How much water for cooling?

[johnnie1uk]

Hi all

My NB has a Vetus 4.14 engine, i understand shes keel cooled - Theres a big tank with a long neck and a pressurised (like a car) filler cap and a hose that runs from the tank to the top of the engine. my Question is, how do i know if i need to top up the tank, if so, to how much, and should i use distilled water or tap water?

[series3]

Tap water. Just below the top of the neck. Under the filler cap

you'll need to add anti freeze.

allow a little for expansion. Check every day.

Edited November 16, 2015 by series3

[Paul C]

Does the tank not have min and max level marks on it? You might need to experiment a bit to find the actual maximum you can fill it, if your coolant volume is large and the header tank is undersized for its current role - but that's another topic in itself really.

 

Should be antifreeze, I'd have thought!

[ditchcrawler]

Not the same engine as you but I run mine with the header half full when cold. Every engine installation will be different because it depends on the total contents of the cooling system. The bigger it is the more it will expand when hot and the lower the level will need to be when cold.

[johnnie1uk]

Does the tank not have min and max level marks on it? You might need to experiment a bit to find the actual maximum you can fill it, if your coolant volume is large and the header tank is undersized for its current role - but that's another topic in itself really.

 

Should be antifreeze, I'd have thought!

Its a steel tank with a long neck, so i cant see how much water is in it, The engine is running normally, not overheating.

[Paul C]

Does the cap have an overflow connection?

[johnnie1uk]

Does the cap have an overflow connection?

No, it doesnt.

[bizzard]

No, it doesnt.

If the neck is straight can you not make a simple dipstick.

[Sea Dog]

Johnnie, you need to see what's in there so you can add more of the same, because red (5 year) and blue (2 year) antifreeze shouldn't be mixed. Despite earlier advice, I'd use deionised water (rather than tap water), which is also what pre-diluted coolant will contain. If you're using concentrate, you need to dilute to between 25% and 50% iaw your manufacturers instructions and the minimum temperature protection you're seeking g the higher concentration of AF will protect to lower temperatures. A cheap Halford or similar anti freeze tester will confirm what concentration you currently have in there.

[Paul C]

No, it doesnt.

 

Sounds like an incredibly bad setup.......I know its a lot of hassle but you really want some reliable way or measuring the level, or at least sensing low level (shame that high level will end up messy). Otherwise, how would you know if you have a slow/subtle coolant leak?

[blackrose]

The skin tank must have a bleed valve surely? Usually a square threaded plug on top of the tank somewhere. But if you fill the engine's header tank it's normally higher than the top of the skin tank, so unless there's an airlock in the system a half full header tank usually means a full skin tank.

[ditchcrawler]

Hi all

My NB has a Vetus 4.14 engine, i understand shes keel cooled - Theres a big tank with a long neck and a pressurised (like a car) filler cap and a hose that runs from the tank to the top of the engine. my Question is, how do i know if i need to top up the tank, if so, to how much, and should i use distilled water or tap water?

If this is a stand alone tank I would suggest changing it for a opaque plastic one so you can see the leave easily.http://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/store/product/tt-011.aspx

[cuthound]

On my last shareboat, (John Milburn fitout on a Reeves shell), the skin tank had a long metal filler tube, terminating in a plain cap. The water expanded up this tube. It made it difficult to see the correct level. Most people overfilled it, causing the overfilled water to expand and leak out. I solved this by making a dipstick out of a piece of dowel, when the bottom of the dipstick was wet the water was at the correct level.

 

When the BMC 1.8 engine was replaced with a Beta 43, the engine fitters removed this tube. The new engine continually overheated until the long fill pipe was reinstated. The reason for this arrangement was because the boat had a horizontal calorifier, which was prone to air locking, and the long fill tube enables trapped air to rise above the highest point of the calorifier. Maybe the OP has a similar arrangement?

 

Edited to change Milton to Milburn, blurry autokorrekt.

Edited November 17, 2015 by cuthound

[Sea Dog]

Interesting post Cuthound and to perhaps assist your diagnosis, I have a vertical calorifier and my Beta 43 doesn't have a header tank at all. No airlocking or other ill effects from the lack of a header tank.

 

I check and top up my coolant at the pressure cap on top of the engine, which is a bit old fashioned these days I suppose but it is an agricultural system and it works so why complicate it I guess.

[cuthound]

On my last shareboat the engine pressure cap was wired into place to prevent it from being (easily) opened, because the top of the horizontal calorifier was higher than it. So in effect the long fill pipe to the skin tank was the header tank.

 

Edited to remove a couple of v's pretending to be spaces.

Edited November 17, 2015 by cuthound

[johnnie1uk]

On my last shareboat, (John Milton fitout on a Reeves shell), the skin tank had a long metal filler tube, terminating in a plain cap. The water expanded up this tube. It made it difficult to see the correct level. Most people overfilled it, causing the overfilled water to expand and leak out. Icsolved this by making a dipstick out of a piece of dowel, when the bottom of the dipstick was wet the water was at the correct level.

 

When the BMC 1.8 engine was replaced with a Beta 43, the engine fitters removed this tube. The new engine continually overheated until the long fill pipe was reinstated. The reason for this arrangement was because the boat had a horizontal calorifier, which was prone to air locking, and the long fill tube enables trapped air to rise above the highest point of the calorifier. Maybe the OP has a similar arrangement?

I think you have hit the nail on the head, she does have a horizonzontal Calorifier, so this is probably the reason for the long filler tube. i am going to get a dowel dipstick and mark the best level, thank you everyone for your input.