Loosing coolant ??

[never monday]

Originally Posted by never monday

Pressure test the cooling system. If it leaks down there is a problem.

Most commonly the heat exchanger. The coolant rises to around 15psi and the raw water is at less than 5psi. the coolant will travel from high to low pressure.
Also possible is the head gasket. Your engine is 20+ years old. And finally there is the slim possibility of a cracked head.

fixed my post

A coolant pump with a bad seal would leak out from the pump/engine. this would leave a trail and coolant in the pan The OP denies any residual coolant in the boat

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by bob_deb

Thanks to all of you !!!
I am heading out today to find a pressure cap. I'll keep you all posted with the outcome, and I'll be back with more questions.
I have a list. ? ! ?
Thanks to all - Bob

So what happened Bob? Did the cap fix it,or did you need to investigate further?

[bob_deb]

Hi 44'cruisingcat and all others,

I did get a new pressure cap, and my engine temp is now running cool at all RPM's.
I'm real happy about that. The low tides and cool weather here in Port Charlotte have kept me from running the engine long enough to see if I'm still loosing coolant.
The wind was good here in the middle of the week so we sailed , maybe we should have run the engine more. We are headed out this morning to do a 2 hour run around the harbor to check the coolant.
thanks to all - Bob

[Alan Wheeler]

Me thinks that if you solved the one problem, likely the other problem will be solved as well.

[bob_deb]

Hi Everyone and thanks to all of you with all the good info.

I replaced the pressure cap and the engine runs cool at all rpm's,
and SO FAR, I cannot detect any coolant loss. I sure hope this fixed the problem, I'll be keeping an eye on the coolant level, but so far so good.

Thanks again - Bob

[44'cruisingcat]

Happy to have been able to help.