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Old 20-07-2008, 18:23   #16
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Ok. You start out with a cold engine and say one inch of water in the overflow tank.

The freshwater coolant overflows and fills the tank to overflowing.

The coolant tank should not overflow and keep overflowing.

Therefore one of two things is happening.....you are getting a seawater incursion via the heat exchanger or you have a headgasket problem which is pressurizing the coolant in the engine.

Ergo when you get to the next pot, get a radiator pressure tester.
As I said many natioanl chains loan them out. (w/deposit).

Hook up tester, start engine, watch pressure...if it climbs before engine heats up it is most likely a headgasket problem.

Do the pressure test on the system w/o engine running first.

With regards to running w/o thermostat, if the engine is "making water" removing the thermostat will not have an effect on that.
Hope this helps.
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Old 20-07-2008, 18:47   #17
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Chief, The engine is NOT making water. There is no extra water once the overflow fills. I empty the overflow back into the tank and it is the same level with an inch left in the overflow unless the overflow tank overflows then I have to add more coolant. The whole process does not start until the engine is running for a couple of hours. I would think that a head gasket problem would show up with other symptoms but again I am not a mechanic. I will try if possible to find a pressure tester and see how that goes. We should know by the time we get to St. Augustine tomorrow since it is a 25 mile run from where we are.
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Old 20-07-2008, 18:58   #18
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I look forward to hearing how you make out.

Thank you for clarifying the situation.

Just imagine how long this would take if we were writing letters, using Morse Code or
static ridden radio.

It is 2200...good nite
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Old 20-07-2008, 19:45   #19
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Pinhole?

I'm assuming that all of your hoses and clamps have been checked and are in good condition.

One possibility that comes to mind is that you have a tiny pinhole leak in a hose/join. As the engine cools this causes the freshwater coolant circuit to "loose suction". It could be really tiny. The minute leak when the engine is running is just too small to notice.

My suggestions:- 1) Go over all hoses again. Check all hose clamps with a screwdriver/spanner to make sure they are nice and firm. Mark any hoses that are not perfect for replacement. If there is any sign of corrosion pull the hose off, clean everything up and replace the hose.
2) If that does not work think about getting one of those cans of radiator repair. One of the ones that has fine fibres that should clog small holes. Yes, I know we should not use them but this is desperation time, right?
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Old 21-07-2008, 04:47   #20
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Boracay, I am kind of leaning this way also so we will see what happens today on our 25 miles to St. Augustine. I have pulled most of the hoses and retightened along with a few other things. Hopefully it is the overflow system not working properly rather than the engine running hot. This is why I hate idiot lights over gages.
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Old 21-07-2008, 04:52   #21
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Check the overflow tank for cracks. Good luck man.
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Old 21-07-2008, 10:50   #22
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No cracks.
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Old 21-07-2008, 11:35   #23
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Aloha Chuck,
I'm very anxious to see how your engine problem turns out. On my test runs for my engine it did the same thing. I haven't run the engine since so haven't sorted it out. My first thought was that the radiator cap was letting the coolant out to overflow but was not allowing the coolant to come back in for some reason.
You are in warmer waters now but it doesn't sound like your engine is overheating just a clog somewhere or the wrong cap or cap fitting?
Kind regards,
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Old 21-07-2008, 12:03   #24
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John, We ran from Palm Coast to St. Augustine today and the overflow tank did fill as it should have but we have been here for about 2 hours and the tank has not pulled the water back into the FW tank. We have talked to a Yanmar mechanic and we discussed a few possibilities but his thinking is that the flange and radiator cap on the FW cap may be the culprit. The thinking is that if the cap leaks air, and it can leak air and not fluid, then it will not draw the coolant back into the tank. There seems to have been an issue with the flange and we have had 3 new caps leak and the only thing that stayed the same was the flange. Tomorrow we head up to Fernandina Beach and we called the Yanmar dealer there and ordered the parts. They will arrive Wednesday and we will put them on and try to run enough to put it to the test. Our next run is offshore from Fernandina to Port Royal Sound so we want to resolve this.
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Old 21-07-2008, 12:20   #25
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Pin hole is not the answer. You would see it when the system is hot and under far greater pressure. But one common fault can be a combination of the pressure cap and an engine water hose. The pressure cap is not allowing the water turn bypass and a water hose collapsing under the suction of the system cooling. Instead of the negative pressure building and over coming the cap seal, the water hose collapses and the seal is never broken. when the engine cools, look for any hose that has collapsed. Usually the one direct from engine to header tank, as this one tends to take the greatest heat when the engine is running. Replace the cap to ensure it's seal and spring pressure part is working correctly.
And just as an out there consideration, make sure you overflow tank is positioned level with the header tank. I have seen the odd installation where the overflow tank has been sited well below. The resultant head is too great for the suction to return all the water to the header.
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Old 21-07-2008, 12:28   #26
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Thanks Allan I will look for that. The tank is placed according to Yanmar specs and is at about the same height as the tank, actually just a tad bit higher. All of the mechanics we have talked with have said that if there is a air leak in the overflow tank fitting, the hose of the cap that it will loose the vacuum and not pull the water back to the tank. But a collapsed hose will most surely do the same thing. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Old 21-07-2008, 12:29   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck Baier View Post
...There seems to have been an issue with the flange and we have had 3 new caps leak and the only thing that stayed the same was the flange...
Chuck,

When I mentioned that the Yanmar dealer replaced my leaking filler cap assembly in my earlier post, I didn't mention that it was done under warranty. To me that means the original (larger) cap assembly was faulty, and Yanmar knew it. The new one has a noticeably smaller cap and opening.

I'll bet you a beer that that the new assembly (with flange) will solve your problem.
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Old 21-07-2008, 12:57   #28
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Hud, I will owe you that beer since I am feeling the same thing. Will know on Wednesday when the new part arrives. I hate this petty stuff because it is so aggravating and nothing you can look at and say, yep, that is it.
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Old 21-07-2008, 13:40   #29
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I agree with Chief that the fluid shoud return to the engine without being poured back in unless the is pressure from another source such as a head gasket bad.
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Old 28-07-2008, 12:55   #30
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Here is a little update, so far not so good. We changed out the FW tank cap and the flange that it attaches to. It did not fix the problem and we are currently at the Yanmar mechanics dock in Fernandina Beach and the diagnoses is still unknown. The Yanmar folk at Mastery where the engine came from say no way could it be the head gasket because we would see other symptoms and the head gasket in this engine is almost impossible to blow unless the engine melts down. They "think" it may be a small crack in the exhaust manifold, but again if it was, there would be other symptoms that we do not have. The engine is not overheating that anyone can tell, so the manifold is suspect but no way to really check that we have come up with yet. The best part is the replacement would be in the $5,000.00 range and no guarantee that is the problem. So the mechanic here is very reluctant to go that direction. So we still don't know what the fix is.
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