Finding (not) coolant drain tap on Beta 30

E

eddystone

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 Aug 2013
Messages
1,936
Location
North West Devon
Visit site
The photo in the Beta manual is hopeless and I can’t find anything on either side of the engine that looks like a drain tap not helped by difficult access to sides of engine
But there is a threaded bolt on the front of the engine that has a recess for 8mm Allan key - could this be it?
It’s just behind and to left of bottom pulley
It’s B4AE5B67-862E-4563-A75E-B857A5B1126C.jpeg
 
Pics of wrong side of engine, looking at from the front I.e. from over pulleys and multi groove belt it’s on r/h side about 15 cm from front and looks like a wing nut same as old mini, load of junk carefully remove it and replace with ordinary bolt with ptfe tape might be an idea to prod around with a bit of wire to break up the crud and get a good cleaning flow.
K
 
OK I can now feel a bar thing rather than a wing nut but can’t see it as can only just get my arm down side of engine - I can’t see any way I could get enough purchase to unscrew it....
Unless I removed the oil filter!
 
I can only get access to the drain plug by removing the oil filter, so a carefully choreographed maintenance sequence is essential: drain oil, remove oil filter, cover filter mount with cling film, unscrew coolant drain plug etc. Some engines have a drain tap, others a plug. It may require a Mole grip to remove the now mangled plug, so a replacement is a good idea (1/4" BSP). Also, if the coolant does not pour out initially, a bit of poking with some wire should clear the orifice.
 
Unfortunately shearing off the head of the anode bolt, effectively leaving a hole in the heat exchanger, has ruined the choreography. I can’t run the engine so can’t warm up the oil to carry out oil/filter change so if I have to remove the filter I’ll lose a lot of oil which will have to be replaced in order to run the engine in order to change the oil........
Meanwhile the season ticks away. I think I’ll just buy a new end cap from Beta to save time
 
I don't know if this helps, but on my 2011 Beta 25 the cheap cast-iron fitting at the base of the engine (LHS looking aft) silted up with corrosion then broke off when I tried to open then remove it. I got a local firm of marine engineers in: they first had to remove one of the engine mounting-legs which was in the way, then were able to unscrew what I remember to be the remains of a cast-iron elbow; once this was done they replaced the whole caboodle with a proper (BZP?) fitting with a spigot on the outside to which they attached a 1m length of heavy-duty black (fuel type?) hose; at the other end of this they attached another proper fitting with a cock and stopper-bolt; this attaches up to the side of the engine-bay when not in use; then its just a matter of unscrewing the cap and opening the cock, then lowering the hose below engine level to empty coolant into a container.

In effect, the stock coolant drain-cock and fitting on the Beta 25 (2011 model) isn't properly fit for purpose.

PS: The fitting is certainly not easy to find! In the years before the thing corroded and broke, I recall having to dangle over. my back half-twisted and use a small mirror to see where it was and attempt to open the cock. My new arrangement is a doddle by comparison!
 
Beta say this is a marinisation of a Kubota engine, as is my Nanni 4150. It looks like they may be the same generation of Kubota, but yours the three-cylinder version and mine the four? I'm not sure about this, though as yours looks a lot cleaner - my boat was launched in 1994.

If it's same as mine then it's is a disaster waiting to happen - one of the wings had already snapped off the drain tap on mine when I first came to change the coolant, and the other one snapped off immediately I tried to undo it. I ordered a replacement tap assembly from Peachment and thought to myself "I won't make a proper attempt to do this now, I'll just put a socket on the flats and see if it'll come gently"; I put the tiniest amount of force on it and the whole thing sheared in two. It was just monkey metal, some cheap alloy.

Like Babylon, I too had to get the local marine engineers in to drill and tap out the old one, and they had to remove one of the engine feet to do it. Ended up costing me about £400. My engine has quite good access - sounds like yours could be worse.

Both pics are viewing from port side, looking slightly forward.

Drain tap with sheared wings:

XBP0ehP.jpg

After replacement, drain tap as it should be:

5SReOhb.jpg


Looks like I should order a replacement hose.
​
Hope this is helpful - if yours is different then I apologise now for derailing your thread.

You also mention draining the oil. Isn't there a pump for this?
 
NOTE THIS: I've just carefully re-read the first three posts.

I've just checked the engine manual for the location of the coolant tap-off: this is on the port side of your engine (it is on the other side of my Beta 25):

Screen Shot 2020-07-07 at 07.45.05.png

It is unfortunate that the pencil anode in the side of the heat exchanger has sheared off (mine is top aft of the engine on the port side, your's should be very similar), but I can't see how this has happened as it is a fairly robust bronze unit and there shouldn't have been any corrosion as it is a similar metal to the h/e housing itself. Do you know when the anode was last replaced? It should be checked and replaced at least every six months. (I replace mine each six months as a matter of routine.)

The coolant only needs to be replaced every 2 years, but the heat-exchanger O-rings should be replaced and the cooling-stack checked and cleaned annually - and I don't see how one can do the latter without first draining a good portion of coolant in the first place, so I now change the coolant each time I check and change the O-rings.

Look after the cooling system, else corrosion will set in and it will all come back to bite you! I speak from experience: eventually I had to expensively replace the whole heat-exchanger housing due to corrosion. The design of the housing/stack on the Beta 25 has changed in recent years (just after my own earlier design was manufactured) which makes it easier to remove the stack etc.

Study the manual carefully and speak to Beta themselves if need be (they are very helpful on the phone), else get an engineer in to help you resolve things.
 
Last edited:
That’s a somewhat better photo than the one in the handbook so I’m sure I’ve located it but need to check whether I can get at it from the gearbox end; if it doesn’t turn easily I can see big bills coming as described above
 
That's it. Before my one broke completely and was replaced with the long hose setup, I used to have to let it drain into the engine bilge, then suck it all out from the bilge using a Pela oil-extractor. It is good practice, after doing an engine service, to wash/clean and then protect the feet etc from corrosion with oil... although how good this is for the rubber dampeners I don't know.
 
I abandoned trying to drain the coolant on my Nanni 3.100HE (also Kubota base) for much the same reason. I now remove the heat exchanger every two years (not a bad thing to do anyway) and collect all the coolant later from the bilge and suck out any remaining coolant though the gap left by the absent heat exchanger.
 
Just one more question folks. Have removed front end cap from heat exchanger but back one has a rigid pipe which leads to impeller housing and what I assume is hot raw water exit - a plastic hose covered in foil it seems welded on to the end cap - any suggestions on removal (Beta are sending me a new end cap) boiling water, heat gun?
 
Boiling water from kettle slowly dribbled over hose should soften it enough (after removing jubilee-clip) to work it free. If first kettle doesn't work, then second should do it. Heat gun also an option, but take care.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

MagicalArmchair
D2-55A coolant drain plug
Replies
6
Views
239
VicS
VicS

Share this page

Top