Losing coolant on Ford Lehman

[Johnno]

Hi Cameron VP, I had an identical problem with our 120hp Ford Lehman. Continually had to put 1 - 2 litres in the header tank every time I checked before starting. I could see coolant in the bilge pan under the engine but couldn't find a leak. As the front of our engine sits some 200mm from the bulkhead, I didn't realise that it was the fresh water pump which was leaking. Our pump is in the 5 o'clock outlet position. Waiting on a nes pump to fix the problem

[Lepke]

Coolant pump is the most likely source of the coolant in the bilge. Look at it while the engine is running. If necessary get a mirror. Also look at all the hoses and connections. Do it soon. Overheating the engine gets expensive.

[CameronVP]

Thanks for all the notes on this forum. One big update - we had a mechanic on the boat this morning and he had me start the motor up with the coolant cap off. We observed that the coolant was blown up out of the opening, and that there was exhaust coming out as well. He said this is likely a gasket. Do you guys agree?

Also note we are currently cruising in the sea of cortez. Currently we are in Marina Bahia Escondido, and there is only one mechanic here. WE are awaiting a quote. Any thoughts are very much appreciated.

[Compass790]

Without knowing that engine I would say there is a very good chance the mechanic is right.
Exhaust gases in coolant is usually a blown head gasket.

[CameronVP]

We received a quote for $2,400 USD. If anyone has any experience with replacing head gaskets, can you let me know if this looks right / fair to you? We are in remote Mexico, so without competitive quotes its difficult to be sure. We could be back in La Paz within a couple days, so going back to civilization is an option. Much appreciated.

[Compass790]

Originally Posted by CameronVP

We received a quote for $2,400 USD. If anyone has any experience with replacing head gaskets, can you let me know if this looks right / fair to you? We are in remote Mexico, so without competitive quotes its difficult to be sure. We could be back in La Paz within a couple days, so going back to civilization is an option. Much appreciated.

Sounds outrageous to me especially in Mexico.

[OldGreyB]

Originally Posted by Compass790

Sounds outrageous to me especially in Mexico.

Even in OZ where we pay exorbitant rates for boat parts, a complete Lehman head gasket set with all the required gaskets is around AUD $300.

Maybe you could contact : Americian Diesel 804 435 3107 or via email : lehmandiesel@gmail.com According to other forum theads on Lehman diesels, these guys are the guru's and are very helpful. I have no personal knowledge / interaction with this company.

[ABJ87]

How mechanically inclined are you? Changing out the head gasket is pretty easy on these old pushrod engines. Scrounge up a torque wrench and a service manual (online?).

[CameronVP]

Hey forum, so now after removing the head, they are saying that one of the cylinders is not firing, and that they can see water has been in there. Theyre saying they need to pull the motor out and do a complete rebuild. Whoa. Anyone have any thoughts on this? The quote is attached. Over $8,000.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by CameronVP

Hey forum, so now after removing the head, they are saying that one of the cylinders is not firing, and that they can see water has been in there. Theyre saying they need to pull the motor out and do a complete rebuild. Whoa. Anyone have any thoughts on this? The quote is attached. Over $8,000.

I see no attachment.

I'm not so sure. Has it been smoking? I had a perkins 4-236 that was running on 3 cyls, you could hardly tell it. Long story short is the valve pushod had jumped off the rocker and was off when we removed the valve cover, possibly due to the rear cylinder getting water in it and starting the engine ...it jumped off. It wasn't even bent. The engine was near new.

The only reason a block would need to come out would be if something major mechanical was wrong: bad bearings or broken piston or piston ring. No compression in that cylinder...And what in the world would this have to do with losing coolant? Are they saying the block is cracked?

I would send the head for pressure testing and flatness check first. Any head shop can do that doesn't have to be a marine place. The other reason it may not be firing on one cylinder is a bad injector or injection pump. Was their raw fuel on the water from the exhaust? If the cylinder was NOT firing then:
-There is no compression. (in this case there would be raw fuel on the water from the exhaust)
-There is no fuel (bad injector or bad injection pump)
-If a valve is stuck closed, it may force raw fuel into the oil sump, even with good compression.

Do they have a specific diagnosis? Like a cracked piston or broken ring? Or just "let's rebuild it!"

[CameronVP]

Its pretty much that, lets rebuild it. They say the coolant leak was the cause of the bad cylinder. Here is a link to their quote. Thanks so much.

https://ibb.co/Qpxmzv7

[Cheechako]

Can you eliminate the IVA tax by being a "vessel in transit"?

[CameronVP]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Can you eliminate the IVA tax by being a "vessel in transit"?

Not a bad idea. I will ask.

[CameronVP]

Also to your question, it has not been smoking. It runs great, it just looses coolant and then overheats. We've only let it run dry one time, and shut it down right away, so probably no damage from that.