Preventative Maintenance Tip for Cooling System

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   Another thing we learned over time is never to motor sail with any heel. If you do the BUKH is known to blow it's oil out thru the oil fill/vent cap all over the engine compartment. I see this all the time. Since the engine only hold 1.3 Litres of oil it empties very quickly and you fry your engine. You can see in some boats the engine compartment has what can be described as oil sprayed all over it. This is a good example of this. This happened to me several times before I figured out what was happening. 

Edited by Bill Layton - 01 November 2016 at 8:52am

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Bill Layton Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commodore Joined: 15 September 2002 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 551	Post Options Post Reply Quote Bill Layton Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 November 2016 at 8:51am
	Another thing we learned over time is never to motor sail with any heel. If you do the BUKH is known to blow it's oil out thru the oil fill/vent cap all over the engine compartment. I see this all the time. Since the engine only hold 1.3 Litres of oil it empties very quickly and you fry your engine. You can see in some boats the engine compartment has what can be described as oil sprayed all over it. This is a good example of this. This happened to me several times before I figured out what was happening. Edited by Bill Layton - 01 November 2016 at 8:52am

John Mills Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commodore Joined: 01 February 2016 Status: Offline Points: 122	Post Options Post Reply Quote John Mills Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 November 2016 at 6:24pm
	How much heel Bill and does it mater which way ? I have heard this before but had no problems at all , mind you I shut the engine off as soon as I can most days, no need for an engine if there is enough wind to heel the boat . I understand some year engines were worse than others too . The reason I ask is if I ever do any long distance races and need to charge the battery while underway .
	Unplugged # 164 NOTL

Bill Layton Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commodore Joined: 15 September 2002 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 551	Post Options Post Reply Quote Bill Layton Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 November 2016 at 10:27pm
	Even if I could give you a number you it wouldn't help. What it means is that you need to be aware of this and check your oil more frequently and remember when you motored with heel you have to check. Obviously serious angles will affect you more. So you can observe what happens. It's a real problem and it happen with less heel than you think.

Winner Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commodore Joined: 07 September 2011 Status: Offline Points: 222	Post Options Post Reply Quote Winner Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 June 2017 at 9:05am
	Ok I finally got the thermostat installed. Mine is the two lead version of what John listed earlier in this thread. I installed one lead directly to the starboard side engine block via a threaded plug that was already machined. Easy. The second lead was trickier. I wanted it directly underneath the plastic muffler where water and exhaust mix, since I previously had a water starvation situation that melted a hole in the plastic. Not fun, especially once water flow is restored! Anyway I had to use a large hose clamp and a fair bit of contortionist skills to get it in place, but it worked. I wired it into the same line I have for my engine RPM gauge, so the display works only when engine running or powered up (turn key one click to right) as I see no need to waste battery power monitoring engine temp otherwise. So far the highest number I've recored on the engine block is 156 degrees which occurred when throttling back after 45 minutes of motoring. The muffler temp typically runs about 80 degrees. https://goo.gl/photos/8wNXDmscuBsZmLMS9
	Chris Eclipse #240 Thunder Bay, ON

Bill Layton Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commodore Joined: 15 September 2002 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 551	Post Options Post Reply Quote Bill Layton Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 June 2017 at 9:48am
	Update to all this... I rebuilt my motor in 1990 due mostly to some excessive oil leaking from the bottom crankcase cover. So I did take apart the water cooling pipe where the sediment collects on the bottom of the head and it was nearly plugged... yet the engine was only 4 years old at that point. So last week I took the cooling hose off that pipe and attached a longer one so I could blow thru it and it was perfectly clear no obstructions at all. I didn't want to overheat my cylinder head and warp it so figured I needed to find out. In hindsight it becomes clearer. Original winterizing method from the manual was to drain the engine which most of us did and this caused the cylinder and head to remain dry for the layup period and this caused the cast iron surfaces to rust inside . Then the rust would collect at the lowest point on the engine (which is that cooling pipe attachment at the bottom of the head) eventually it would become blocked as mine nearly did at the age of 4 years old. So as time went on the head would overheat and warp and blow the head gasket and when rebuilding it we would find that clogged cooling pipe and clean it out like I did in 1990 on my engine. Since then I've used antifreeze to winterize my engine so the inside cast iron never rusted. I started this in 1990 after my rebuild. Then around the year 2000 I started using plumbing antifreeze because it's better for the environment and it's less expensive. But then we wondered if it would prevent rust from forming because it's not automotive antifreeze. Well It's been 17 years winterizing with plumbing antifreeze and that cooling pipe blows thru like it's brand new so I believe the fact the cooling passages are filled with any liquid will stop it from rusting. It must be this way because during the summer for 6 months it's just fresh water that in there. So the the lesson learned is 1.) Test that cooling pipe by trying to blow thru it to see if it's blocked. 2.) once it's clean be sure to use plumbing antifreeze to winterize the engine. 3.)Never drain the cooling system.

Winner Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Commodore Joined: 07 September 2011 Status: Offline Points: 222	Post Options Post Reply Quote Winner Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 June 2017 at 10:00am
	Bill, I'm wondering if you have noticed any problems with any of the plastic, rubber or nylon components of the engine system with using plumbing antifreeze? Water strainer, impeller, etc? The reason I ask is because Practical Sailor magazine has run tests and concluded that while propylene glycol is safer for the environment (and necessary in any potable water system as an antifreeze) it is more harmful to rubber, plastic and nylon. See: http://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/-11059-1.html So for now I continue to use ethylene glycol in the engine, but am careful to dispose of it properly in the spring. To be honest, even though they say that propylene glycol is "safe for the environment", I would still dispose of it in the hazardous waste area of our boatyard, and never dump it directly overboard, as I've seen many boat owners do.
	Chris Eclipse #240 Thunder Bay, ON