beta 14 - draining coolant was easy!

[Burnham Bob]

I previously posted a problem I was having with draining the coolant from my beta 14. I removed the tap but nothing came out. Consensus was that crud accumulates in the elbow.

Advice from Beta via email was to drain by disconnecting the hose at the bottom. However at the Boat show the Beta staff told me this would not drain the block fully.

Some forumites had used wire with varying degrees of successs and there was some advice to remove the elbow to make poking easier - but I found the engine mounts get in the way.

However this morning, with the tap removed a bit of wire poked down the elbow resulted almost instantly in a flow of coolant - not sure it even went round the corner of the elbow.

So, for other forumites who had the same problem I'm reporting back that mine was solved easily with the wire and I need not have worried.

 

[Grajan]

Beta 14

I had a similar blockage proplem with my Beta 14 and like you had little success with a piece of wire, ended up using a cable tie which was flexable enough to go round the bend.
I was surprised at the amount of crud that appeared and even after several flushings the water was still dirty and I had to fill and run the engine a couple of times before the water became clear enough for me to add the antifreeze.
I was wondering if the amount of crud was down to the wrong anode being fitted as the boat had been moved from fresh to salt water (green painted engine)

 

[Burnham Bob]

actually the unblocking was remarkably easy - the wire just seemed to ream out what was there and there was not a lot of crud in the flow of water. i wanted to reassure any forumites that it's not as daunting a job as it might have seemed from some of the previous posts although your idea of using a cable tie is a great way of getting around the bend. good thinking and a useful tip if anyone is having a lot more trouble than i did.

 

[Pye_End]

Glad your's was worked. I have poked wire, cable ties and anything else I could think of but without success. Will try taking the bend off next winter.

 

[Burnham Bob]

I found that the engine mounting looks like it could get in the way of removing the elbow. Have you tried the alternative approach I was thinking of which was using the dinghy pump and trying to blow the crud away?

I'd even considered taking the footpump I use in the car on board and connecting it to the drain hole with a few feet of plastic tube and using the adaptor that came with the pump for air beds and so on. Bearing in mind that the footpump can pump up my caravan tyres to over 40 psi, I thought that with the heat exchanger cap off, that would be more than adequate to back flush the cooling system.

Luckily I didn't need any such elaboration, but good luck.

 

[Pye_End]

I found that the engine mounting looks like it could get in the way of removing the elbow. Have you tried the alternative approach I was thinking of which was using the dinghy pump and trying to blow the crud away?

I'd even considered taking the footpump I use in the car on board and connecting it to the drain hole with a few feet of plastic tube and using the adaptor that came with the pump for air beds and so on. Bearing in mind that the footpump can pump up my caravan tyres to over 40 psi, I thought that with the heat exchanger cap off, that would be more than adequate to back flush the cooling system.

Luckily I didn't need any such elaboration, but good luck.

Yep. Tried that as well. Variety of nozzles! Tried squirting water up it. Also tried sucking with an oil removal pump. I am told that taking off the engine mount is pretty straighforward and is probably the only option left!

 

[Highland laddie]

Beta 20hp

Same problem, no success with cable tie, fine welding wire etc etc.
Engine mounting removal will allow elbow to be unscrewed, can I assume that the remaining 3 engine mounts will keep everything level and tickety boo?
Thanks for looking.

 

[sailorman]

why are Beta engines such a problem with the water cooling

 

[Burnham Bob]

from my experience betas aren't too much trouble with water cooling. previously the system has drained well, it's just this year that it got bunged up and the recommended wire poking procedure worked like a charm.

however, other forumites do seem to have problems and beta told me that deposits can be caused by the wrong antifreeze mix. I use between 33 and 50% as recommended but closer to 50% mixed by eye.

 

[sailorman]

from my experience betas aren't too much trouble with water cooling. previously the system has drained well, it's just this year that it got bunged up and the recommended wire poking procedure worked like a charm.

however, other forumites do seem to have problems and beta told me that deposits can be caused by the wrong antifreeze mix. I use between 33 and 50% as recommended but closer to 50% mixed by eye.

my kubota based Nanni uses 50% with no anodes so far so good @ 950 hrs

 

[Pye_End]

however, other forumites do seem to have problems and beta told me that deposits can be caused by the wrong antifreeze mix. I use between 33 and 50% as recommended but closer to 50% mixed by eye.

Mine was similarly in the correct zone. It was also on the first round of anti freeze from being commissioned, so cannot even blame it on a mix of different anti-freezes.

Sailorman asks a good question.

 

[alahol2]

why are Beta engines such a problem with the water cooling

I don't think they are as long as the suggested maintenance is carried out. I replaced my coolant for the first time this year, 7 years after commissioning. I needed to give the drain hole a poke but that was easy enough. I shouldn't have left it so long.
I have spoken to several Beta owners who never clean the cooling stack or change the coolant (or know when it was last done). In those circumstances it's not surprising end caps get stuck and drain holes block up.

 

[Pye_End]

I don't think they are as long as the suggested maintenance is carried out. I replaced my coolant for the first time this year, 7 years after commissioning. I needed to give the drain hole a poke but that was easy enough. I shouldn't have left it so long.
I have spoken to several Beta owners who never clean the cooling stack or change the coolant (or know when it was last done). In those circumstances it's not surprising end caps get stuck and drain holes block up.

I take out my cooling stack every 2 seasons, and first tried to drain the system 1 year after the book said it was due - well under 7 years.

 

[Pye_End]

Same problem, no success with cable tie, fine welding wire etc etc.
Engine mounting removal will allow elbow to be unscrewed, can I assume that the remaining 3 engine mounts will keep everything level and tickety boo?
Thanks for looking.

Th engineer in the yard said he would put some timber for support, but then also said that supported by just 3 should be fine.

 

[Burnham Bob]

I have the cooling stack to look forward to. Dead easy job if you can get access but as my engine is installed in a very tight place, you can't see or get at the rear bolt except by 'feel'. When I had a regular income the yard did it, but now I'm retired it's something I'll have to do. It was done last year so next year seems the time for me to cross my fingers and hope.

Wish me luck!

 

[sailorman]

I have the cooling stack to look forward to. Dead easy job if you can get access but as my engine is installed in a very tight place, you can't see or get at the rear bolt except by 'feel'. When I had a regular income the yard did it, but now I'm retired it's something I'll have to do. It was done last year so next year seems the time for me to cross my fingers and hope.

Wish me luck!

on a Nanni the H.E. every 400 hrs