Westerly Corsair Raw Sea Water Filter

[Boz]

On a pottering day yesterday, my trusty VP2003 suffered an overheat alarm I limped into the Marina on minimum revs.

Although water was seen emerging from the exhaust, clearly there was restricted flow. On removing the top of the Raw Water Filter, there was some debris on the filter but not excessive, but the bowl was dry. I seem to recall on previous occasions the bowl being full of water?

I am suspecting a blocked or restricted intake. But it will be tricky to clear. I'm thinking remove the intake hose at the filter and connect it to a hose or pressure washer and blast it.

Any thoughts

Thanks in advance.......

 

[Rafiki]

I have the same boat. If your set-up is the same as mine with the raw water intake under the floor beneath the cockpit steps and a Volvo water strainer slightly above the engine and above the waterline, then your proposed action may well work. The blockage is most likely a plastic bag or similiar stuck to the outside of the intake. Simply getting a rope under the boat and rubbing it side to side might help ( will need two of you though.
This is assuming there is a blockage, as the most likely cause of no water being sucked up is a problem with the raw water pump, broken vanes for example. Will it suck water through the engine and out of the exhaust if you simply pour it into the top of the water strainer? will it do the same if you attach a hose to the raw water inlet into the strainer with the other end in a bucket. personally I would try and rule out a problem with your pump before trying anything more drastic.
Andrew

 

[Boz]

Thanks for that Andrew, checking the pump impeller is on my list. I'll try removing the inlet pipe from the filter and lowering it below the waterline, that should show if there is a blockage or eliminate the intake. Reading previous posts, the dingy inflation pump seems to be a favored technique....

The intake valve has a large right angled plumbing fitting attached to it, making rodding pretty much impossible as I just know trying to remove it would damage the cock

Apparently the weed in the Orwell / Stour has been causing a few similar incidents this year

 

[Pagetslady]

I also have a Corsair and did have a 2003. also had the over heat problem. There is a small pipe coming out of the thermostat housing remove the pipe and unblock the small hole put the pipe back on its a fair chance your problem will have gone away. Many years ago while coming back to the UK from the Med, i had terrible overheat problems, I tried everything i could think of to cure it even thought of leaving the boat in Portugal and flying home, for some reason when out testing it yet again i remembered reading somewhere about the breather in the thermostat housing, I poked a drill through the hole replaced the pipe and instantly all was well. Apparently this is a breather to prevent an airlock in the head if blocked . Sea Water is still pumped through the heat exchanger and out the exhaust, but the cooling water in the engine does not circulate through the heat exchanger so it over heats. Give it a try.
Hope it works
Mike

 

[Boz]

I will Mike - Thank You

 

[pvb]

On removing the top of the Raw Water Filter, there was some debris on the filter but not excessive, but the bowl was dry. I seem to recall on previous occasions the bowl being full of water?

Is it plumbed in correctly? Usually, the inlet pipe protrudes upwards into the filter bowl, so that when you remove the lid all the water can't flow back out of the seacock.