Engine leak

[Tam Lin]

I motored my new to me boat home the other day for about eight hours. When we arrived there was a litre or two of water under the engine and what looks like salt around the top so it looks like a raw water leakage. The engine ran perfectly all that time. I didn’t have time to look at it when we arrived and have now gone down with covid and am feeling a bit rough. Looking at the photo is there anywhere obvious that might be leaking? I presume that it must be fairly near the top of the engine as water runs downhill, unless of course it is squirting upwards. It is supposed to have had a new heat exchanger fitted before I bought the boat, the engine is a Beta 14. Thanks.

 

[srm]

Simplest answer - run the engine and see what is happening. Anything else is speculation.

 

[Tam Lin]

Simplest answer - run the engine and see what is happening. Anything else is speculation.

Yes, I know, I am just trying to get a head start as I am sitting at home feeling rough and waiting impatiently to get on the boat!

 

[jamie N]

It's got the look of having been a 'fine spray' from a small pressurised leak.
It'll be immediately obvious once you're feeling better and can run it up.

 

[B27]

The hot salt water goes up to syphon breaker by the look of it, I would start looking there, then work my way down.
Should have either an air admitting valve or a 'piddle tube' to let air in when the engine stops.

 

[srm]

Yes, I know, I am just trying to get a head start as I am sitting at home feeling rough and waiting impatiently to get on the boat!

I know the feeling.
Hope you closed the engine seacock.

 

[Tam Lin]

I know the feeling.
Hope you closed the engine seacock.

Are you supposed to do that when you leave the boat?

 

[alahol2]

As B27 said, the syphon break looks like it may be running without the piddle tube being attached.

 

[Daverw]

As B27 said, the syphon break looks like it may be running without the piddle tube being attached.

I’ve just had exactly that, piddle tube drawing into tray under engine, duck bill valve in anti syphon had bit of sand in it holding open, raw water pump sending constant drip

 

[Stemar]

Are you supposed to do that when you leave the boat?

Yes, but TBH, I only bother over winter. I do work all the sea cocks from time to time, as they are known to seize up if ignored.

Top tip. When you do close the sea cock, hang the ignition or battery isolator key on the sea cock.

 

[srm]

Are you supposed to do that when you leave the boat?

Might be a good idea if you suspect a leak in the cooling system.

Must admit to usually leaving my boat's seacocks open when I have seen that the engine and other systems are OK and visited the boat every few days. Usually closed all seacocks when leaving the boat unattended for longer than a week or two or was away from the area and could not reach the boat within 60 minutes or so of a phone call from the marina.

I normally put the engine key on a hook behind a note saying "all seacocks closed" as a reminder. However the exhaust note and a look at the exhaust outlet let me know if I started the engine without cooling water.

We left harbour on a boat a friend had chartered. He was in to checking everything so had seen the cooling water in the exhaust. A couple of hundred metres from the breakwater I heard the exhaust note change and told him to stop the engine. "What, stop the engine" "yes, unless you want to melt or burn the exhaust pipe". Examination showed that he had created an airlock in the engine seawater intake when opening the water filter to check that it was not blocked.

 

[Tam Lin]

I was being rather tongue in cheek with my remark, I do shut the stopcock as a matter of routine. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has replied, when I feel better and can get back to the boat I will run the engine and look closely from the siphon break downwards and hopefully find the cause. If I am lucky it could just be tightening a jubilee clip will solve it.

 

[jamie N]

Get well soon.

 

[Tam Lin]

Well, I finally got back to the boat today after testing negative for Covid. It was a funny old to do, a streaming cold for three days followed by a cough for a few days which stopped suddenly. I woke up one morning and was not coughing, just like that. I still feel a bit rough so am taking it easy.

Anyway, back to the boat. I checked the engine oil and coolant levels which were both fine, ran the engine on the mooring and couldn't see a leak from anywhere. Cleaned the salt off the engine after looking carefully at the splatter pattern which seems to point to the siphon break as the culprit. Next step is to run the motor under load when the Mrs gets over her bout of Covid and can take the helm while I look for the leak!

 

[srm]

An easy way might be to go alongside a pier or pontoon then motor against a spring. Preferably spring from a midship cleat with helm lashed to turn away from pier and good fenders on the quarter. She will sit quietly and you can play with the throttle and observe the engine.