WATER COOLING

The main advantages are:-

Water jacket quietens the engine noise.

Readily available source of base engines for conversion.

Ability to use waste heat for heating domestic water, hot locker etc.

A small quantity of water can carry away a lot of heat (Specific heat capacity).

Most spares are available from "non-marine" sources and thus tend to be less
costly.

The disadvantages are:-

More complex system requires more maintenance.

Water corrodes metal and freezes.

Hoses are made from rubber that perishes and hardens.

The systems require holes through the hull (not tank cooled) which give more
opportunity for hull leaks.

There are three main type of water cooling system:-

Direct Cooling - Water is drawn through the hull of the boat and pumped
through the engine to cool it, and then overboard.

Indirect/Heat Exchanger Cooling - The engine has its own water system which
is pumped through a heat exchanger (see gearbox oil cooler section). Another
pump takes water through the hull, through the heat exchanger - cooling the
engine water, and then overboard.

Keel/Skin Tank Cooled - The engine's own water is circulated through either
pipes under the hull, or a tank built onto a metal hull, so the external water cools
the engine water.

 
One must now consider the type of exhaust system to be used:-

Wet exhaust - The water drawn through the hull is injected into the exhaust
system just as the exhaust leaves the engine. This system tends to quieten the
exhaust note, gives cool exhaust pipes and silencers that allow rubber/plastic
components, and gives a visible indication that the cooling pump is working by
observing the water from the exhaust.

Dry Exhaust - No water is introduced to the exhaust so the opposite of the above
applies.

 
WARNING - Pump failure on a wet exhaust system with
plastic/rubber pipes informs you by smell - eventually -
but it is not often appreciated that the rubber/plastic
components can burn through so when the water supply
is returned the boat fills up!
Pump failure can also lead to delamination of rubber exhaust hoses, this can
cause the inner skin to rupture and form a "valve" that blocks the exhaust,
especially at higher speed. So loss of power, a hissing sound, and lots of
steam after a cooling pump failure may well indicate new exhaust hose is
required.

COOLING WATER PUMPS

The cooling pump circulating engine water on Indirect or Keel/Tank cooled

engines will be of the centrifugal type. This is illustrated on the next page.

This pump uses centrifugal force to "throw" the water away from the impeller.
The water leaving the impeller draws new water into the impeller centre, which
in turn is spun and thrown outwards.

 
  

This pump is NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT, which means that if its outlet

is blocked it will only build up a small amount  of pressure before it stops
pumping.

It can run dry without damage.

Some old examples have an oil plug or grease nipple for the bearing. If so very
occasionally put a FEW drops of oil into the plug hole or a very small amount of
grease through the nipple. Otherwise these pumps are maintenance free, although
its drive belt needs checking and adjusting.

Wearing out & leaks

When these pumps wear they start to leak from the tell tale. If your cooling
system is pressurised (see later) they will first leak when the engine is hot and
RUNNING. So it can be difficult to spot the leak.

Rubbing a clean finger around the tell tale will then often show dry rust powder.

The other regular checks are to:-

Check the drive belt for perishing, wear, condition, and tension (about 20mm or
1", depending on your measuring system, total movement in the centre of the
longest run).

With the belt off or slack, try to lift the pulley - you are checking for wear in the
bearing. If the pulley moves enough for you to see the indication is that the pump
is nearing the end of its useful life and it is time for daily checks for leaking from
the tell tale.

Put a stick or long screwdriver between your ear and the body of the pump just
behind pulley with the engine running. Learn what it sounds like, then, when the
bearing starts to wear, the change in sound will alert you well before the pump
fails.

Electric pumps working on this principle are also found in some fuel systems,
bilge pumps, and some domestic water pumps that require priming if you run out.
This type of pump has a slightly different impeller that can clog with lime scale,
rust and dirt and just stop pumping, although the motor is running.

FLEXIBLE IMPELLER PUMPS (Jabsco)

This type of pump is found all over the boat as shower pumps, bilge pumps,
domestic water pumps, and raw water cooling pumps. In this section we
concentrate on the mechanically driven raw water pump, but the others work on
the same principle, requiring the same maintenance, except they are driven by an
electric motor..
The basic type of pump is illustrated on the next page.

The shaft drives the impeller by means of either:

1. A pin screwed through the impeller and through the

shaft.
2. A key, which is a little block of metal half let into a
slot in the shaft. The centre of the impeller has a
matching slot for the other half of the metal block to
fit into. Beware, sometimes the key is fitted in such a
way that the whole shaft has to be pulled from the
pump to remove the key before the impeller will slide
off.
3. Splines, a series of grooves machined into the drive
shaft with matching groves in the centre of the
impeller. The impeller will slide off these splines, but
is often very stiff. Using screwdrivers to try and lever
the impeller out can damage the pump case so it will
not seal.

