formula382
New member
"I had to post this as I searc
"I had to post this as I searched high and low and found nothing on the topic.
Long story short, I've been having trouble starting my 502's after the boat has been run for any decent length of time in heat conditions above say, 75 degrees outside. Down here where I live in Arkansas, we stay north of 90 degrees on most summer days and breach the 100 mark fairly often. Needless to say, my engine box stays toasty!
Well, to add insult to injury, I have a generator that I run often as I have small children that nap on board my 38 Formula Fastech. The generator also puts out about 180 degrees into the engine box while running. So after either running the big blocks or running the generator in temps that are normal summer temps, I couldn't fire my engines. It would be random. Sometimes I'd fire port ok but not starboard and vica versa. Sometimes neither would start and it would take several minutes of letting the engines cool before I could get one engine started.
After much frustration, and hearing everyone and their brother say "vapor lock", "too much ethanol in fuel these days" blah blah. So I then proceeded to changing fuel filters, treating fuel for potential water, draining fuel, running blowers non stop, running with the engine box open to airate the engines etc. etc. Folks, it wasn't the fuel and I suspect this is far greater a problem than many know. My mechanic nailed it! A couple of weeks back, he installed something called a BRADY VALVE on each engin. In short, the engines were syphoning water back into the blocks from the waste gate (or whatever the techincal description is) side thus creating much higher temps as the engines were shut down and presumably freaking out the computer on the blocks. Now, when the engines are shut down, they don't let any water reenter the block from the exit side, a check valve of sorts.
VOILA, from the first we've used the boat post installation (in 90 degree temps plus), we've had zero issues and we use the heck out of the boat.
I've read things such as fuel pump diaphargm cracks etc. Not if your engines run fine all the time and simply have a really tough time firing after heat is applied. IF this is the case, the BRADY VALVE is for you.
Note that my boat is a 2000 model so no Brady's were installed on that early of a model. I understand that the newer 496's etc. use this valve.
I hope this helps someone out there as I am one happy man now that my baby is running awesome!"
"I had to post this as I searched high and low and found nothing on the topic.
Long story short, I've been having trouble starting my 502's after the boat has been run for any decent length of time in heat conditions above say, 75 degrees outside. Down here where I live in Arkansas, we stay north of 90 degrees on most summer days and breach the 100 mark fairly often. Needless to say, my engine box stays toasty!
Well, to add insult to injury, I have a generator that I run often as I have small children that nap on board my 38 Formula Fastech. The generator also puts out about 180 degrees into the engine box while running. So after either running the big blocks or running the generator in temps that are normal summer temps, I couldn't fire my engines. It would be random. Sometimes I'd fire port ok but not starboard and vica versa. Sometimes neither would start and it would take several minutes of letting the engines cool before I could get one engine started.
After much frustration, and hearing everyone and their brother say "vapor lock", "too much ethanol in fuel these days" blah blah. So I then proceeded to changing fuel filters, treating fuel for potential water, draining fuel, running blowers non stop, running with the engine box open to airate the engines etc. etc. Folks, it wasn't the fuel and I suspect this is far greater a problem than many know. My mechanic nailed it! A couple of weeks back, he installed something called a BRADY VALVE on each engin. In short, the engines were syphoning water back into the blocks from the waste gate (or whatever the techincal description is) side thus creating much higher temps as the engines were shut down and presumably freaking out the computer on the blocks. Now, when the engines are shut down, they don't let any water reenter the block from the exit side, a check valve of sorts.
VOILA, from the first we've used the boat post installation (in 90 degree temps plus), we've had zero issues and we use the heck out of the boat.
I've read things such as fuel pump diaphargm cracks etc. Not if your engines run fine all the time and simply have a really tough time firing after heat is applied. IF this is the case, the BRADY VALVE is for you.
Note that my boat is a 2000 model so no Brady's were installed on that early of a model. I understand that the newer 496's etc. use this valve.
I hope this helps someone out there as I am one happy man now that my baby is running awesome!"