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 Post subject: Air Lock - Coolant System
PostPosted: 13 Apr 2014 10:24 
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Skipper

Joined: 09 Jul 2008 12:51
Posts: 251
I lost a lot of coolant changing a hose several weeks ago. Refilled the coolant without bleeding and now I'm pretty sure I've got air trapped in the water heater loop.

After a three hour trip with the motor running I really didn't get HOT water, just luke warm to cold. Usually it's hot enough to melt your skin. As another note, my engine temp is wanting to rise around 184-185 which usually it is right on 180. I checked my coolant pump and it is working properly.

Who has a good method for bleeding / getting the air out of their coolant system ?

Any similar examples you can offer ?

I'm pretty frustrated with the hot water loop and feel that is my problem almost to the point of eliminating it and re-installing the hose as it was from the factory. I have a bypass switch in the hot water loop. That could be a source of trouble too.


 
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 Post subject: Re: Air Lock - Coolant System
PostPosted: 13 Apr 2014 11:26 
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Skipper

Joined: 29 Dec 2006 09:38
Posts: 656
The bypass could be the problem, but I kind of doubt it. But here is what I used to do when I had that engine: to get rid of the airlock i needed to fill the loop through the water heater with coolant by pouring in a funnel directly into the return line (top) from the water heater at the engine connection. The airlocks in the engine system are generally self correcting. Also, are you sure your thermostat is working properly? The Westerbeke thermostat has a 1/8 hole in the edge of it that is important for getting the thing to open properly. Just putting any old 180 degree thermostat in there will not work---I learned the hard way.

FWIW.

Ray
Velera #373


 
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 Post subject: Re: Air Lock - Coolant System
PostPosted: 13 Apr 2014 11:49 
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Was working fine until I lost coolant....


 
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 Post subject: Re: Air Lock - Coolant System
PostPosted: 13 Apr 2014 21:12 
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Joined: 29 Dec 2006 09:38
Posts: 656
Do you mean that you found coolant in the bilge or in the engine pan? A leak is a completely different thing than an air block in an otherwise closed system. Not sure what we are dealing with here.

Ray


 
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 Post subject: Re: Air Lock - Coolant System
PostPosted: 14 Apr 2014 00:55 
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Joined: 09 Jul 2008 12:51
Posts: 251
In the first post (above) ......I was changing hoses......


 
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 Post subject: Re: Air Lock - Coolant System
PostPosted: 14 Apr 2014 10:23 
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Skipper

Joined: 29 Dec 2006 09:38
Posts: 656
OK, then I suggest you remove the hoses from/to your water heater at the engine and fill them with a funnel to make sure there is no air in that line. Best to fill the lower one first and perhaps you want to make sure you are clear of bubbles in the line before you start filling---blow it out. Any air in the engine jacket should be expelled into the expansion tank if you have the right thermostat, but if you think you have a block there, it is not a bad idea, when changing coolant to fill the block with a funnel while you have the thermostat out. If you do those two things, there is not much chance of an air lock in the the system.

Ray
Velera #373


 
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 Post subject: Re: Air Lock - Coolant System - problem solved
PostPosted: 20 Apr 2014 19:13 
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Joined: 09 Jul 2008 12:51
Posts: 251
..


Last edited by Mike on 28 Aug 2014 07:32, edited 1 time in total

 
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 Post subject: Re: Air Lock - Coolant System
PostPosted: 21 Apr 2014 09:14 
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Skipper

Joined: 16 May 2009 08:06
Posts: 236
Does that answer the issue of your domestic hot water only heating to luke warm? It sounds to me like you may have an air bubble in the water heater heat exchanger. That happened to me after I had the cooling system apart (drained and refilled) and I managed to clear it by running the engine very hard for a minute or 2. The temp kept climbing and then all of a sudden, dropped back to 180.


 
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 Post subject: Re: Air Lock - Coolant System
PostPosted: 21 Apr 2014 09:46 
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Skipper

Joined: 29 Dec 2006 09:38
Posts: 656
I am going to take a risk here and suggest that you really did have an air block. Having your alternator run at 14.5 volts (I am assuming you had a typo will calling it amps) would not, in itself, cause an engine to overheat without something else going on. I doubt if the alternator was putting such a load as to shred the belt that it would overheat the engine all other things being OK---as long as the water pump kept turning. I ran my old Westerbeke on a 105 amp alternator @ 14.8 volt output (though a smart regulator that tapered it) for many years with no problems. I am thinking that, like cseltz, you simply eventually blew the bubble out of your system and into the expansion tank through running it a bit. I think your diagnosis in the beginning was correct.

For what it is worth.

Ray
Velera #373


 
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 Post subject: Re: Air Lock - Coolant System
PostPosted: 21 Apr 2014 14:47 
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Joined: 09 Jul 2008 12:51
Posts: 251
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