While underway tonight, our engine temp buzzer came on. We shut down the engine immediately, opened engine compartment and noticed all the radiator fluid was pooled on the bottom of the hull. Anyone experience this or have any ideas on where to start troubleshooting?
Thank you,
Nancy and Trent

Sent from my iPhone

Anti freeze evaporates slowly and leaves oily residue. I would start by running my hand around all hoses/connections under thermostat, coolant pump areas, following lines to, from and around heater and water heater. If that fails I would refill, bleed air and check again, then restart and watch all above. If sudden loss I would suspect hose or pump failure first though.
Eric Swanson
NT 32-258 Gone Remote

From: Nancy M. Taylor via Sentoa sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2023 12:22 AM
To: sentoa@lists.sentoa.org sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Cc: Nancy M. Taylor nmtaylor1@yahoo.com
Subject: [Sentoa] Coolant leak

While underway tonight, our engine temp buzzer came on. We shut down the engine immediately, opened engine compartment and noticed all the radiator fluid was pooled on the bottom of the hull. Anyone experience this or have any ideas on where to start troubleshooting?
Thank you,
Nancy and Trent

Sent from my iPhone

Sentoa mailing list -- sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
To unsubscribe send an email to sentoa-leave@lists.sentoa.org

Nancy and Trent,

Lots of thoughts to help, but pick through and good luck....

I would start by cleaning up the mess (you've probably already done this)
with a shop vac to keep it out of the outside water.  Coolant is sticky - I
would use the opportunity to clean the engine and bilge to make it easier to
work with.  How much coolant was in the bilge?  My Cummins 5.9 holds close
to 8 gallons of coolant.  That's a lot to make it to the bilge.  If you have
a lot of coolant still in the engine, you may want to preserve it or it may
be time to drain the rest and replace.  Could depend on what you find and
how the coolant looks.  It's expensive stuff.

Take a strong light and examine all of the hoses and connections.  An LED
hand torch is perfect as it is mobile and bright.  It's pretty easy to trace
the coolant path to and from the coolant pump on the engine.  You may see
the leak quickly.  If you don't find obvious hose damage or badly corroded
fittings, then check the coolant pump to make sure it's pumping properly, or
has it failed and lost it's seal.  Was the overflow jug full of coolant?
That's a clue that the engine overheated prior to losing all coolant.  Since
it sounds like the coolant was all in the bilge, it seems more likely that
you probably lost coolant and then the engine overheated.  Don't forget to
trace the coolant hoses that go to the hot water heater and to the cabin
heater core.  Since there sounds like a lot of coolant in the engine room
bilge, I would not suspect the heater core as it would primarily empty
forward of the engine room bulkhead.

These observations come from my NT 32 engine room experience, which I
recently spent a lot of time in renewing the heat exchanger and all of the
seawater system and flushing and re-filling the engine coolant.  It would be
helpful to know which Nordic Tug you have and which engine?  It would be
helpful to diagnose.  If you have a JWAC engine there is an air bleed valve
on top of the intercooler that may have gotten knocked open (unlikely.)
There is a drain point on the tube that comes down from the heat exchanger
(unlikely but easy to check) also.

If you don't find it, you may want to fill the engine with distilled water
and run it up to temp to help find the problem.  This means replacing all of
the coolant, however, as you will have seriously diluted any remaining.
There are other scenarios involving coolant blowing through the fill cap and
reserve bottle (thermostat or coolant pump failure?) but I'd look for a
busted hose first as it seems more likely.

I'm a backyard mechanic with enough experience to hopefully be helpful.
Maybe there's a real engine tech on the list to correct or add to my
thoughts.

Probably a hose, but update us with your findings please.

