Deisel Westerbeke

mquiet

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2009
1,500
North carolina
Boat Info
1999 480 Sedan Bridge
Engines
Caterpillar 3196
Hi everyone. I have a water flow issue with my westerbeke. Please read, steps I have taken before giving advice, as I want to try and get this correct for others to read as well. My water flow has decreased significantly. 1) I have removed the HE end caps and cleaned both ends. They are clear of any obstruction. 2) I pulled off water pump and impeller and they look perfect as I just changed it last year. 3) I took off the hoses from the seacock to the strainer, pump hoses, exhaust hoses all the way to the muffler and they are all clear. checked all 90 degree turns and they are clear.

So my only thought left is that the HE core is blocked and needs an acid rinse or the pump is failing and not pushing enough water. I did run the genny with exhaust hose off prior to muffler and it looked like enough water was exiting, but just not seeing it on the output side of the hull. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks
 
Remove and check the exhaust elbow for a carbon build up. Generators are sized for full load operation of all the power requirements on the boats. But, that isn't the typical mode of operation for most of us.....we runb what we need to and leave everything else off. As a result, the generator runs rich most of the time. With a diesel, rich operation just means unburned fuel in the exhaust which is soot expelled or deposited where it can accumulate. I changed by Westerbeke's elbow at about 1000 hours and it was almost completely blocked with carbon deposits......but, the design on my boat required a 90˚elbow which probably accelerated its getting clogged up. Most Westerbeke's are also available with other elbows like 22.5˚, 45˚ or 67.5˚ so yours mat be different, but it is worth checking.

You should also check the seacock itself for a blockage. Sea Ray uses mushroom type intakes on generators and they are prone to blockage since they are completely open to the sea. If you just removed t he intake to strainer hose, there could still be something in the seacock/intake.

Cleaning the heat exchanger on a 20 year old boat would be worthwhile and easy to do. Get several wooden dowels that will fit the tubes in the heat exchanger.....don't try to use brass rods or coat hangers since metal rods can damage the core.

Good luck with it.
 
Rod the exchanger like Frank describes; I've used aluminum TIG welding rod also (it's much softer than the tube brass) and you can flex it around interferences. If you seem to get good raw water flow through the generator you might want to check the coolant side - coolant level, thermostat, pump, belt, etc.
 
You said good flow up to the muffler-- Maybe the hose from the muffler to outside is delaminated inside and causing some flow restriction..???

Mine was twenty something years old, but I was shocked to see that the inside layer of delaminated rubber, lining the inside of the hose, like an oversized jelly liner.
 
thanks for the replies so far. I will check the HE, if I can get it out in order to rod it out. Frank, I can check the elbow where the water flows into the manifold...is that what you are thinking might be clogged (it is a 90 degree going into the manifold)?
 
I really meant the outlet end of the manifold:


XX.x BTD - COOLING SYSTEM

Click the (+) and (-) buttons to zoom in and zoom out

026_cool09.gif


Part #24 is a 90˚ elbow; # 76 is a 45˚ elbow. You didn't tell us what generator you have so this is a representitive parts list.

But, as I think about it, you could check the water flow at the inlet end of the exhaust manifold and at the exhaust elbow and compare them. Iam betting there is a carbon build up in the elbow on the exit end of the manifold.
 
hey Frank, I have a 10BTD. I will check those other areas as well. I am thinking about circulating Ridlyme through the HE from just after the the water pump and collecting on the exiting side. Looks like a 3/4in and 1in tubing is all I would need with a pump and a bucket.
 
I wanted to give an update. I ran Ridlyme through the Heat Exchanger. The flow was from the exit port through the Heat Exchanger and out the inlet tube. This did the trick and now the generator is pumping tons of water. Thanks for the advise on the core.
 

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