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1990 454 cid Crusaders-Oil/antifreeze in bilge

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nightstalker

Regular Contributor
My 1990 34' Luhr's has twin 454 cid (FWC) Crusaders (600 hours). I've only owned this vessel since June. I went over everything I could when I got it, but may have missed this one. I have some oil mixed with antifreeze in the bilge beneath each engine. It looks like several ounces of oil and a half pint of antifreeze. I checked everything I could today to try and see where it may have come from (lines, gaskets, sender, etc.) and everything seems tight., I saw that the antifreeze tanks have an overflow hose that goes into the bilge. They didn't seem wet at the bottom end. Engine oil on both engines were only down about 1/4 of a quart. I haven't had to add any oil or antifreeze this season. No smoke coming out of exhaust. I cleaned it all up and will keep an eye on it. Any ideas where else I should look?
Nightstalker
 
makomark said:
What are you calling "antifreeze tanks"; the heat exchangers or the overflow bottles?
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The heat exchangers. They don't have overflow bottles, only the rubber tubes that are connected near the fill caps that are a couple of feet long going straight down beneath the engines. I was surprized that these 454's had no overflow bottles.
Nightstalker
 
nightstalker said:
I haven't had to add any oil or antifreeze this season. Nightstalker
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So, not much fluids over the entire year, not so bad. How many hours? Certainly, keeping all the fluids in their correct locations is a big challenge on a boat, mine included. 600 hours is not much time, but if there is significant blowby, that willl tend to pressurize the crankcase and cause oil to seep out thru a number of places. If you are serious about finding small leaks, I'd advise to clean the engines externally with mineral spirits and add special dye to each the coolant and the engine oil. A small UV flashlight will cause the source trail to glow brightly. If you are running at least 50 tough hours on an engine without having to add any oil, you are doing better than many others. A common source for oil leaks are the valve cover gaskets, and distorted tinware. Check the coolant pump for a dribble out the weep hole.
 
Hey NightStalker. I actually just purchased a Luhrs with 700-hour 1996 454's in June also! Mine is a 1977 320 Flybridge. Ditto on the valve cover gaskets. First sign of oil in my bilge and I had to track it down. Turned out to be all four valve cover gaskets. I did not see it under all the blue paint at first, but it even looks like the previous owner tried globbing high-temp RTV on the gaskets [cringe]. Same... had to add about 1/4 quart to each since we got it.

I agree to look at the water pump weep holes. When the shaft seals wear out, they will start dripping, or even sort-of oozing from those holes. Adding overflow bottles is a piece of cake, and will eliminate any possible seepage from the overflow tubes; if the leak is from the tubes. I also just like that you can visually check your coolant! =)
 
I have a 1990 Silverton with 454s and the heat exchangers have the recovery tanks. When the engines are hot the tanks have quite a bit more coolant in them than when they are cold. The pressure caps on the HX are only 7 lbs so it doesn't take much pressure for some of the coolant to overflow into them. As they cool off the coolant goes back into the HX. In the winter, when the engines are very cold, there is nothing in the tanks. So I agree with the above post that you should add these overflow/recovert tanks and stop dumping that antifreze into the bilge.

Erich
 
Thanks for all the info. Went over everything again and saw no sign of obvious leaks. I'm going to add the antifreeze recovery bottles to the heat exchangers. I.m taking her out for a few days of cruising. Maybe I'll be able to check her out a little better when I return. Damn, I worry more about those Crusaders than I do my wife!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nightstalker
 
nightstalker said:
Thanks for all the info. Went over everything again and saw no sign of obvious leaks. I'm going to add the antifreeze recovery bottles to the heat exchangers. I.m taking her out for a few days of cruising. Maybe I'll be able to check her out a little better when I return. Damn, I worry more about those Crusaders than I do my wife!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nightstalker
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Yup, know what you mean, except my wife worries about them just as much as me, having a boat is like children and we try to plan way ahead. We even setup an investment account that generates enough dividends to cover our general boat costs.

mike
 
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