Ford Lehman 80hp - How easy or hard is it to blow a head gasket?

[Forkliftt]

RT,
I figured my boat came with the AD recovery bottle already installed. Is this the translucent tank you speak of??


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

 

[Marin]

That looks like it. Th AD kit consists of a plastic recovery bottle and metal holder, a replacement header tank neck insert and cap (the stock neck and cap won't allow coolant to be pulled back into the header tank), the necessary plastic tubing and the installation instructions.

We bought a pair of these kits soon after buying the boat. To date I've been too lazy to install them as our extended overflow tubes into a pair of plastic bottles in the sump pans that we pour periodically back into the header tanks works just fine....

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. F. That is indeed a translucent tank similar to what I was suggesting and it may well be the AD "kit" overflow tank but as I understand it, with the AD adaption, the existing expansion tank (ET) neck insert is replaced with an AD supplied insert (new one hast to be epoxied in after OEM is removed) and the ET automatically refills on engine cool down. It's hard to tell IF you have an AD "kit".
What I did with a previous Lehman was run the existing overflow tube into a tank similar to what you pictured. The OEM ET insert did NOT allow backflow from the translucent tank into the ET on cooling and the ET had to be manually refilled from the translucent tank BUT it was VERY cheap, kept any overflow out of the bilge and allowed me to monitor fluid levels.
Aw rats, Mr. Marin was too fast for me...Dad-gummed fast professional keying skills...

 

[Forkliftt]

Thanks for the follow up gentlemen- mine does siphon back when cool.
I think it was on this thread earlier a post mentioning that without a recovery bottle that sometimes the tank gets filled repeatedly and heats/expands- and gets refilled again. Thus resulting in a "loss" of coolant?. And it would sure seem so...


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

 

[Ski in NC]

You guys with plastic coolant bottles- Best way to know it is working is to see level rise as engine heats up, and go back down with engine cooling down.

Many of these recovery bottles don't work due to bad or wrong cap, plugged ports, bottle mounted too low, or leaks anywhere.

Seeing the level move with temp swing tells you all is well.

 

[Xsbank]

If you follow the directions you get with the kit, easy and they work. You get a new cap in the kit.

If the system is not closed, you will also lose coolant by evaporation too as water is 50% of the coolant.

 

[Nomad Willy]

The expansion tank on the engine has plenty of room for normal function. I think the remote expansion is to insure that the cooland in the engine has no air in it. If you use the remote tank and operate it such that the tank has some coolant in it when the engine is cold the expansion tank on the engine will be 100% full of water always and therefore there will be no air in the system. I'm not very clear about the airless system advantage. I think it has something to do w oxidation in the presence of air. One may get the same benifit from changing their coolant a bit more often.

 

[Ski in NC]

Yep, corrosion inhibitors in coolant scavenge dissolved oxygen. The remote bottle limits how much O2 gets into engine coolant inventory with each thermal cycle. It is worth having one if engine has suitable plumbing.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
"... The remote bottle limits how much O2 gets into..." Yup, got one of them installed in my brain. Good thing it only works intermittently.

 

[Forkliftt]

Here's a cool fact- one purpose of a radiator cap is to raise the pressure in the cooling system. This raises the boiling temperature above 212 F.

Another example is a pressure cooker. Once water starts to boil the temperature doesn't increase. By adding pressure you can increase the temp beyond 212 which helps it to cook faster.


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

 

[C lectric]

""""This engine produces about 80 HP. Not a Diamond Series Cummins. Do you really think it will rip the marina apart? Has your marina ever weathered a storm? Tie some knots? Put some extra ropes on it? Put the bow against something?""""

Xsbank,

If I gave offence I apologize. That was not my intention, rather to get the O.P. attention. I tried later, upon rethinking my comment, to edit but I was too late.

No, I do not think this action will rip the marina apart. Yes, put extra lines on it but some times in spite of the best intentions things go awry.
And I did say take someone with you to run the boat. That's what I do, my wife runs the boat while I check things.

 

[kchace]

Keep in mind that the 135's came originally with the external coolant expansion tank. Only the older 120's needed the installation of the coolant recovery "kit".

As Ski said "Many of these recovery bottles don't work due to bad or wrong cap, plugged ports, bottle mounted too low, or leaks anywhere. Seeing the level move with temp swing tells you all is well."

In my case, the tubing to the bottles was completely shot with kinks, blockages, etc.

Ken

 

[BruceK]

Keep in mind that the 135's came originally with the external coolant expansion tank. Only the older 120's needed the installation of the coolant recovery "kit". Ken

I would have fitted kits to my 120s had new caps not stopped coolant loss.

 

[Forkliftt]

Keep in mind that the 135's came originally with the external coolant expansion tank. Only the older 120's needed the installation of the coolant recovery "kit".

As Ski said "Many of these recovery bottles don't work due to bad or wrong cap, plugged ports, bottle mounted too low, or leaks anywhere. Seeing the level move with temp swing tells you all is well."

In my case, the tubing to the bottles was completely shot with kinks, blockages, etc.

Ken

Hey Ken
That's great info. I didn't know.


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

 

[Xsbank]

C lectric, absolutely no worries, no offence taken!

None!