 
The diagram shows how this type of pump works but there are a number of
points to watch:-

Matches and similar shaped pieces of debris can enter the pump and wedge
between the impeller and wear plate. This wears the impeller and forms a barrier
for other debris to build up on. This wrecks the impeller and stops the pump
working.

These pumps MUST NOT RUN DRY, if they do the friction between the ends
of the impeller and the housing creates enough heat to melt the impeller ends (on
plastic bodied pumps of this type it also wears the body). Always try and pipe
these pumps so a "reservoir" of water is retained in the pump. This is difficult on
engine pumps. AIR LEAKS INTO SUCTION PIPES create similar problems.

The cover plate, cam plate, and pump body or wear plate develop deep grooves
where the impeller is constantly rubbing. These will eventually cause problems
with priming and low output. Replacing these parts is the only real cure, although
a new impeller and turning the cover plate over (first rub the burrs on the edge of
the lettering off with some fine abrasive paper held on a window) will often
effect a TEMPORARY repair.

Over-tightening drive belts will cause excess body wear around the shaft. The
drive belt should be quite slack, especially if the shaft runs directly in the pump
body, rather than through a bearing.

A water thrower actually throwing water shows the pump is leaking on its
pressure side, it will soon leak on its suction side and then fail, so replace it or
send it for overhaul at once.

There is a vast variety of designs, so it is not possible to give exact details of

check lists, however some kind of check list is given below.

MAINTENANCE

Remember the screws that hold the cover and cam plate in place are made out of
brass and are very small. So if you drop one you might well loose it. You are
advised to carry spares.

Overhaul kits consisting of wearing parts, gaskets and seals are available.
Check drive belt (if any) condition and tension, replace as required or every two
years.

Check impeller for wear, replace if required. Replace every two years.

With impeller out of pump try to lift and rock the shaft. Anything more than the
merest movement indicates bearing or body wear.

If the pump has water or oil seals, check them for wear and condition, especially
the lip which fits around the shaft.

ALWAYS FIT A NEW GASKET when replacing the cover.

Remove the impeller for winter layup. If you are going to refit it then mark it to
ensure you replace it so it revolves the same way. Failure to do this is likely to
result in one or more legs braking off. Store the impeller in water - it will not
matter if the water freezes.

If you are unsure of your own pump's construction, you would be well advised to
watch a professional overhaul it the first time, just so you know how it all comes
apart.

COOLING SYSTEM DIAGRAMS

These diagrams are for "typical" systems. There is much variation within the
basic types.

The diagrams assume:-

Wet Exhaust where appropriate, if a dry exhaust is used the raw water exits
through a skin fitting.

A gearbox oil cooler (heat exchanger) is in use. If one is not fitted, it is simply
replaced with a pipe.

An engine oil cooler is NOT used. If one is, just place it after the gearbox oil
cooler.

Normal design which appear to favour long runs of suction pipe (see later).
 

DIRECT COOLING

The raw water is drawn through the oil cooler by a Jabsco type pump and passed
into the engine, having passed through the engine the water is discharged via the
exhaust manifold jacket and into the exhaust system for discharge.

These systems are not normally pressurised which might cause problems on
automotive based engines.

The maximum operating temperature will be limited to about 70C to prevent

"furring up". (as in kettle).

It is not possible to use antifreeze in these engines so it is vital to FULLY drain

them for winter storage. Blocked and corroded taps and plugs can make this
difficult.

Antifreeze also prevents internal corrosion, so some other form of corrosion

protection   is required on these engines. On genuine marine units this is likely to
take   the form of a zinc anode screwed into the water jacket - so check with the
manufacturer. Industrial and automotive conversions often replace light alloy
components with cast iron ones - typically the thermostat housing. This is an area
which is often missed by amateur marinisers.

Maintenance

Regularly:

Visual inspection of all hoses for perishing & chaffing.

Check sea inlet strainer for debris.

Ensure adequate water is coming from exhaust

Annually:

Check all joints for security and leaks

Check Jabsco impeller. (Change every 2nd year).

Check anode & replace if required.

Clean gearbox oil cooler tubes (reverse flush).

HEAT EXCHANGER
This diagram shows the heat exchanger as part of the manifold, this is modern
practice. An alternative is to place it across the front of the engine.

The inside of the heat exchanger is just like a large version of the gearbox oil
cooler (see earlier section) with the engine water surrounding a bundle of tubes
through which the raw water is pumped.

