ZF 63 IV tranmission. Do I need to drain the V drive? Is there water in that, or just the engine block? And if so, does anyone know where the drain plug is? Ive been looking online all day and havent found anything. Thanks. Oh, its raw water cooled, I dont know if that makes a difference or not.

If you drained the engine properly, more than likely the v-drive won't have any water in it. There is a square metal plug at the top of the unit (assuming it is a Velvet drive) that you can unscrew and see if any water comes out. It should be near the large black hose that goes into the v-drive. Good luck.

It is not a velvet, it is a Hurth 63 lV. You do nothing to the v-drive, except ensure you have no water in the fluid. If you have any corrosion on the shift mechanism, just spray some WD-40 or protectant on it. Most of them look brand new for a long time. If you had water in the fluid to cloud it, change it. As well, if it is time for a filter or fluid change , use a suction device to drain the transmission. If you are going to replace the fluid, you can do this from the filter housing or the filler neck. Read the identical post lower down in this section.