coolant in my beta 14 won't drain - advice please

[Burnham Bob]

time to change the coolant in my beta 14. it won't drain. presumably as this is the lowest part of the system any clag collects here. removed the tap by screwing all the way out. no luck. and yes i did remember to take the filler cap off to release the vacuum. putting aplastc tube on the drain nipple and blowing had no effect.

the fitting the tap screws into seems to have shoulders suggesting it screws into the larger elbow attached to the engine. should i remove the tap housing with a spanner and try to poke the blockage out? and if i do remove it is there anything on the thread or is there an o ring to prevent leaks?

any advice please?

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

time to change the coolant in my beta 14. it won't drain. presumably as this is the lowest part of the system any clag collects here. removed the tap by screwing all the way out. no luck. and yes i did remember to take the filler cap off to release the vacuum. putting aplastc tube on the drain nipple and blowing had no effect.

the fitting the tap screws into seems to have shoulders suggesting it screws into the larger elbow attached to the engine. should i remove the tap housing with a spanner and try to poke the blockage out? and if i do remove it is there anything on the thread or is there an o ring to prevent leaks?

any advice please?

I bodged mine with monel wire until it broke the crud. Be careful if removing the tap that it dodnt break off!

 

[alahol2]

+1
Mine only has a screw in bung, so the same as yours if you remove the tap. Poking around for 10 mins with a bit of monel wire finally released it and I got a bilge full of brown, anti-freeze and water.

 

[GrumpyOldGit]

time to change the coolant in my beta 14. it won't drain. presumably as this is the lowest part of the system any clag collects here. removed the tap by screwing all the way out. no luck. and yes i did remember to take the filler cap off to release the vacuum. putting aplastc tube on the drain nipple and blowing had no effect.

the fitting the tap screws into seems to have shoulders suggesting it screws into the larger elbow attached to the engine. should i remove the tap housing with a spanner and try to poke the blockage out? and if i do remove it is there anything on the thread or is there an o ring to prevent leaks?

any advice please?

Evening Bob,

Simple solution from a bloke who does this sort of thing for a living, Sounds a bit scary but works 99 times out of a hundred... This is yet another of the trade secrets I am giving away today. Ready ?
Ok, go to your local builders merchant and buy a 5 litre tub of " Disclean " or any other brick cleaner, pour it into your engine water jacket and leave overnight. go back the next day and flush out the dissolved limescale.
Seemples !! also will stop hot spots forming in the water jacket and keep your engine in prime condition for years. No No No, please dont thank me, just pass the information on. Good luck. GOG

 

[Burnham Bob]

for using monel wire do you think i don't need to remove the housing, just pull out the tap and poke around with the wire?

presumably as its bendable it will go round the corner of the elbow? as for using the Disclean, i can't drain the coolant out to make room to pour anything else in!

 

[Pye_End]

Beta say try blowing it with an air line.

I've tried poking all manner of objects up it; blowing air with a foot pump; trying to draw it out with a sump pump; flushing the inside with radiator cleaner, all to no effect.

In the end I changed mine by taking off the hose from the tank, and diluting the contents until clear, and re-filling. Will get the yard to airline it when she comes out.

 

[alahol2]

for using monel wire do you think i don't need to remove the housing, just pull out the tap and poke around with the wire?

presumably as its bendable it will go round the corner of the elbow? as for using the Disclean, i can't drain the coolant out to make room to pour anything else in!

Yes, just remove the tap. You need to put a bit of a pre-bend in the wire to get it round the corner.

 

[Shanty]

Had the same problem on Shanty's Beta. I unscrewed the elbow that connects the tap to the block. I was then able to poke out the crud with a small screwdriver.

The elbow has a taper thread going into the block. You could use some PTFE tape on reassembly - don't think I bothered - it doesn't leak.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Bob, those petcocks are notorious for getting plugged up. I've found, rather than poking a sleeping lion, that it is far easier to drain the coolant from a hose than the petcock. It's certainly easier to catch and contain from a hose connection in many cases, than it is from the side of the engine.

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4518.msg26462.html#msg26462

On our M25. It's not a Beta, but it is a Kubota block.

 

[oilybilge]

Just reviving this ancient thread to say I had the same problem on my Beta 20. After poking around for an hour with cable ties (which have worked for me in the past) and electrical wire, I tried some 2mm garden strimmer line. Instant success! It went round the corner like a ferret. Best £6 I ever spent.

Just thought I'd mention it, for anyone else whose Beta gets the dreaded mastitis.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Had the same problem with the Beta 10 on my previous boat, as with oilybilge #10 Strimmer string work perfectly, after about 15 minutes of poking it around the drain started to work.