Westerbeke 7.6 draining coolant

Boca_Vincent

Boca_Vincent

Active Member
Nov 1, 2010
146
SoFla
Boat Info
2000 370 Express Cruiser
Engines
Cat 3116
Hey guys, I am doing maintenance on the genny, last time I used it she was running warm. I removed the end cap on the heat exchanger and it looks like it needs to be cleaned. I read the manual this morning and seems like an easy enough project. Ha!
I have the belt cover and reservoir tank set aside, loosened up everything else. Have one raw water hose off so far. My question before going any further is how to drain the coolant. I see the drain plug, but barely enough clearance under there to get a wrench let alone a pan, as it is also blocked by the wiring harness. Am I missing something, or should I just try to get the hose off and into a bucket as quickly as possible?
The hoses all look good to me. Obviously will do the impeller while there. Any other suggestions appreciated. Thanks.
 
If you only need to clean the raw water side, get a gallon of Ridlyme. You could pour it in or pull it into the raw water side by starting/stopping the granny and letting it sit a couple hours…maybe repeat.

If no room for a wrench, let it pour into bilge and suck up with wet vacuums or attempt to get into a bucket.
 
Vincent if you can get the in and out raw water hoses off you can use my flush system with barnacle buster. Just need to drive down to Ft Lauderdale to grab it.
 
ocgrant said:
my flush system with barnacle buster. J
Click to expand...
I am curious to see your flush system, did you custom build this?

I watched this video, looks awesome, though I am thinking this could be done with a 5 gallon bucket as well somehow.

 
mrsrobinson said:
I am curious to see your flush system, did you custom build this?

I watched this video, looks awesome, though I am thinking this could be done with a 5 gallon bucket as well somehow.

Click to expand...
This is what I have

upload_2022-6-26_6-42-31.png


https://www.amazon.com/RYDLYME-Mari...me&qid=1656240073&sprefix=rydl,aps,235&sr=8-5
 
If no room for a wrench, let it pour into bilge and suck up with wet vacuums or attempt to get into a bucket.[/QUOTE]

OK, was thinking this also.. having the vac going while prying the hose off until it stops flowing.
 
Thanks Grant, will keep you posted.
I want to get it out completely so I can have a clear look all the way in. Hard to tell now how bad it is.
The end cap had a lot corrosion around it, which I am hoping I can get cleaned up and repaint. Areas around the hose fittings and plugs all look decent.
Heading back over now, will update later. Thanks again.
 
I've used a wet/dry vac to suck the antifreeze out of cars and boats. Sometimes you have to adapt the hose down to a smaller size, but then you can stick the end into the heat exchanger or radiator to suck most of that out, then remove one of the hoses from that and suck the remaining antifreeze out through that hose. A wet/dry vac also helps to 'burp" the system when you're refilling it, to get most of the air pockets out from within the system.
 
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Round 2... Heat exchanger home on the bench. Its pretty bad -see pics.
Is this a candidate for a radiator shop? do they clean as well as pressure test, or does the cleaning need to be done my self before bringing it somewhere.
Or is it a lost cause? Only a few rods I can see light thru, and some zinc melted in which I know that will dissolve.
BTW - to follow up on the coolant - had the shop vac going with flat carpet attachment under as I slowly pulled the hose. Did the trick. Thanks. |
20220626_145027.jpg
20220626_145027.jpg
20220626_145119.jpg
 
radiator shop is the best but might be backed up... I would put it in a bucket with barancle buster and see what it does..

You can get this at home depot and mix it 4 parts water to 1 part acid and it is the same as barnacle buster.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-S...l-Prep-and-Rust-Inhibitor-GKPA30220/100406369

If you can get this solution flowing through it even better but soaking will make a huge difference.
 
Barnacle buster in a bucket will be just fine, this is an easy DIY job. You can soak 1 end then the other. Once you get it cleaned up, look through each pipe to make sure nothing blocking the tubes like an old impeller vane. Water pressure can push pieces down the tubes.
 
Thanks guys. Will stop at HD on my way home from work and get it soaking. I have some old pumps out of my saltwater aquarium that I keep for spares, so I'll rig something up to circulate through the unit. Just ordered some gaskets as well.
 
I did mine last year since I had lost the zinc into the HE and was running a bit high temp. I used RidLyme to soak it for about 2 days, occasionally swishing it around in the tub it was in just to get the mixture flowing around inside the tubes. I did also find bits of impeller so got them out. Once I had it rinsed off, I decided to remove the old paint and then prime and paint it since it was looking like yours with corrosion around the end caps. I used some paint stripper and wire wheels and got it down to bare metal, then primed and painted it. I'm glad I took the time to do that. I didn't get an after pic, but here it is prior to the priming/painting. It came out looking almost new, and now I can keep an eye on it for any signs of leaking or corrosion and address it right away.

HeatExchanger.jpg
 
ocgrant said:
This is what I have

View attachment 129466

https://www.amazon.com/RYDLYME-Marine-Portable-Flushing-PFK/dp/B07CPGJKGZ/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2QO64PGZIBBED&keywords=rydlyme&qid=1656240073&sprefix=rydl,aps,235&sr=8-5
Click to expand...
I did some research on this. Where do you make the hose connections, at the strainer/sea cock in and somewhere on the exhaust out? I ma trying to figure out what else I would need in addition to the kit.

The kit is for Rydlyme, thought later you reference Barnacle Buster. Which descaler do you use, and why?
 
You can use a gun cleaning rod with the proper brush, i think a 22 fits and run it thru each tube, you'll need a couple of brushes
 
doozie said:
You can use a gun cleaning rod with the proper brush, i think a 22 fits and run it thru each tube, you'll need a couple of brushes
Click to expand...
OK thanks, will keep that in mind. I grabbed a #8 threaded rod while i was at HD last night bur forgot to see if that would work. Was getting late and just wanted to get it soaking in the bucket. Tonight I'll rig up the pump.
 
mrsrobinson said:
I did some research on this. Where do you make the hose connections, at the strainer/sea cock in and somewhere on the exhaust out? I ma trying to figure out what else I would need in addition to the kit.

The kit is for Rydlyme, thought later you reference Barnacle Buster. Which descaler do you use, and why?
Click to expand...
I have used both. I remember Tom aka ttmot posting earlier that Rydlyme is a less evasive acid vs Barnacle buster. I started with Rydlyme years ago on my Cats and it worked perfect. I use barnacle buster on my AC units as it has been easier to get locally. Since the discovery fromTom on the barnacle buster clone at Home depot I have switched to that for my AC saving some $$$.
 
 
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