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AQ125b Heat Exchanger Leak

E

ernest660

New member
"On the first launch of this s

"On the first launch of this season I noticed lake water leaking past the cap on the heat exchanger. Is this most likely caused by a blockage in the system? If so, is there a way to find and clear the blockage? Is it possible the cap is just failing and in need of replacement? This AQ125b is in a 1988 Bayliner."
 
"Which cap are we talking abou

"Which cap are we talking about? If it is the one on top of the raw water strainer, the housing may be cracked and then you will have to replace it. If we are talking about the radiator-style cap on top of the coolant reservoir, then either you have not installed it properly, or the spring has lost its tension, or the water is too hot, or the engine has a blown head gasket.

It seems you may be talking about the raw water strainer (the black plastic thing on top of the heat exchanger tank). If so, remove the cap (turn it counterclockwise until it comes out) then check if the strainer is clogged or if the housing is cracked. If all is fine, then the exhaust manifold may be clogged, but in that case you would likely see one of the copper pipes popping out from the heat exchanger housing and a major raw water leak."
 
"Thanks so much for the reply.

"Thanks so much for the reply. The water leak is under the cap on top of the raw water strainer. The strainer has no debris in it whatsoever. Fortunately no copper pipes have popped off of the heat exchanger housing, but we only ran the boat a short time. Any other suggestions?"
 
"Remove the cap and check the

"Remove the cap and check the condition of both the rubber gasket and the lip in the housing. I have managed to reuse a leaky gasket and make it seal again by turning it upside down. But if the housing lip is cracked, you will have to buy a new housing, and they are not cheap."
 
"I can vouch for EP on that...

"I can vouch for EP on that...those housings are NOT cheap. You'd think for a plastic housing it'd be about $25 bucks or so. Sadly, more like $100 or more. Ouch!"
 
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