Beta coolant draining

[webcraft]

The tap on my drain (Beta 16) can be turned, but only about one fiftieth of a turn - at which point it fetches up against the tube of the sump pump.

I phoned Beta for advice to ask if I could move the sump pump - it looks as though if I removed a couple of bolts I could temporsrily move it out of the way. They said not to bother, I probably wouldn't get anything out of it anyway, and recommended removing the hose at the bottom of the water pump.

Thing is, this looks at least two inches higher than the drain plug, so what percentage of coolant will I get out by doing this?

Is this the right hose to remove?

 

[RogerJolly]

Will it be below the heat exchanger though, so that would get drained?

Most of the coolant will be in there I'm thinking.

 

[bluerm166]

The engine block coolant drain valve is on the stbd side .
Something strange here ,they could have moved some components in later 16 s, but my drain tap on a 16 is not hard to get to and turns without undue force.
Conversely the sump pump is extremely difficult to refit so I wouldn't suggest you remove it unless desperate.

 

[Bodach na mara]

You may have solved the problem by now but I thought that I would expand on the comment that you "probably wouldn't get anything out of it ". The first time I tried to drain my new Beta engine I opened the valve and nothing came out! I then removed the valve and still nothing came out. I called Robert, the supplier who had fitted and tested it, who told me to stick something into the hole and wiggle it about to remove the sediment that seems to settle in even new engines. Or maybe especially in new engines. I used a stiff cable tie and after a bit of wiggling some sludge emerged followed by all the coolant. Into the bilge instead of the container that I had hoped would catch it. Thank God for Pela suction pumps.

Since then I have drained the coolant several times as the servicing procedure requires removal of the heat exchanger tube stack. I have usually ended up with the old coolant in the bilge.

 

[Supertramp]

I stick a tube into the coolant reservoir and siphon it out. Much easier to control than undoing pipes. When you remove the end caps the little bit of coolant left only comes out when you disturb the o rings and is again easy to manage.