Leaking Fluid

[jerseyalbin]

I have a 2005 28TE with the Yanmar 6SLPA-STP, this is my second season and i have about 170 hours. I am getting a leak of what seems to be coolant
in the bilge. I have been all over the engine running and while off to try to find it with no sucess. Sat I pulled out about a quart from the bilge.
Looking for dampness around all the hose clamps, zincs etc found nothing.
The fluid is pink like coolant non greasy and seems to have a smell of rubber hose.

thanks my first post but I read the good stuff you put in all the time

Craig Lambie
Mantoloking, NJ

[RicM]

Couple issues here. First of all your engine coolant should not be pink. Green or orange, but not pink. Green or orange is engine coolant, pink is the color of the non toxic anti freeze used to winterize the fresh water system, water heater, toilet etc. Two different substances for 2 different uses. Pink should NOT be used as the coolant in the Yanmar engine. The coolant is checked at the overflow reservoir, a cube shaped plastic container about 9x9x9 inches on the port side of the engine. There is a plastic tube that connects to the cooling system and another hose that leads into the bilge. Because the coolant (and everything else in life) expands when hot, this reservoir fills as the engine heats up, and then provides make up coolant as the engine cools down and draws the extra coolant back in. The reservoir is marked on the side with 2 lines indicating "full or add". Is this boat one you bought new or used? Who winterized it last year? If the fluid in the coolant reservoir is pink and you didn't put it there fire the guy who did and hire a real, certified Yanmar mechanic ASAP. Your engine ($28,000) is probably in danger. Do not run until resolved.

Many mechanics pour some antifreeze into the bilge to prevent any rain/snow runoff that gets in there during winter layup from freezing and doing damage. The bilge is actually 3 separate areas connected by limber holes. You may have drained the antifreeze from the easily visible area of the bilge, and then when the boat is run any water in the bilge mixes with antifreeze left in the other areas, and shows pink again. Use a shop vac to fully empty the area under the floor panel in the cabin, engine compartment, and the aft panel that gives access to the rudder post. More likely is that there is antifreeze from some component of the fresh water system that was not flushed in the spring getting into the bilge. First guess would be the shower sump

[Cape Codder]

Yanmar now recommends that you change the anti-freeze/coolant one a year. And as Rick has said, the "orange" coolant is specified.
There are coolant drains on the engine block, one on each side. They are shown on the diagram in the owner's manual. Perhaps these should be checked for tightness/leakage. They will drain directly into the bilge.

I know at times the orange antifreeze/cooant and winterizing pink-orange antifreeze can appear the "same"when trickling in the bilge.
There is one brand of winterizing antifreeze that is, in fact, orange.
I don't ever use it becasue of the confusion.

[jerseyalbin]

thanks guys it was used and I had a Yanmar, Mack Boring ,mechanic service it and winterize last year. I am confident I have the right coolant. I did some of the ancillary winterizing, generator fresh water etc. Yes that fluid I used was pink. I cleaned out the sump area and the aft bilge twice now , I better get after the most forward one too. I just did not expect that after several months it would still be around. I guess those 3 separate bilge areas do communicate!

The expansion reservoir does have some fluid in it that I added, yellow, and I seem to run at a consistent temperature of about 175 degrees in all weather conditions. The reservoir level has not changed in the last few weeks. I mentioned this fluid last year to the Mack Boring guy and he pressure tested and said everything looked fine.

The aft bilge is bone dry now so if the wind and thunderstorms we have been haaving calm down I will give it a ride this weekend and see whata I find, after cleaning the sump and forward one more time for good luck.
thanks alot, Craig

[chiefrcd]

Jersey,
On my 99 all the bilges connect. They are some pretty small openings, but eventually everything that goes in my aft compartment at the steering system will make it's way to the very front of the bilge under the cabin. I also use to carry about 5 gallons of bilge water in the front bilge and when you powered up the boat it would work it's way back under the engine.....I put a bilge pump as close to the bottom of the boat as I could under the cabin sole and try to keep that pumped out as much as possible. I also clean my bilges by pouring a 5 gallon bucket of hot "bilge cleaner" in the aft compartment and let if migrate to the front of the boat and slosh around a bit. I know this doesn't help with your leak but your bilges are probably connect too.