2004 260 DA Water heater replacement

One of the easiest boats/bilges you'll find to work on in this size. Very friendly engine bay. Replacement is pretty straight forward - there's no real "gotcha" things. Disconnect, unscrew, remove... do it again in reverse.
 
Lazy Daze said:
One of the easiest boats/bilges you'll find to work on in this size. Very friendly engine bay. Replacement is pretty straight forward - there's no real "gotcha" things. Disconnect, unscrew, remove... do it again in reverse.
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Thanks. Problem discovered during winterization. Assume it will be labor intensive. Not sure what to expect on cost. Waiting on an estimate from the SR dealer where I store the boat.
 
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If this is a DYI then I would not replace the engine coolant lines. Block those off. Least I didn't when I replaced one several years back. Just hooked up cold water in and hot water out, connected the electrics and it was done. Fewer problems down the road, so on and so forth.
 
When mine did that, I plugged the connection at the block, removed the hoses, and the HWH was running fine 4 years later.

Bennett
 
Yes, that's a common problem and will most likely happen again with a raw water cooled engine. I had this happen on my 260DA and I simply got a double barb brass fitting and looped the heater hoses. The water heater worked fine despite this. The only thing you lose is the ability to have the engines heat the hot water when not plugged in - for us it did not make a difference as we only needed the hot water when we were at dock and plugged in to shore power.

If you do replace its not a terrible job just need to remove the water pump from the top, unhook all the water lines and power. Then just remove the connection at the base. Reinstall as it was previously attached - take pictures for reference.

-Kevin
 
HPH said:
Assume it will be labor intensive.
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Nah, not really.

Salt builds up, over time, in those hoses because the heat exchanger in the HWH is narrower. Heck, salt builds up EVERYWHERE over time! Especially if the engine isn't flushed on a regular basis.

Since it doesn't sound like you're doing this yourself, we can skip over details. But you should decide how you want to use the HWH. If you like using the engine to heat up the water, then have your shop hook it right back up the way it was. If that makes no difference to you (you can always change it later), then have them plug the engine lines. The best way to do this is to completely remove the lines and plug right at the engine (very easy). They'll know what to do.
 
To be on safe side dont block hoses. Install short piece of hose to create small loop
 
Lazy Daze said:
Nah, not really.

Salt builds up, over time, in those hoses because the heat exchanger in the HWH is narrower. Heck, salt builds up EVERYWHERE over time! Especially if the engine isn't flushed on a regular basis.

Since it doesn't sound like you're doing this yourself, we can skip over details. But you should decide how you want to use the HWH. If you like using the engine to heat up the water, then have your shop hook it right back up the way it was. If that makes no difference to you (you can always change it later), then have them plug the engine lines. The best way to do this is to completely remove the lines and plug right at the engine (very easy). They'll know what to do.
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Thanks again! I religiously flush the engine after use, so I was surprised to see this happen. To finish the winterization the shop did a loop to bypass the heater. If affordable I will replace HWH at start up in the spring.
 
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