We looked into the chronic overheating issue and so far have come up empty handed. Checked the heat exchanger-nothing clogging it. Checked the raw water impeller-in excellent condition, not burnt and not missing any vanes. Checked the raw water pump-excellent condition. Checked all the hoses-free and clear and fastened tightly. Checked the thermostat-operating fine.
The only other thing it could be is a clogged or broken intake on the outdrive. Since I have not hit anything since last haul out that I know if it being broken or cracked is not likely. There is a possibility it is clogged but then it would overheat all the time. Last Saturday the motor was running for over 4 hours before we had a problem.
Volvo-Penta had service bulletins on other drive models for chronic overheat problems in heavy load/use applications. For my drive however there are no such bulletins.
After speaking to several mechanics they suggest installing a similar kit to Volvo's sea water strainer kit for the DPX drive overheating issue. Basically it bypasses the raw water pickups in the drive using a high speed raw water pickup thru-hull and intake sea strainer like on an inboard engine. This has several advantages. It is higher in the water column and less susceptible to picking up mud and debris churned up by the wheels and also allows for a visual inspection of how much debris is being picked up and when it needs to be cleaned.
After running this idea by a Vovlo-Penta dealer they say it will should not help the situation and I should just continue to clean out the heat exchanger when needed and not boat in an area where there may be weeds and mud. Unfortunately I think that rules out pretty much everywhere boats are present. I know the past few weeks we have had very low water but I had overheat issues when the water was very high.
The whole thing is very frustrating. I wish there was a bad part somewhere. At least then spending money on a fix makes sense. In this situation it is all speculation that it will fix the problem but it is speculation by the area's best mechanics so I have to go by their word.
I will probably be hauled out later this week or early next week and begin repairs and upgrades on the cooling system. If the weather is still somewhat mild and some bigger bass show up I will go back in the water for a while.
The only other thing it could be is a clogged or broken intake on the outdrive. Since I have not hit anything since last haul out that I know if it being broken or cracked is not likely. There is a possibility it is clogged but then it would overheat all the time. Last Saturday the motor was running for over 4 hours before we had a problem.
Volvo-Penta had service bulletins on other drive models for chronic overheat problems in heavy load/use applications. For my drive however there are no such bulletins.
After speaking to several mechanics they suggest installing a similar kit to Volvo's sea water strainer kit for the DPX drive overheating issue. Basically it bypasses the raw water pickups in the drive using a high speed raw water pickup thru-hull and intake sea strainer like on an inboard engine. This has several advantages. It is higher in the water column and less susceptible to picking up mud and debris churned up by the wheels and also allows for a visual inspection of how much debris is being picked up and when it needs to be cleaned.
After running this idea by a Vovlo-Penta dealer they say it will should not help the situation and I should just continue to clean out the heat exchanger when needed and not boat in an area where there may be weeds and mud. Unfortunately I think that rules out pretty much everywhere boats are present. I know the past few weeks we have had very low water but I had overheat issues when the water was very high.
The whole thing is very frustrating. I wish there was a bad part somewhere. At least then spending money on a fix makes sense. In this situation it is all speculation that it will fix the problem but it is speculation by the area's best mechanics so I have to go by their word.
I will probably be hauled out later this week or early next week and begin repairs and upgrades on the cooling system. If the weather is still somewhat mild and some bigger bass show up I will go back in the water for a while.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment