Hi Don,
A previous owner of my 1974 C&C 30 Mk1 removed the water lift muffler and replaced it with a brass swing check valve. The exhaust system seemed to be working fine until one of the welded iron pipes rusted through. Then Murphy's Law kicked in. I replaced everything rear of the manifold with 1 1/4" brass pipe to prevent future corrosion problems...Every piece of pipe is within an inch length of the previously welded concoction. Attached is a drawing of what is currently installed...as a picture is worth a 1000 words.
First, I suspect the design is severely flawed. Fed up with trying to fix a series of problems without manuals I purchased your Service and Overhaul Manual. I was alarmed to find the previous owner had made such a significant modification...yet I was surprised it previously had worked. Hopefully your feedback will help me assess this design against the symptoms.
Second, I now have white smoke--not steam--rolling out of the exhaust pipe and it smells a bit like coolant. I believe it started right after I replaced the exhaust parts. Plenty of water still comes out of the tailpipe so I believe my seawater pump works fine. Removing the heat exchanger cap after it has been running for a few minutes and white smoke billows out of there too. I have observed bubbling in the coolant reservoir after the engine runs 20+ minutes. It seems I am losing approximately 1 quart of coolant every 30 - 45 minutes the engine runs.
Third, crankcase oil had a milky color to it so I changed that and have not restarted the engine since to avoid recontamination.
Fourth: As additional background (I am not sure if this is relevant or merely coincidence), I began having some overheating problems....so the thermostat was replaced with a new one (Moyer Product #CS TH_03.4_241). I also replaced the fresh water pump with an MMI 502. The temperature gauge and sensor is new too. The reading is very slow to get above 120 degrees, while the head seems to get incredibly hot within a couple minutes. (The galvanized fitting that the sensor threads into remains cool to the touch.
Needless to say, I have my hands full right now, not sure how much is self-inflicted, and how many different problems I am really dealing with. Here are my questions: 1). Is it most likely that the wet exhaust design is causing the white smoke and/or the water/creamy color in the oil? 2.) Do I need a water lift muffler? 3.) What is the difference between a water lift exhaust and a water lock exhaust (e.g., those manufactured by Vetus)? 4.) Is it normal that the head could be so hot yet the galvanized fitting that the temp sensor threads into would still be cool to the touch? 4.) Do you think the hot head is related to the exhaust system design? 5.) Should the brass exhaust system include a zinc anode to prevent corrosion?
Thanks Don.
A previous owner of my 1974 C&C 30 Mk1 removed the water lift muffler and replaced it with a brass swing check valve. The exhaust system seemed to be working fine until one of the welded iron pipes rusted through. Then Murphy's Law kicked in. I replaced everything rear of the manifold with 1 1/4" brass pipe to prevent future corrosion problems...Every piece of pipe is within an inch length of the previously welded concoction. Attached is a drawing of what is currently installed...as a picture is worth a 1000 words.
First, I suspect the design is severely flawed. Fed up with trying to fix a series of problems without manuals I purchased your Service and Overhaul Manual. I was alarmed to find the previous owner had made such a significant modification...yet I was surprised it previously had worked. Hopefully your feedback will help me assess this design against the symptoms.
Second, I now have white smoke--not steam--rolling out of the exhaust pipe and it smells a bit like coolant. I believe it started right after I replaced the exhaust parts. Plenty of water still comes out of the tailpipe so I believe my seawater pump works fine. Removing the heat exchanger cap after it has been running for a few minutes and white smoke billows out of there too. I have observed bubbling in the coolant reservoir after the engine runs 20+ minutes. It seems I am losing approximately 1 quart of coolant every 30 - 45 minutes the engine runs.
Third, crankcase oil had a milky color to it so I changed that and have not restarted the engine since to avoid recontamination.
Fourth: As additional background (I am not sure if this is relevant or merely coincidence), I began having some overheating problems....so the thermostat was replaced with a new one (Moyer Product #CS TH_03.4_241). I also replaced the fresh water pump with an MMI 502. The temperature gauge and sensor is new too. The reading is very slow to get above 120 degrees, while the head seems to get incredibly hot within a couple minutes. (The galvanized fitting that the sensor threads into remains cool to the touch.
Needless to say, I have my hands full right now, not sure how much is self-inflicted, and how many different problems I am really dealing with. Here are my questions: 1). Is it most likely that the wet exhaust design is causing the white smoke and/or the water/creamy color in the oil? 2.) Do I need a water lift muffler? 3.) What is the difference between a water lift exhaust and a water lock exhaust (e.g., those manufactured by Vetus)? 4.) Is it normal that the head could be so hot yet the galvanized fitting that the temp sensor threads into would still be cool to the touch? 4.) Do you think the hot head is related to the exhaust system design? 5.) Should the brass exhaust system include a zinc anode to prevent corrosion?
Thanks Don.
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