Coolant Level Question

[leigh weiss]

Dave,
Welcome to the Catalina 350 family. I hope you find this information exchange as helpful as I have in maintaining out pride and joy.
I have a Universal M35B engine in my boat. If you have the same engine the following comments might help
The exhaust elbow is where sea water is injected into the hot exhaust. It functions with the vacuum break/siphon break to prevent sea water from backing up into the engine. The Pipe plug to my knowledge in the top of the elbow has no function with the normal operation of our boats. Might be used for draining.
As for the air bleed on top of the thermostat housing, I open it when filling the system to help remove air.
The engine also heats the DHW and has a bleed valve where the antifreeze line enters the hot water tank.
I sometimes have to let air out of this while refilling the top of the engine.
Keep us posted with your progress.

PS. Don't forget to change the transmission oil.

Leigh and Donna Weiss
South Jersey

Brisa #155

[nybor]

thanks for the great info. I was going to pour 10 gallons of antifreeze into that exhaust elbow plug - don't think it would do much!!!
i did change the transmission oil - hopefully i didn't screw up, since i used synthetic in it and the engine. seems fine though.

also replaced all the lights with LEDs - so much less amperage. did the running lights as well. will need to climb the mast to do the anchor one.

if anyone has any neat ideas for improvements, please let me know. I am a very recently retired engineering professor that HAS to be fiddling with something at ALL times.

dave
ps. the name of my boat is NYBOR (robyn spelled backwards)

[leigh weiss]

Dave,
I am in the same "Boat" and share your penchant for having/needing a project.
Let me list some of the projects so far.
Installed:
3.5 Kw Generator (Next Gen)
2 Kw. Inverter charger
All LED's including anchor
110 amp alternator with ARS-5 regulator and Output Amp meter
engine drive belt to a serpentine to handle the load of the alternator
Updated the refrig/freezer
Kiwi feather prop
Radar and MFD
Electric Air Horn
TV antenna LCD TV with amp.
Blue Ray player
DSC from GPS interconnect
Two solar panels (170 watt)
Blue Sky regulator
New AGM 4D batteries
I got most of my ideas and a great deal of help from these postings.
the list goes on.

Leigh Weiss Professor Emeritus Rowan University
Catalina 350 #155
South Jersey/Upper Chesapeake Bay

[wolfe10]

Dave,

After changing coolant, bleed air from the highest point, which is the bleed valve on the coolant line at the water heater on the starboard side all the way aft.

Brett

[TBOT422]

How do you access the bleed valve at the hot water heater? Is it accessed through the transom locker, through the stern cockpit locker by removing the shelf, or through the aft cabin?

Thanks

[leigh weiss]

Gary and Janet,
My bleed is located on the engine coolant line going into the HWH, Look for it from the aft most Starboard hatch on the shelf holding the HWH.
This type of valve screws in to open. I do my coolant bleeding with the engine at idle and use a rag to catch the antifreeze (about 4 oz.). When finished top up the engine coolant and expansion tank.
Hope this helps.

LeighWeiss Brisa #155

[TBOT422]

I finally located the bleed valve on the hot water heater. It was not easily accessible from the starboard transom locker. I removed the shelf in the starboard cockpit locker above the hot water heater. Going in that locker head first allowed me to reach the bleed valve. This was quite difficult to do, and any coolant that you don't capture drips to the bilge and runs through the transom and puddles above the prop shaft in the aft cabin. I doubt that I will do this again as I do not think it is necessary.

Here's what I did to bleed the air out of the coolant system. After re-filling the manifold and running the engine for awhile, I could see an air bubble in the clear line that runs from the overflow/fill tank to the engine filler cap. I removed the overflow tank from the wall and held it above the engine so that the air bubble escaped completely filling the clear tube with coolant, then replaced the overflow tank back on the wall. I bought a 1/8" clear tube from the hardware store and a nylon in-line connector (the one used to connect 2 tubes together). While running the engine, I pressed one end of the in-line connector on to the bleed valve on the thermostat housing, ran the line into an clean empty container, and opened the bleed valve. Air bubbles and coolant ran into the container. Before the overflow tank drained completely, I closed the bleed valve and poured the captured coolant back into the overflow tank. I repeated this 3 or 4 times, until there were very few bubbles escaping from the bleed valve. I now have no air bubble in the clear line between the overflow tank and the engine, and the overflow tank expands as the engine heats up and contracts as the engine cools down. I may repeat this process in a few weeks after running the engine several times to bleed any air that might drift around from elsewhere. This process is simple, clean and easy to do. Unlike trying to bleed the air from the hot water heater valve. You do need to be careful not to get anything caught in the alternator belt when holding the drain tube on the thermostat housing while the engine is running.

