How does a marine engine cooling system work?
Most newer marine engines use an enclosed cooling system. This means that there is a small tank on the top of the engine that uses a combination of fresh water and coolant. This fresh water is circulated through the engine and through a heat exchanger. The fresh water, in this system, absorbs the heat of the engine.
What is a keel cooled refrigeration?
The Keel Cooler is the logical step up from a pump-fed water cooled system, as now the condenser is outside the vessel, and instead of pumping water into the boat and back out over the side, we take the refrigerant outside the boat to be cooled, and then back in again.
How does the cooling system work on a inboard outboard motor?
Most marine inboard engines are fresh water cooled. Much like your car, a captive amount of freshwater (coolant) is continually circulated through a heat exchanger that maintains the engine at a temperature set by the thermostat. Usually this is between 170 and 180 degrees.
How long do marine oil coolers last?
10 years on the Oil cooler, tranny cooler and heat exchanger. (I prefer SeaKamp brand products to replace these items). Also, 10 years for exhaust manifolds on your dry-joint exhaust. Your SS elbows should last you a lifetime.
What causes an inboard motor to overheat?
The cooling system of a boat motor is one of the most vital necessities it can have. Worn or damaged water pump/impeller, clogged passages, cracked/kinked hoses, among other things can easily create an overheat condition, which is one of the deadliest conditions a motor can face.
Why is my inboard motor overheating?
The number one cause for overheating boat engines is a problem with the flow of water to the engine. Most boats have a water strainer which catches harmful items before they can cause damage to your engine.
Why do boat engines need water?
The boat engines need water because the water cools down the engine by flowing inside it over the power and cylinder heads, absorbing the heat. Without the water, the engine overheats because the impeller melts down without water flowing through, resulting in not pumping the water inside the engine.
What is a keel cooler on a boat?
A keel cooler is a closed-circuit cooling system mounted externally on the vessel’s hull below the waterline. The concept of keel cooling is similar to the application of a radiator on a car. Engine coolant is circulated through the keel cooler, which transfers heat from the coolant before it returns to the engine.
Is there a sea water circuit in the keel cooling?
It does not exist a sea water circuit in the keel cooling, thus, the cooling circuit is driven to an external cooler, usually in the hull, to cool directly from the water sea.
Can a diesel engine be prepared for keel cooling?
If you request a Solé Diesel engine prepared for a keel cooling, we will supply an engine with that function, with a dry exhaust plate and without a sea water cooling system circuit. However, Solé neither designs nor supplies, nor is responsible for the external installation system.
In the old days, many marine engine cooling systems were of the “raw-water” variety, meaning simply that they relied on pumping whatever water the boat was floating in through the engine and pumping it out the exhaust system—salt water, polluted water, algae-infested water, whatever was available.