What would you put on this A4?

[alcodiesel]

Thank you for the input. The boat has lived in salt water all it's life and will continue to.
I have a place right next to the A4 below the quarter berth where the electric pumps could go and be at or below the engine.
Where to put the heat exchanger and tank? Maybe in the cockpit lazerette.

Thanks to Flathead: "The engine will probably outlive the time you have left to sail even if you leave it RWC. Plus, a new FWC setup costs about the same as another used engine" hmmmmm, true. However: I plan to never sell this boat and give it to one of my kids when I am done up. More hmmmm.

[joe_db]

My electric pumps are behind the engine and about the level of the top of the transmission housing. They do need to be low or they will get air-locked. My heat exchanger is in the port cockpit locker with the bottom of the exchanger about even with the top of the engine. This has an effect I had not totally thought through - any time you work on the system, a lot of coolant will dump out. If I ever get in the mood to add things, I might install a valve or two to prevent this, but then again I have the system sorted now and should not be messing with it too much.

Thank you for the input. The boat has lived in salt water all it's life and will continue to.
I have a place right next to the A4 below the quarter berth where the electric pumps could go and be at or below the engine.
Where to put the heat exchanger and tank? Maybe in the cockpit lazerette.

Thanks to Flathead: "The engine will probably outlive the time you have left to sail even if you leave it RWC. Plus, a new FWC setup costs about the same as another used engine" hmmmmm, true. However: I plan to never sell this boat and give it to one of my kids when I am done up. More hmmmm.

[sastanley]

Bill, the discussion regarding belt or electric FWC sometimes has to do with space. I have no room at the front to add a pulley to run another pump. I have a buddy with the same boat, and his boat has a belt driven antifreeze pump that is bolted in between the alternator and accessory drive. I was thinking about that route until I saw the Indigo system. I had already acquired everything except a pump, so I bought a Johnson CM-30 pump and designed my own system, but I borrowed heavily from thatch's pump/HX configuration. That guy is way more creative than me!

My system has been working pretty well..the biggest thing I think is to get the motor as CLEAN as possible before conversion so you don't get dead bits of Chesapeake Bay critters clogging up the little HX tubes somewhere down the road.

[joe_db]

+ 1 on cleaning.
You need about 4 times the cleaning you think you do

[ndutton]

The thing about the Johnson CM30P-7 pump is it will not pump air, will not self prime. It performs amazingly well for a non-displacement stirring type pump but careful consideration should go into system design so that the inevitable air pockets have a clear uphill path to the header tank allowing the system to self-purge.

[alcodiesel]

The thing about the Johnson CM30P-7 pump is it will not pump air, will not self prime. It performs amazingly well for a non-displacement stirring type pump but careful consideration should go into system design so that the inevitable air pockets have a clear uphill path to the header tank allowing the system to self-purge.

Then installing the exchanger and tank in the lazarette would be good bec. it would be above the engine by a foot or so.

[ndutton]

Then installing the exchanger and tank in the lazarette would be good bec. it would be above the engine by a foot or so.

And it's important the hoses to and from are on a continuous uphill run to the HX & tank.

[thatch]

"Note to Shawn"

Shawn, Thank's for the compilment in post #18 but sometimes I "create" myself right into the toilet, I ain't perfect.
Tom

[joe_db]

Has anyone ever seen the factory FWC? They used what looks like a quite small heat exchanger that bolted to the manifold.

[Easy Rider]

I picked up a used F/W cooled A4 about 15 years ago that came with what I assume must have been a factory installation H/E or a H/E option that was made just for the A4. I'm not at the boat to check but I believe it was manufactured by "Sen-Dur", but I could be wrong. It was positioned beside the exhaust manifold at about the same height and used the fore and aft manifold studs to secure it to the engine. It does seem quite small, being about the same length of the manifold but it has worked well for me for about the 12 years since I installed it and it keeps the A4 at a comfortable 160 degrees. At least that's what the gauge says. In my situation (Ranger 29) there wasn't enough width in the engine compartment to accommodate the H/E in the bolted on position so I relocated the H/E to the aft bulkhead in the lazarette where it's easier to do routine maintenance to it.

Chuck

[sastanley]

Chuck, thanks for updating your profile pic to show the boat..looks great!..Now you need to get back to the boat and take some pics of the HX arrangement.
I was not aware that A-4's were ever offered with HX/FWC, as Joe mentioned, but apparently so, and maybe you have one!

BTW - My FWC arrangement is a small SenDure 2" x 15" HX...(from memory it is a 2AT15) It has been performing admirably.

[alcodiesel]

I have talked with Tom at Indigo. Nearly ready to throw down for his electric pump FWC.
Things holding me back:

1. The A4 has been just fine for 40 years and runs fine now. I keep thinking: "if it an't broke, don't fix it."

2. Added complexity to the system. I like KISS.

3. Mechanical competency-wise, I know I can do this. Physically-wise, not so sure- I have the body of a 90 year old. (disabled vet.)

I guess I am looking for inspiration. I also plan on keeping this boat in perpetuity.

[edwardc]

Its really not a bad job to do. I found that the hardest thing was finding a place to mount the HX that met all my requirements. After that, its just some simple hoses and clamps.

FWIW, here is my list of HX mounting requirements:

1) Clear vertical sight line into the fill cap, in order to make it simple to inspect and add fluid. (in my case this meant protruding the fill cap into a sail locker.)

2) Easy access to the zinc for annual (or more) replacement without disassembly.

3) Easy removal of the whole HX without other disassembly in order to clean and rod-out when it becomes necessary.

I was fortunate in that I was able to come up with a mounting that met all these requirements.

[alcodiesel]

Copy that. Thank you, Ed, and for the pics. I'm getting re-pumped.

[romantic comedy]

I made my own "system". Not that it was hard. I had a hx from v-8 and bought a pump from MMI in 96 or 97.

I would highly recommend a mechanical pump if you want to go kiss.

My set up is a little different as I have the new pup, for sea water, mounted where the alternator was mounted. I mounted the high out put alternator on the flywheel PTO. Have never had a problem with the system since installed in 97. I did remove and clean the hx twice, just for fun.

You say that this is your last boat. I say the same thing. Go FWC. It runs better and lasts longer. (sounds like a ****** ad)