David

David Owen
NT 32-260, WILSON
Santa Barbara, CA
dwowen@cox.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy M. Taylor via Sentoa sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Sent: Saturday, December 9, 2023 9:22 PM
To: sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Cc: Nancy M. Taylor nmtaylor1@yahoo.com
Subject: [Sentoa] Coolant leak

While underway tonight, our engine temp buzzer came on. We shut down the
engine immediately, opened engine compartment and noticed all the radiator
fluid was pooled on the bottom of the hull. Anyone experience this or have
any ideas on where to start troubleshooting?
Thank you,
Nancy and Trent

Sent from my iPhone

Sentoa mailing list -- sentoa@lists.sentoa.org To unsubscribe send an email
to sentoa-leave@lists.sentoa.org

Might there be any DIY wisdom for early NT26's out there to support Nancy & Trent's coolant troubleshooting efforts?  From the most recent fleet listing, looks like they are probably PUFFIN NT26-092, home ported in Florida.

Nancy & Trent:  sincerely hope you're making progress - if the over-temp alarm went off, sure hope you haven't got a gusher - best of luck and hope all's OK with your engine once you sort it all out.  Please report back with what you found.

Postscript here for the SENTOA archive for tracing annoyingly 'small' coolant leaks that evaporate before pooling in the bilge.

We have found slow coolant leaks tend to leave a faint white 'snail trail' deposit on the castings/hoses at the source of the leak.  Takes diligence and a bit of gymnastics with a bright hand light to inspect the underside of everything and everywhere errant coolant might drip from.  Finding a white snail trail on white engine paint does contribute to the challenge.  Making a black marker line across a suspect 'trail' then checking later has helped me confirm the sneaky culprit.

Specific to tracing coolant leaks for a Cummins 6BTA, now with north of 10K engine hours, we've had our share.  The turbo connection at the rear of the exhaust manifold is notorious for slow coolant leaks.  This engine has a second optional turbo mount dead center on the top of that manifold using that big 6" square cap.  Both locations use the same gasket and both have leaked on our boat.  On the 6BTA, all the most likely coolant leaks are on the starboard side of the engine.  The 5/8" coolant hose that loops forward to the heater/defroster unit beneath the stateroom steps then aft through the bilge to the domestic water heater before returning to the engine both originate and terminate on the forward-starboard corner of the 6BTA, top and bottom respectively (if you're going to replace this hose, take the time for find authentic Gates "green-stripe" hose, you don't want to do this job ever again!).  For insurance, we installed mini SS ¼ turn ball-valve shut-offs on both inlet and outlet connections for this coolant loop (search SENTOA archives).  Leaks from the coolant pump are sneakier. Everything is hidden behind the serpentine belt shroud.  Leaving a paper towel beneath the shroud in the bilge pointed out the pump's shaft seal was the source, the usual bilge absorption pads just sucked it up without a mark but the paper towel left a telltail colored spot.  FYI, coolant pumps for the Dodge RAM version of this engine were 1/10th the cost from Cummin$ and aftermarket has now lasted longer than the original.

kind regards, Kelly Britz, SANDPIPER NT37-042, Edmonds/Seattle

From: Nancy M. Taylor via Sentoa sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Sent: Saturday, December 9, 2023 9:22 PM
To: sentoa@lists.sentoa.org sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Cc: Nancy M. Taylor nmtaylor1@yahoo.com
Subject: [Sentoa] Coolant leak

While underway tonight, our engine temp buzzer came on. We shut down the engine immediately, opened engine compartment and noticed all the radiator fluid was pooled on the bottom of the hull. Anyone experience this or have any ideas on where to start troubleshooting?
Thank you,
Nancy and Trent

Sent from my iPhone

Sentoa mailing list -- sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
To unsubscribe send an email to sentoa-leave@lists.sentoa.org

Hello David, Fog Cutter, Eric, Kelly and SENTOA,Thank you ALL for the helpful suggestions. Yes this is indeed Puffin in FL.  Trent is going out of town next week and will be researching more when he is out of town.I can tell you that the compartment was clean as in there was no mess anywhere. No visible spray or gushing.  And it is hard to tell how much is down there.  He added a little more coolant today, but it disappeared and hard to say if it is in the tubes as it was so empty. A bit embarassing to be towed past those having their Christmas parties last night, but at least all was safe. We hope its just a simple fix such as a tube or hose coming loose.  This could have also been a slow leak that went on undetected for some time. But I know Trent is in the habit of checking inside the engine compartment when we start up and before we even leave the dock. Leads me to think this was a sudden loss of coolant. Thank you so much for all your suggestions, we have a lot of researching to do!Nancy & Trent 
On Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 02:22:42 PM EST, Kelly Britz kelbritz@hotmail.com wrote:

