Diesel heat exchanger and manifold repair
Practical Boat Owner|September 2023
Barry Pickthall explains how he carried out engine repairs on a budget after a couple of years of Covid lockdown neglect
Barry Pickthall
Diesel heat exchanger and manifold repair

How many of us follow the full engine winterising schedule, especially if you keep your boat in the water? I'm probably one of many who have limited this to simply changing oil and filters and ignored flushing through the engine cooling system, especially when the engine intake skin fitting is difficult to get at. Well, we ignore these things at our peril!

More often than not we check that the water is flowing out through the exhaust, and eyeball the system for any tell-tale signs of obvious leaks, then let sleeping dogs lie, not realising that an unseen build-up of salts can seriously restrict the amount of water running through the heat exchange manifold.

I learned a hard lesson last spring after leaving my boat-and its inboard marine diesel-unused for two seasons because of Covid-19 restrictions. The saline water in the cooling system crystallized and gummed up the tube stack within the manifold, and because of the mix of an alloy manifold casing and bronze fittings, it also suffered electrolytic corrosion.

There were no outward signs of trouble, the problems were all hidden inside the manifold or at the back end of the engine - which in Sea Jay's installation is hard to see in the restricted engine space under the deck.

A cheaper option

The shock was all the more when I learned the cost of replacement parts-£279 for a part-exchange tube stack, and £439 for a new manifold casing. With fitting, it was going to cost around £1,000, simply for not following the full winterising programme-Gulp!

Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA PRACTICAL BOAT OWNERSe alt
Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Practical Boat Owner

Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar

Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.

time-read
1 min  |
Summer 2024
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
Practical Boat Owner

No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash

A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.

time-read
2 mins  |
Summer 2024
Multihull sail work
Practical Boat Owner

Multihull sail work

Brush up on multihull sailing skills before heading off on charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to spinnaker handling, tacking and gybing

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2024
Five top causes of engine failure and how to prevent them
Practical Boat Owner

Five top causes of engine failure and how to prevent them

Jake Kavanagh talks to Sea Start marine engineer Nick Eales about how to avoid the five major causes of an engine breakdown at sea

time-read
10+ mins  |
Summer 2024
Sail the Atlantic with strangers
Practical Boat Owner

Sail the Atlantic with strangers

Would you sail across the Atlantic with someone you've just met? Ali Wood meets the cruising crews who've done just that

time-read
10 mins  |
Summer 2024
IZIBoat: simple sailing
Practical Boat Owner

IZIBoat: simple sailing

Rupert Holmes sails an innovative catamaran design intended to widen participation in sailing among those with little time to get on the water in more conventional craft

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer 2024
30 WAYS TO GET AFLOAT
Practical Boat Owner

30 WAYS TO GET AFLOAT

From tall ships to small dinghies, you needn't own a boat to sail. Ali Wood looks at the options, and how skippers can also find crew

time-read
10+ mins  |
Summer 2024
Boats for restoring under £20,000
Practical Boat Owner

Boats for restoring under £20,000

Duncan Kent picks the best sub-35ft sail and power boats to look for when aiming to undertake a restoration on a budget

time-read
10+ mins  |
Summer 2024
Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500
Practical Boat Owner

Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500

For low cost traditionally-styled GRP trailer-sailers, consider the Foreland and the Otter available at bargain basement prices

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2024
Playing with coloured sails
Practical Boat Owner

Playing with coloured sails

Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2024