So Just how bad did I screw up.

[finefurn]

It wasn't supposed to work out this way, but it did. Back in Oct when the boat got hauled for the winter, I removed the heat exchanger and drained all the water from the water pump">raw water pump. I intended to replace it with a new heat exchanger before the weather got cold and properly winterize the engine. Then life got in the way, I spent the next few weeks traveling, and when I got back I needed to tend to other things that couldn't wait. Thinking that the engine coolant should still be fine from last years winterizing a the only raw water would be what was left in the muffler and mixing valve in the exhaust manifold. Neither of which is a confined space. So I put it off until things warmed up a bit, which hasn't happened yet. I'm sure there is some water left in the exhaust manifold, muffler and exhaust system, although (I hope) a relatively small amount. Now with Jan. temps well below freezing, I'm getting worried about what I may be in for when I try to fire this engine back up. BTW The engine is a Westerbeke 12b2. So what do you think, Definitely not the way winterize a engine, but could I possibly have dodged a bullet here.

[ozsailer]

No expert by any stretch but I would suspect you may be OK as you have drained the majoirty of the water of the system. Given that any remaining water now has space to expand in if it freezes. Was there antifreeze in the water that was removed. As always there is nothing worse then thinking to one self after the event "I should have done that"




Greg H.

[B_Hunter45]

Also not an expert, but:
1. The cooling liquid inside the engine is usually with antifreeze, the chance that you used plain water is very low.
2. The raw water are salt water, lower freezing temperature, also if some time passed, some evaporated and the freezing point goes lower.
3. As my wife said, if you really screwed up you will have enough time to regret it in the spring, just enjoy the winter and forget about it till spring time.

[finefurn]

Originally Posted by ozsailer

No expert by any stretch but I would suspect you may be OK as you have drained the majoirty of the water of the system. Given that any remaining water now has space to expand in if it freezes. Was there antifreeze in the water that was removed. As always there is nothing worse then thinking to one self after the event "I should have done that"




Greg H.

Only the antifreeze that was in the heat exchanger, and that which drained from the engine when the heat exchanger was removed

[waterman46]

Your post omits some important details. Seems like you are worried about freezing of some parts of the raw water system, since we assume your fresh water system in the engine is protected by a 50-50 antifreeze solution. But you removed the heat exchanger, so no worries there.

Your state you did drain the raw water pump, but I'd be worried about your raw water strainer and any hose connected to it, if that did not get drained. I'm sure it gets cold enough to freeze the salt water in NH. You are probably correct about the muffler and everything else on the exhaust side since there is a lot of air in all of that.

[sveinung]

Originally Posted by waterman46

Your post omits some important details. Seems like you are worried about freezing of some parts of the raw water system, since we assume your fresh water system in the engine is protected by a 50-50 antifreeze solution. But you removed the heat exchanger, so no worries there.

Your state you did drain the raw water pump, but I'd be worried about your raw water strainer and any hose connected to it, if that did not get drained. I'm sure it gets cold enough to freeze the salt water in NH. You are probably correct about the muffler and everything else on the exhaust side since there is a lot of air in all of that.

Fortunately strainers and hoses are cheap to replace, a hose would probably flex to some extent too (water "only" expands about 10%).

[finefurn]

Hard to believe but there never was a water strainer installed. So it's on the list of things to do along with the heat exchanger . When I removed the old heat exchanger and took off the end cap the exchanger was half plugged with sea weed.