Might there be any DIY wisdom for early NT26's out there to support Nancy & Trent's coolant troubleshooting efforts?  From the most recent fleet listing, looks like they are probably PUFFIN NT26-092, home ported in Florida.
Nancy & Trent:  sincerely hope you're making progress - if the over-temp alarm went off, sure hope you haven't got a gusher - best of luck and hope all's OK with your engine once you sort it all out.  Please report back with what you found.__________
Postscript here for the SENTOA archive for tracing annoyingly 'small' coolant leaks that evaporate before pooling in the bilge.  
We have found slow coolant leaks tend to leave a faint white 'snail trail' deposit on the castings/hoses at the source of the leak.  Takes diligence and a bit of gymnastics with a bright hand light to inspect the underside of everything and everywhere errant coolant might drip from.  Finding a white snail trail on white engine paint does contribute to the challenge.  Making a black marker line across a suspect 'trail' then checking later has helped me confirm the sneaky culprit.
Specific to tracing coolant leaks for a Cummins 6BTA, now with north of 10K engine hours, we've had our share.  The turbo connection at the rear of the exhaust manifold is notorious for slow coolant leaks.  This engine has a second optional turbo mount dead center on the top of that manifold using that big 6" square cap.  Both locations use the same gasket and both have leaked on our boat.   On the 6BTA, all the most likely coolant leaks are on the starboard side of the engine.  The 5/8" coolant hose that loops forward to the heater/defroster unit beneath the stateroom steps then aft through the bilge to the domestic water heater before returning to the engine both originate and terminate on the forward-starboard corner of the 6BTA, top and bottom respectively (if you're going to replace this hose, take the time for find authentic Gates "green-stripe" hose, you don't want to do this job ever again!).  For insurance, we installed mini SS ¼ turn ball-valve shut-offs on both inlet and outlet connections for this coolant loop (search SENTOA archives).  Leaks from the coolant pump are sneakier. Everything is hidden behind the serpentine belt shroud.  Leaving a paper towel beneath the shroud in the bilge pointed out the pump's shaft seal was the source, the usual bilge absorption pads just sucked it up without a mark but the paper towel left a telltail colored spot.  FYI, coolant pumps for the Dodge RAM version of this engine were 1/10th the cost from Cummin$ and aftermarket has now lasted longer than the original.
kind regards, Kelly Britz, SANDPIPER NT37-042, Edmonds/SeattleFrom: Nancy M. Taylor via Sentoa sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Sent: Saturday, December 9, 2023 9:22 PM
To: sentoa@lists.sentoa.org sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Cc: Nancy M. Taylor nmtaylor1@yahoo.com
Subject: [Sentoa] Coolant leak  While underway tonight, our engine temp buzzer came on. We shut down the engine immediately, opened engine compartment and noticed all the radiator fluid was pooled on the bottom of the hull. Anyone experience this or have any ideas on where to start troubleshooting?
Thank you,
Nancy and Trent

Sent from my iPhone

Sentoa mailing list -- sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
To unsubscribe send an email to sentoa-leave@lists.sentoa.org

