[C38] How do I tell if my heat exhanger is not working?

[Tom Troncalli]

Hello Patrick,

I installed my Prestone kit back in the '90's and sold my boat several 
years ago so I'm working from memory but I think I mounted the elbow on 
the hose going from the engine to the exchanger but I'm not really sure.

The main thing is to connect it in a hose that is accessible.  If you 
mount the elbow in the highest possible location it will help you "burp" 
the engine by temporarily cracking the cap loose and letting any trapped 
air escape from the elbow.

As far as needing a new engine, many good engines are replaced that 
could have given many more years of dependable use.  If your 5424 has 
good compression and the lower block has no bearing noise, keep it.  
That Kubota block makes for a very durable engine.  The good news is, 
they last forever.  The bad news is, they last forever.

I appreciate your offer for a ride on your boat but I'm in Georgia which 
may make for a very long commute.

Good luck,
Tom Troncalli



On 8/3/2015 11:43 AM, 1derful at comcast.net wrote:
> Tom,
> Thanks for the valuable information.  I plan on installing a Prestone 
> flush kit today.  Does it matter which of the two hoses going to the 
> heat exchanger I put the attachment on?
> Also where would I look to purchase a 3" heat exchanger?
> Just to give you some background my last mechanic told me I needed a 
> new engine.  Engine costs about $10,000 = $5,000 labor + time for a 
> bottom job on boat which is another $2,000.  I was thinking it may not 
> be a good way to spend $17,000.  Fixing it with a heat exchanger is 
> totally cool.
> Don't know where you live but if you're in the San Francisco bay area 
> sometime I'd enjoy taking you out  sailing.
> Best,
> Patrick
> aka "Blue Eyes"
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From: *"Tom Troncalli" <tdtron at earthlink.net>
> *To: *"Catalina" <listserve at catalina38.org>
> *Sent: *Sunday, August 2, 2015 7:21:39 AM
> *Subject: *Re: [C38] How do I tell if my heat exhanger is not working?
>
> The original 2" heat exchanger on the 5424 was marginal in the best of 
> conditions but with any debris or warm sea water environment the 
> engine will overheat.  I have seen the 5424 overheat on a relatively 
> new boat going across the Florida straight to Bimini.
>
> I kept my Catalina 38 in Tampa bay and even with the engine flushed 
> and using clean antifreeze water, the engine would run on the hot side 
> in Summer when the bay was warmer.
>
> I made a 3" exchanger for my 38 and never experienced overheating again.
>
> Prestone makes an engine flush kit that puts an elbow in a coolant 
> hose from the engine to the heat exchanger which allows easy flushing 
> of the engine and also an easy way to "burp" the engine to remove air 
> in the system.  This kit is cheap and works well with any boat, 
> upgraded heat exchanger or not.
>
> With this kit you can put the chemical flush in the engine, run it to 
> clean up the engine, then use a city water hose to flush the residual 
> cleaner from the cooling system. We first drained the engine into a 
> bucket to remove as much of the cleaning solution safely from the boat 
> as possible before we used the city water flush with the intention of 
> keeping as much of the flush chemical from exiting through our bilge 
> pump into the harbor.
>
> Flushing probably eventually helps any engine but on the 5424 nothing 
> beats a larger heat exchanger.  The original 2" exchanger just could 
> not handle 24hp except in ideal conditions.  With a thermostat 
> controlled engine, it is better to have an exchanger larger than 
> needed but not smaller.
>
> That's my experience anyway.
>
> Tom Troncalli
> Previous owner #95
>
>
>
>
>
> On 8/1/2015 11:29 PM, 1derful at comcast.net wrote:
>
>
>     Hello,
>     My Catalina has been overheating.  Universal Diesel 5424.
>     I removed the thermostat........it was corroded and wrapped with
>     debris.
>     I removed and cleaned the internal water pump.  Also lot of debris.
>     Put hose in engine.  Water didn't flow but eventually it did. 
>     More debris.
>     now when I run the engine it is cool until I put on the radiator
>     cap..........then it gets too hot and loses water.
>     Any thoughts?
>     Patrick
>
>
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