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Isuzu LB33 coolant


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Oops, I have not been able to get anyone to do good service this year.

Now, I forgot to top up the coolant for a while, and it has taken a few litres! Plus gurgling! Will it be ok now?

One time I suggested the system coolant should be replaced I was told it was a big job and not necessary.

One guy had a specific gravity thing, he added antifreeze which I think he said was a universal type, I think, it was a while ago.

I want to get a proper service done, but I really want a list that I can present to the servicing person, so that he can't wiggle out, like the last guy who seemed surprised that his Pela pump would not take out muck in bilge.

I was not surprised, I had asked him to bring a wet and dry vac, which he claimed he had!

I also want the diesel tank crud and water removed.

The alternator belt has never been changed when being serviced, it seems perfect. I've seen it suggested this should be changed annually.

All the hoses look fine.

Boat is twenty two years old.

No smoke or anything, never uses oil between services. I now use OEM oil filters, just in case they are better.

I don't need an oil change.

Is there anything else I should ask for while I have a competant person?

I'd like the gear fluid changed, or checked?   one guy removed the gearbox sump nut, cleaned it, proper job imho, others did not.

I can't reach these things, and I can manage to change the oil, but that's really my limit.

 

 

 

 

Boat is twenty two years old.

 

 

Edited by LadyG
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If you want a service I'd suggest you ask for a service and leave him to get on with it - you have a history of telling tradesmen how to do their job and they end up walking away half way thru the job.

 

A service will not include cleaning out your bilges, or clearing water and crud out of your fuel tank, if you expect it to then you are going to be dissapointed again !

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11 minutes ago, Quattrodave said:

I'm a little perplexed as to what you're asking?

Is the coolant going to need changed at any time.

Will the fact I let the level run low mean I have air locked it, or will it all be OK now topped up?

Are there other things that need to be done that I don't know about, as far as I can make out some of the guys who claim to be professionals are just changing the oil, the only job which I can actually do!

Edited by LadyG
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21 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

If you want a service I'd suggest you ask for a sexpecervice and leave him to get on with it - you have a history of telling tradesmen how to do their job and they end up walking away half way thru the job.

 

A service will not include cleaning out your bielges, or clearing water and crud out of your fuel tank, if you expect it to then you are going to be dissapointed again !

I want them to do the things i can't do, I tell them what I want done before they come, they agree to come so I should expect them to do what I ask. The last guy was disabled, spilt diesel in the bilge, and left it dirtier than when he came. Left some white mats for me to do the job, not in the bilge but in the boat!

If they say they can look after boat maintenance  this includes servicing. Not exclusively.

They have workshops.

Welding kit.

Etc

They spend all their lives in a boatyard, they must know more than just changing oil.

 

 

 

 

Edited by LadyG
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8 hours ago, LadyG said:

I want them to do the things i can't do, I tell them what I want done before they come, they agree to come so I should expect them to do what I ask. The last guy was disabled, spilt diesel in the bilge, and left it dirtier than when he came. Left some white mats for me to do the job, not in the bilge but in the boat!

If they say they can look after boat maintenance  this includes servicing. Not exclusively.

They have workshops.

Welding kit.

Etc

They spend all their lives in a boatyard, they must know more than just changing oil.

 

 

 

 

 

When you quoted my post there appears to be several words spelt differently - 

 

Service has become "sexpecervice "

Bilges has become "bielges"

 

Why did you alter them ?

 

My original post :

 

8 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

If you want a service I'd suggest you ask for a service and leave him to get on with it - you have a history of telling tradesmen how to do their job and they end up walking away half way thru the job.

 

A service will not include cleaning out your bilges, or clearing water and crud out of your fuel tank, if you expect it to then you are going to be dissapointed again !

 

Your quoting of my post :

 

 

Screenshot (1411).png

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A "boat service" usually means oil and filters changed, plus gearbox oil level checked.

 

Anything else is "over and above", which needs to be specifically requested.

 

Antifreeze has two functions:

1 - to stop the coolant freezing, checked with a hydrometer or refractometer, and,

 

2 - to prevent corrosion. More difficult to check, but can be done by putting some nails in a sample of coolant and seeing if they go rusty.

 

Typically the corrosion inhibitors last two years (blue antifreeze) or five years (red antifreeze), but Ford do an expensive red antifreeze which lasts up to ten years.

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2 hours ago, cuthound said:

A "boat service" usually means oil and filters changed, plus gearbox oil level checked.

 

Anything else is "over and above", which needs to be specifically requested.

 

Antifreeze has two functions:

1 - to stop the coolant freezing, checked with a hydrometer or refractometer, and,

 

2 - to prevent corrosion. More difficult to check, but can be done by putting some nails in a sample of coolant and seeing if they go rusty.

 

Typically the corrosion inhibitors last two years (blue antifreeze) or five years (red antifreeze), but Ford do an expensive red antifreeze which lasts up to ten years.

Yes thanks, I've had cars since Ford Prefects were black and I had to adjust spark plugs with feeler gauges!

In those days you changed the antifreeze  to stop the engine block cracking., Usually after a tin of radweld!

I understand that  corrosion is important on a narrowboat, where it's very unlikely that the engine will freeze.

Just asking how big a job is it, is it necessary to drain the lot e every twenty years?

 

 

Edited by LadyG
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7 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Yes thanks, I've had cars since Ford Prefects were black and I had to adjust spark plugs with feeler gauges!

In those days you changed the antifreeze  to stop the engine block cracking., Usually after a tin of radweld!

I understand that  corrosion is important on a narrowboat, where it's very unlikely that the engine will freeze.

Just asking how big a job is it, is it necessary to drain the lot e every twenty years?

 

 

 

Technically it is a simple, but potentially messy job. I removed the bleed bolt from the skin tank, pulled the bottom hose off and used a wet vac to hoover up the old coolant as it ran into the bilge..

 

I  put the bottom hose back on, then filled the system by adding a litre of antifreeze, then a litre of water and counting, so I knew how much my cooling off system held (45 litres). 

 

Ran the engine, squeezed the hoses to expel air, topped up and finally replaced the skin tank bleed bolt.

 

The coolant needs changing much more often than every 20 years if you don't want the engine and skin tank to corrode.

 

I used Ford 10 year antifreeze 8 years ago and will replace next year or the year after.

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5 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Typically the corrosion inhibitors last two years (blue antifreeze) or five years (red antifreeze), but Ford do an expensive red antifreeze which lasts up to ten years.

 

Coolants for cars diverged from only a few, to there being many variations now. Some modern coolants are now an "on condition" change item, rather than being a fixed time interval eg 2 years, 5 years. Of course you can't simply put in a different coolant, you need to add a coolant which is compatible with the existing. So first step is knowing what coolant the boat already has, its 99% likely to be blue (2 yrs interval) or pink (5 yrs interval) as stated above.

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