Hello I am so sorry for not including it was NT26, Perkins 4.236 85Hp and it is a 26' 1984 nordic tug. I can't seem to log in or see how I can update that to the thread :-(
----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Nancy Taylor via Sentoa sentoa@lists.sentoa.orgTo: sentoa@lists.sentoa.org sentoa@lists.sentoa.org; Kelly Britz kelbritz@hotmail.com; Fog Cutter Maritime fogillin@gmail.com; Eric Swanson eswanson23@hotmail.com; dwowen@cox.net dwowen@cox.netCc: Nancy Taylor nmtaylor1@yahoo.comSent: Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 03:13:28 PM ESTSubject: [Sentoa] Re: Coolant leak - on an early NT26 ?
Hello David, Fog Cutter, Eric, Kelly and SENTOA,Thank you ALL for the helpful suggestions. Yes this is indeed Puffin in FL.  Trent is going out of town next week and will be researching more when he is out of town.I can tell you that the compartment was clean as in there was no mess anywhere. No visible spray or gushing.  And it is hard to tell how much is down there.  He added a little more coolant today, but it disappeared and hard to say if it is in the tubes as it was so empty. A bit embarassing to be towed past those having their Christmas parties last night, but at least all was safe. We hope its just a simple fix such as a tube or hose coming loose.  This could have also been a slow leak that went on undetected for some time. But I know Trent is in the habit of checking inside the engine compartment when we start up and before we even leave the dock. Leads me to think this was a sudden loss of coolant. Thank you so much for all your suggestions, we have a lot of researching to do!Nancy & Trent 
On Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 02:22:42 PM EST, Kelly Britz kelbritz@hotmail.com wrote:

Might there be any DIY wisdom for early NT26's out there to support Nancy & Trent's coolant troubleshooting efforts?  From the most recent fleet listing, looks like they are probably PUFFIN NT26-092, home ported in Florida.
Nancy & Trent:  sincerely hope you're making progress - if the over-temp alarm went off, sure hope you haven't got a gusher - best of luck and hope all's OK with your engine once you sort it all out.  Please report back with what you found.__________
Postscript here for the SENTOA archive for tracing annoyingly 'small' coolant leaks that evaporate before pooling in the bilge.  
We have found slow coolant leaks tend to leave a faint white 'snail trail' deposit on the castings/hoses at the source of the leak.  Takes diligence and a bit of gymnastics with a bright hand light to inspect the underside of everything and everywhere errant coolant might drip from.  Finding a white snail trail on white engine paint does contribute to the challenge.  Making a black marker line across a suspect 'trail' then checking later has helped me confirm the sneaky culprit.
Specific to tracing coolant leaks for a Cummins 6BTA, now with north of 10K engine hours, we've had our share.  The turbo connection at the rear of the exhaust manifold is notorious for slow coolant leaks.  This engine has a second optional turbo mount dead center on the top of that manifold using that big 6" square cap.  Both locations use the same gasket and both have leaked on our boat.   On the 6BTA, all the most likely coolant leaks are on the starboard side of the engine.  The 5/8" coolant hose that loops forward to the heater/defroster unit beneath the stateroom steps then aft through the bilge to the domestic water heater before returning to the engine both originate and terminate on the forward-starboard corner of the 6BTA, top and bottom respectively (if you're going to replace this hose, take the time for find authentic Gates "green-stripe" hose, you don't want to do this job ever again!).  For insurance, we installed mini SS ¼ turn ball-valve shut-offs on both inlet and outlet connections for this coolant loop (search SENTOA archives).  Leaks from the coolant pump are sneakier. Everything is hidden behind the serpentine belt shroud.  Leaving a paper towel beneath the shroud in the bilge pointed out the pump's shaft seal was the source, the usual bilge absorption pads just sucked it up without a mark but the paper towel left a telltail colored spot.  FYI, coolant pumps for the Dodge RAM version of this engine were 1/10th the cost from Cummin$ and aftermarket has now lasted longer than the original.
kind regards, Kelly Britz, SANDPIPER NT37-042, Edmonds/SeattleFrom: Nancy M. Taylor via Sentoa sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Sent: Saturday, December 9, 2023 9:22 PM
To: sentoa@lists.sentoa.org sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
Cc: Nancy M. Taylor nmtaylor1@yahoo.com
Subject: [Sentoa] Coolant leak  While underway tonight, our engine temp buzzer came on. We shut down the engine immediately, opened engine compartment and noticed all the radiator fluid was pooled on the bottom of the hull. Anyone experience this or have any ideas on where to start troubleshooting?
Thank you,
Nancy and Trent

Sent from my iPhone

Sentoa mailing list -- sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
To unsubscribe send an email to sentoa-leave@lists.sentoa.org

Sentoa mailing list -- sentoa@lists.sentoa.org
To unsubscribe send an email to sentoa-leave@lists.sentoa.org