Water not flowing out of exhaust

[john6206]

Hey everyone,

I’m stuck in port 30 miles from my home slip.

When I started the engine this morning smoke came from the exhaust but not much if any water.
Engine does not seem to overheat at low rpm, but temp starts to rise higher than usual if I push the throttle forward.

I assumed the problem was the impeller - could have sworn I had one on board… Amazon says I’ll have 2 of them in two days.

I’m pretty new to engine maintenance, BUT - the old impeller looks pretty good to me, I’m thinking that wasn’t the problem. The belt seems to be in good shape and well tensioned; The raw water strainer basket is clean, seacock was open (closed now)….

My next guesses are heat exchange tubes, or aqualift muffler ???

Any advice? What else could it be?
I have 48 hours to troubleshoot, but no access to a car or boatyard with a parts department.

Thanks,

John

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

What engine? Hours? Age/condition of thermostat? Have you checked its operation?

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Clogged through hull? Kinked hose? If you have time to kill, you could inspect the impeller

 

[Benny17441]

Hey everyone,

I’m stuck in port 30 miles from my home slip.

When I started the engine this morning smoke came from the exhaust but not much if any water.
Engine does not seem to overheat at low rpm, but temp starts to rise higher than usual if I push the throttle forward.

I assumed the problem was the impeller - could have sworn I had one on board… Amazon says I’ll have 2 of them in two days.

If that just happened when you crancked the engine this morning I would check to insure that water is flowing through the seacock. Disconnect the hose from the valve and open the valve, a gush of water should come out. If the flow is poor you may have sucked in some debri or a plastic bag at the intake. If such is the case, I have had some sucess blowing compressed air back out through the valve to clear the intake. If not time it may require someone to dive and remove it. Beware about diving in marinas, some may have faulty electrical installations.

 

[JamesG161]

Pictures of your water pump and intake strainer would help. Also what part of your hull is that intake?

Jim...

PS: My guess is water flow is restricted. Not Muffler, since you see exhaust.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

I’m pretty new to engine maintenance, BUT - the old impeller looks pretty good to me, I’m thinking that wasn’t the problem.

What do you mean by "old impellor" ? Is this the one that is currently on the engine or an old one out of the junk box ?

My next guesses are heat exchange tubes,

Answer my first question and then you'll have an answer to your above guess. If your current impellor is not missing any blades, your tubes should be clear. As for biological growth, tubes do not plug overnight from bio growth. It's a slow process.

My next guesses are heat exchange tubes, or aqualift muffler ???

Not familiar with your muffler but I doubt they are prone to becoming plugged. I'd be leaning towards an external blockage at the inlet of your engine through hull. If this is true and you lack an itinerant diver in the neighbourhood, this could present a significant problem, especially if the water is cold in your current area. A p[ossible check would be to :

• Close your through hull.
• Pull the hose off the through hull. Liberally use a hair dryer.
• Insert a clothes hanger at the top of the through hull cock (insert as far as it will go, about 1").
• Wrap a rag around the clothes hanger to act as a gland.
• Open the cock and go at it until you are sure any external obstruction is gone.

I have 48 hours to troubleshoot, but no access to a car or boatyard with a parts department.

You well may have a lot more hours to troubleshoot your problem as I very much doubt the arrival of the new impellor will cure your problem.

As @Project_Mayhem has suggested, use your remaining 48 hrs. wisely to examine your raw water pump. Look for a disconnect between the shaft and the impellor. I'm still lost over the comment of "old impellor" but just ensure the pump is in operating condition.

You said you're new to engine maint. but take a look at removing the discharge hose from the pump. This will be a little more difficult and an advanced inspection. Actually, you will disconnect the hose from the NEXT attachment point to the engine. Place the hose in a bucket, start the engine for a few SECONDS ONLY and see what the flow is like. That will give you an idea of where the problem is, before or after the pump.

From what you describe, I would say say your post here is your best (and only) possible resource for fixing your problem. Many man hours of experience from the above posters on this exact same problem. Let us know what you've got there by carefully answering every questiion posted here and we'll get you on your way.

 

[john6206]

Thanks everyone,

Engine is Westerbeke 30b
30 years old
957 hours

After some troubleshooting, the intake is clogged.
We opened the clean out (not sure what it’s called) then opened the seacock, no water.
tried hooking up a hose to a foot pump and blowing it out - nothing.

I have a friend who is now suggesting an air compressor.

Im going to pitch @Ralph Johnstone ’s process to my engineer friend.

My first thought was swimming under the boat to see what is there.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I like @Ralph Johnstone's idea of testing suction with a bucket. I would go one step further and do a bucket on the intake and a bucket on the output of the pump and start the engine for a short while. Now you know that the intake and pump are likely good. Now hook your intake back to your through hull and take the hose off from the HX, stick it in a bucket and start the engine to test the heat exchanger. Keep going down the line until you find the issue or start halfway down the line to potentially find your issue faster.