The calorifier connections are shown at the preferable points, but the outlet to the
calorifier could be out of the top hose. This might require a restrictor to be fitted
to the hose and would not give such a quick water warm up.

This system requires an engine water pump to pump the engine coolant round the
system and a Jabsco type pump to pump the raw water.

The system can be pressurised and as the water stays in the engine there is little
furring so high and therefore efficient operating temperatures can be used.
Antifreeze should (must) be used to combat internal corrosion so light alloy parts
can be used. Internal anodes are not required.

The heat exchanger raw water tubes can block so keep an eye open for less water
and more steam than normal coming from the exhaust on a wet systems - a bit
like a delaminated exhaust hose, only it will not hiss.

Maintenance

Regularly:

Visual inspection of all hoses for perishing & chaffing.

Check sea inlet strainer for debris.

Ensure adequate water is coming from exhaust

Check "fan" belt for tension.

Annually:

Check all joints for security and leaks.

Check Jabsco impeller. (Change every 2nd year).

Check antifreeze strength and top up as required to 50% mixture.

Clean gearbox oil cooler tubes (reverse flush).

Clean heat exchanger tubes (reverse flush).

Inspect fan belt for condition and replace/tension as required.

Biannually

Change antifreeze.
Change Jabsco impeller.

KEEL/TANK COOLING

This diagram shows the manifold acting as the cooling system header tank. Older
engines might well use a remote tank (and on heat exchanger systems).

See comments above about calorifier connections.

A Jabsco pump is NOT required if a dry exhaust is to be used. In that case engine
water would be circulated through the manifold and the keel cooler/tank size
would be increased to deal with the extra heat.
With six year's hire fleet experience to back me up, I am convinced that this is
the preferable system. The only keel cooler problem was when someone tied a
tarpaulin to a keel cooler pipe and dislodged it without anyone's knowledge.

Note all the comments for the heat exchanger system and ignore the comments
on blocking heat exchanger tubes.

The engine water is circulated, by the normal engine water pump, through the
keel cooler pipes or skin tank. The Jabsco pump only provides water for the wet
exhaust.

Maintenance

Regularly:

Visual inspection of all hoses for perishing & chaffing.

Check sea inlet strainer for debris.

Ensure adequate water is coming from exhaust

Check "fan" belt for tension.

Annually:

Check all joints for security and leaks.

Check Jabsco impeller. (Change every 2nd year).

Check antifreeze strength and top up as required to 50% mixture.

Clean gearbox oil cooler tubes (reverse flush).

Inspect fan belt for condition and replace/tension as required.

Biannually
Change antifreeze.

Change Jabsco impeller.

It is not possible to cover every individual system, but understanding these three
systems should enable you to work out exactly what your system consists of.

SUCTION v PRESSURE

You will see I have shown the two parts of the raw water circuit with different
type of dash. This is deliberate. Remember the Jabsco pump cannot run dry.

Slight leaks in suction lines draw air into the pipe, this cannot be seen, but it
reduces the efficiency of the cooling (not keel/tank cooling).

Slight leaks in pressure lines cause drips, these fill your bilge or engine tray and
ensure you do either rectify them or sink :-).

As a matter of policy your lecturer ALWAYS altered the basic system to run in
this manner:

Sea inlet ----- Jabsco -----Gearbox oil cooler ----- Engine

This minimises the suction line length and maximises the pressure line length,
thus faults are seen and repaired.

THE SEA INLET & STRAINER.

Be aware of the problems with heat exchanger tubes when selecting the mesh in
the strainer. (Not that you get much choice unless you are heavily into DIY
production). Just think about the matches that block and damage the Jabsco
pumps and the polystyrene beads that block the heat exchanger.

 
 

Poor design of through hull fittings.

Those with steel hulls with welded in pipe as the inlet can ignore this section.

A typical sea inlet & strainer is illustrated on the next page. Note how everything
is screwed together and there is nothing to stop the skin fitting from turning in
the hull.

If the cap is over tightened or sticks over the winter, efforts to undo it can result
in the skin fitting turning in the hull, this ensures a significant leak that is difficult
to stop, especially if the nut has been glassed into a GRP boat.

A "good"
sea inlet will either be bolted into the hull with three bolts through clamping rings
or the skin fitting will be modified .

The modification could be making the centre hexagon shaped to accept a key to
hold it in position (not a lot of good if you have to take the cock off and water is
pouring in), or a modification to the skin fitting flange to cause it to "bite" into
the hull and prevent turning.

Your lecturer has modified standard fittings by brazing a brass pin onto the
flange and drilling the hull to match.