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Steam Under Load

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commander332

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"To begin, I like to say what

"To begin, I like to say what a great find this discussion board is for those of us addicted to pouring our hard earned money into marine navigation.

My 1986 33' Chris Craft w/ twin 454 crusader 350 hp engines makes a LOT of steam at about 3/4 throttle (22 knts). As I back off and at an idle there's less/none. Since I'm dry docking the boat for this season to upgrade/repair her. Can you give me advice where to start to correct this problem. BTW the engines run great and the temp on the gauges never exceeds 160."
 
Do a search under "steam&#

Do a search under "steam" there are a number of posts on this. What color is the steam and what temps are you running at?
 
"The steam is white and the te

"The steam is white and the temps run between 150 and 160. Neither the manifolds, risers or pump impellers have been changed in the last three years (at least). The engines have about 600 hrs. on them. With the boat only running on dry dock, I can't simulate the load and recreate the problem."
 
"My 1990's steam if the hu

"My 1990's steam if the humidity is high, there are times the steam is 15 feet behind the boat other times there is none. When I replaced the u-coolers, it did seem to really cut the steam down but I have never gotten a definitive answer about whether this is normal or not."
 
I have 8" risers with the

I have 8" risers with the raw water coming through a 3/4" hose at the base . There is a 3/4" plug on the top as well. Does anyone know if it would help cool them to run the raw water in through the top also? What is that tapping suppose to be used for?
 
"I have read a few replies on

"I have read a few replies on here and others agree that this is normal as long as the pump is moving the right amount of water,your gauges show below 170, and your manifold temps show ok while you are on plane and warmed up.I questioned this myself as I believed the same thing, but when all is showing ok mechanically,comes a point in time where you have to believe thats the way its meant to be.Thats the advice I hear from 454 crusader owners here and on the water.Had 70 hours running time last year with the steam and all is well."
 
"Stop guessing and find out!

"Stop guessing and find out! Buy an infared, non-contact thermometer and scan the entire exhaust system. Then you'll know. With your set up, temps should not exceed 160 degrees anywhere in the system.

Jeff"
 
"Jeff when you refer to the &#

"Jeff when you refer to the "exhaust" and temps not above 160, where exactly are you refering to? From the riser back? Or including the exhaust manifold? If not the exhaust manifold, what should the temps be on it and what temps readings should one get on the intake manifold and around the plugs?

Ryan"
 
"Ryan:

Basically, EVERYTHIN

"Ryan:

Basically, EVERYTHING from the motor on back should not exceed 160 'F (excluding where the exhaust actully comes out of the head. On Chryslers this small area gets much hotter.)

On my 360s, typical temp readings are:

manifolds: 130 to 140
risers: 120 to 140
rest of exhasut system: 120 or less.

If you see a difference side to side that is an indication that the riser on the hot side is plugged--less water is flowing (and a lot more on the other side, cooling it excessively).

It's amazing how much you can learn with a temp gun! I regularly scan the systems of both engines while the wife runs the boat at cruising speed.

Jeff"
 
"Hi Jeff,

I could not agree

"Hi Jeff,

I could not agree more about that infrared thermometer. In fact, Until we got the new (old) boat, I never even saw one. After getting it (from borrowing a friends) I used it every time we went out to monitor the engines to learn how the FWC systems cooled and what would be normal.

Fact was, I never knew at the time, what would BE normal or what the correct reading should be. Never had FWC before. They were symmetrical most of the time. As it did eventually happen...IT WAS THOSE readings, that eventually led us to quickly finding the blockages, leaks and other problems that were repaired this last few winter weeks. We caught things early enough to prevent a major breakdown. I have one in the house too just to play with around windows, doors, a/c vents, TV, the dog, etc..."
 
"FastJeff,
Always borrowe

"FastJeff,
Always borrowed my friends infra red,non contact thermometer, but took your advice(as always) and purchased one for myself.A lot of cheapies out there on the market,and as a believer in good tooling,this is one item a few extra bucks is worth spending I think.....I sure do want the right temps....Todd"
 
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