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crusader 454 no raw water coming out of boat

K

kookoojuice

New member
I have a cooling problem, but may or may not be related - Any ideas would be great help.
Crusader 454, fresh water cooled, Raw water Risers

boat stopped pumping water out of starboard engine all of a sudden when I fired her up for the first time in 2 weeks. Boat until then has been running great

Replace the raw water pump with brand new one – new impeller also.
Unconnected the hose from seacock – check to get water there at seacock (YES)
Checked to see if at end of hose from seacock to water cooler – getting water (YES)
Checked to see after water cooler if getting water (YES)
Checked to see if after water cooler – hose to pump is getting water (yes)
Checked to see if pump is getting water (yes)
Checked to see if after pump, but before heat exchanger is getting water (Yes)
Checked to see if after heat exchanger is getting water to riser (Maybe – this is where things start to get a little hairy)
WE tested this and I was not getting water past the heat exchanger – however with a hose hooked out (tap water) I could get water through it.
When we opened the heat exchanger – no water in it really and it should have been full.
Why when with a hose it works and when hooked up to boat water it doesn’t
Only thing I could think of is under pressure from hose – it probably forces water in but the pressue is not enough from water pump and exchanger is clogged somehow – however, only one of the ports in the exchanger looked clogged. Stuck wire through to clean a bit but didn't look clogged enough to stop all water from flowing through.

If we force water through the hose to the risers – the water comes out of port on side of hull.
If we force water through the hose to the exchanger and to risers – the water comes out of port on side of hull.

Captain Frustrated -
 

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You have a Crusader 454 with the raw water line running thru an oil cooler before it goes into the raw water pump?

How old are the engines? where has the boat been the past decade? when was the last time the risers and elbows were changed?
 
Fresh water cooled but raw water drawn also for risers.

Yes, the diagram goes like this
Seacock - to hose - to water cooler - to Raw Water pump - to heat exchanger - to risers

Engines are approximately - 10 years I have had the boat for the past 4 years, It was surveyed when I bought it and all was perfect.

Risers were changed out 6 years ago, but are clear and clean.
 
Oil cooler (vs "water cooler")?

Where is the boat?

How did you determine the risers are "clear and clean"? what about the elbows?
 
Oil cooler - water flows through this before the raw water pump and after the seacock. it is mounted on the side of the engine. Risers and elbows are clean because I can manually put water through the risers/elbows with a hose - less pressure than raw water pump and it flows out of boat with high volume.
 
I think you will find your assessment of the condition of your risers and elbows isn't correct... A hose connected to a well or city water generates a helluva lot more pressure than the raw water pump on those engines...even if you only crack open the hose bib, you reduce the flow significantly.

The only comprehensive method of assessing the state of your raw water system is to measure the flow thru the various components. that gets followed up by a thorough inspection of the suspect component(s)...in your case, based on your posts, it appears that adequate water flow exists up to the heat exchanger (though I'd be inclined to measure it) so your blockage is either the risers, the elbows, or the heat exchanger.

If you are in a salt water environment, I'd point the finger at the 6 year old exhaust components
 
..."A hose connected to a well or city water generates a helluva lot more pressure than the raw water pump on those engines."

Right! I see only 15 psi at very high rpm. A standard garden hose sees twice that and more.

Jeff
 
Thanks for your responses - Its appreciated. The reason I have diagnosed or eliminated (for now) risers and elbows is because of the hose. Let me further explain. I have gone from high pressure on the hose to dribling out of the house. Tested it 4 different times with high pressure to extremely low (bubbler) and water still flows out of the elbos/risers/out of the boat. I am more leaning now to a collapsed hose from heat exchanger to risers, or a very badly clogged heat exchanger. I am going to take the heat exchanger off and clean it thoroughly and also replace the heat exchanger cap to ensure no air leak. More to follow.

Thanks again for your help.
 
boat stopped pumping water out of starboard engine all of a
sudden when I fired her up for the first time in 2 weeks. Boat until then has
been running great
Click to expand...

This issue came about abruptly.... correct???
I'll assume that the sea water pump was replaced prior to this issue.... correct???

If so, this would appear to eliminate any issues with a RH Rev Rotation engine and an incorrect pump orientation!
Would this be a correct assumption???

Are the exhaust manifolds included in the Closed Cooling system???? IOW, is this a "Full System"?

If the manifolds are NOT included, this would be what we call a "Half System".

In either event, exhaust elbows are Raw Water Cooled.



A good thorough systematic and methodical P of E (process of elimination) will find the problem.
Just follow the sea water path from the point of entry, and through each component.



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Thanks for your response. Brand new Raw Water Pump put in after problem started. It is a full system (closed). Friday, I will be going hose by hose again, but with clear temp hoses replacement to see the water flow - The pump is on correct, because if I disconnect the hose from the heat exchanger that comes from the pump, I get great water flow.
 
If you boat in salt water, I would change the elbows and risers as preventative maintenance. Should be done every 5 years or so to avoid failure. They can look good, but leak water through the internal water jacket to the exhaust ports. This gets salt water in your cylinders- bad things. $400 in parts or so per engine is a lot better than costly engine repairs.
 
kookoojuice said:
Thanks for your response. Brand new Raw Water Pump put in after problem started. It is a full system (closed). Friday, I will be going hose by hose again, but with clear temp hoses replacement to see the water flow - The pump is on correct, because if I disconnect the hose from the heat exchanger that comes from the pump, I get great water flow.
Click to expand...
IMO, the clear hose may be a waste of your time.

Have you removed the end caps from the heat exchanger.... and in particular at the inlet side?
Look for restrictive debris here.


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