[nybor]

()*%)_(&*%^_)q(&%_)(&_)q(*%
Yes, coolant issue. Just recently (last week) I ran the engine for say 40 minutes. When I returned the following weekend, there was a puddle directly below the transmission shaft/prop shaft flange(s). It LOOKS like there was a dried up stream coming from the stern. I am hoping it is coming from the water heater connections. I will check it out this weekend and report. But, boy, what a minor inconvenience!

dave

[nybor]

Boy, when a lot of folks have the same problem, one wonders about design issues???
Anyway, I did find the very small leak at the water heater (my former boss would scream if I said "Hot water heater", since it is redundant- but I digress)
It is coming from the tee fitting with the bleed valve. Does anyone know the part number for this gem? It looks like a different kind of polymer (clearish).
thanks

dave

[william vanwagoner]

I had the same problem about five years ago. The problem is the plastic T assembly. I went to a marine hardware place and purchased bronze fittings and made a new comparable assembly. Very easy to do and have had no troubles since.

[nybor]

thanks. After I posted my message, I thought about making a replacement one out of bronze!

d
a
v
e

[nybor]

I forgot to ask. Do you remember the hose size that is connected to the tee? I know it was smaller than the 3/4" elsewhere on the boat.
thanks
d

[william vanwagoner]

I don't recall the size. I remember taking the plastic assembly to the hardware store and comparing parts.

[sailorbob]

Mr. van Wagoner - when you replaced the plastic tee at the water heater with bronze, did you lose antifreeze when you took it apart? Were you able to do that work from above the water heater, or did you have to cram yourself into the starboard transom locker?

Fellow owners will see a number of posts from me regarding antifreeze loss into the engine bilge, and air in the line from the manifold cap to the expansion tank. I've given up on the winter loss into the engine bilge - I'm told that's a normal thing due to shrinking seals in really cold weather.

I lose antifreeze during the summer, too, but not into the engine bilge. I borrowed a pressure tester a few years back from Auto Zone, and found no pressure drop over several hours, yet I still lose antifreeze during the season. It may be the water heater tee, but wouldn't that show up with the pressure tester? I guess I need to crawl into the locker aft of the water heater after running the engine and see if there is any seepage there. If so, it sounds like Mr. van Wagoner's bronze replacement may be what the doctor ordered.

Can a leaking water heater connection (if that's a problem) be related to the air in the expansion tank line? I took the tank off the wall early this season and got almost all (note "almost" - maybe an inch left) of the air out by raising the tank up as high as I could. Yet the amount of air in the line has increased steadily over the season since then. I'd love some ideas!

Thanks.

Bob Fine
"Second Wind" hull 301

[william vanwagoner]

I found two sources where coolant was leaking. One is the clear plastic hose that leads to the plastic expansion tank which i replaced with heater hose, and the other is the fitting at the water heater. As I recall I did climb down through the port side after removing the shelf and reached around the steering quadrant to do the replacement. When the fitting is removed you want a container to catch the coolant that will now leak out of the water heater. As I recall the amount that comes out is nominal since the water heater is at the top of the system. It is just the volume inside the coils in the heater. I do recall opening the bleed valve at the heater upon startup to make sure air was purged from the system and had to add some coolant in the expansion tank to replace what had drained out. Not a big job.

[nybor]

I am pretty skinny and am able to get into the aft transom locker (still a tight fit). I did see red coolant stains around the tee and at the exit (?) hose from the heater. But I think the leaking fluid simply ran down the T-leak hose and dripped at the low point onto the wood support shelf. I am going to replace it this weekend and will let folks know how I did and then provide a parts list on what I needed to replace.

dave

[william vanwagoner]

I am attempting to attach a few photos of the bronze part and installation

[tranquil]

I contacted Gates who said they dont manufacture the 5/16" heavy duty wire inserted coolant hose

Any replacement recommendations?

Many on this site have commented the plastic hose does not last long Regular black 5/16" hose at the auto parts store has a thicker wall thus a smaller inner diameter than the existing hose I am trying to replace (that runs from the engine to the back up tank) Does this make a difference?

Thanks

Teri
Tranquil
Hull #187
Chicago

[KenKrawford]

I was able to find a piece of hose the right size at an auto parts store. I believe it was a fuel hose.

[jrohrbaugh]

I have been experiencing the same issue with coolant levels. I fill up the reservoir while running the engine and everything looks fine. I go away for a couple of days and come back to find an empty reservoir?

Last time I found the culprit was the heater.

This time I can't find the problem. Looked under engine, check hoses and looked around the water heater.

The only changes I have made is to replace the water pump and to route out the heat exchanger. (I also changed the seals on the end caps).

Any other ideas??