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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Leaking thermostat

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5353 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/19/2014 : 08:29:32

The Honda 8 is all oiled & greased up, new spark plugs, cleaned out the carb and the impeller is pumping water. Should be all ready for the coming season.

But, wait, what's this? A few drops of water are coming out of the thermostat body where the hose fitting attaches. Hmmm... now if that were salt water, brine would drip down the side of the engine and hit the spark coil - that can't be good... At best it would rust out the coil, at worst, it would short it out and the engine would stop dead.

I looked on www.boats.net for the part. Here's the exploded [url="http://cdn.boats.net/diagram/honda/18ZW80/ILLUST/ZW88E/0400.png"]view[/url].

Seems I need a new thermostat body, spring, plug, gasket and O-ring.

It's not a show-stopper - I can plug the current hole with a bolt wrapped in teflon tape. But I ordered the parts and hope they come before next Saturday - splash day

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4018 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2014 : 06:04:42

Bruce, It seems to never go as planed right? I got splashed Fri. afternoon and so I get on the boat to take it to my slip. Pull the cord and nothing. Pulled ten more times and no fire. Pumped the bulb but the bulb would not get hard then I see gas coming out of the carb. This tells me the float is stuck in the down position allowing gas to overfill the carb bowl so I tapped on the bowl hoping to free it and then opened the throttle and put the choke off to dry the carb out. Waited 5 min and gave it a pull, Started right up. Always a few surprises coming off the winter lay up.

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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5353 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2014 : 06:55:47

Scott, it is amazing what can go wrong. Do you think the stuck float was just that? Temporary? Or is it "sticky".
My parts are on order but they might not make it in time. I plugged the hole pretty well using a small tapered wooden dowel. The idea is to get the wood a little wet so it will swell up and seal the hole. I've got to check it again before I motor the 7 miles back to my slip. I hadn't planned to bend on my sails until after launch but perhaps that will be good insurance just in case. Don't want to start the season calling Tow Boat US!

Edited by - Voyager on 04/20/2014 07:03:31

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4018 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2014 : 07:38:05

That's all it was, just stuck from the bowl being empty all winter. Can you use some JB Weld on the thermostat cover? I've used it to repair a few items and it does the job and is in any auto parts store. Hold you over till the new one arrives and I would trust it over a piece of wood.http://www.jbweld.com/product/j-b-weld/

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5353 Posts

Response Posted - 04/24/2014 : 21:17:05

Scott - brilliant suggestion! I used Marina Tech filler instead of jbweld. Seems pretty solid. Lets' see whether it will hold up under heat, vibration and pressure!

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 04/25/2014 : 07:12:10

I heard Marine Tech was made to repair aluminium, so if it sticks it might hold up pretty well.

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5353 Posts

Response Posted - 04/26/2014 : 16:18:17

I splashed successfully on Friday, and moved the boat from the Shelton yard to the floating dock in Milford harbor, down the Housatonic River today. I ran the engine for about 4 hours with the MarineTech plug in the hole. NOT ONE DROP OF WATER leaked.
I also got an excuse-o-gram from Boats.net telling me that they plan to ship the replacement parts on Monday. So I should expect them on Wednesday or Thursday (I hope). So we shall see. It has been a week already...

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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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4018 Posts

Response Posted - 04/27/2014 : 07:04:13

I was thinking about you yesterday while we were out sailing. Sailed over to Rye/Mamaroneck to watch the J boats race. Did you beat the afternoon rain?

Edited by - islander on 04/27/2014 07:06:47

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5353 Posts

Response Posted - 05/04/2014 : 09:31:12

We made it to the floating dock and missed the rain. Then last week happened - we got 4+ inches of rain. I've had a few stanchion leaks that drain into the bilge. On Friday I pumped 4-6 gallons of fresh water out of the bilge with a kayak pump!

[back on topic] So two weeks ago I ordered the thermostat housing and related Honda parts from Boats.net and at that time (<i>AFTER</i> I placed my order), I got a warning that they're replacing their inventory system and I might see a slight delay in fulfillment. Two more excuse-o-grams later and finally! I got a shipping notice. Should see the parts on Tuesday.

Scott - I'm very glad you suggested plugging the hole or I'd still be up ***e's creek without an engine.

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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5353 Posts

Response Posted - 05/04/2014 : 09:37:50

OT:
Paul - interesting auto asterisk generator! It recognized the first 4 letters in S-h-i-t-e and replaced with ****e. What else does it look for?

Edited by - Voyager on 05/04/2014 13:04:27

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5353 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2014 : 18:55:08

Parts <i>finally</i> came but the boat is in the water and the epoxy stopped the leak. This project is on hold until 2015 otherwise my fumble fingers will drop all the important bits into the harbor !!!!

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sweetcraft
Admiral

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USA
816 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2014 : 15:32:29

Me too with tools and parts that want to jump in the water. I pull the dingy up close under the outboard and tie. The parts now end up where I get a second chance.

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5353 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2014 : 08:35:33

Jim - that's a great idea. I've got a cheapie inflatable dink so if I drop anything, it'll make the first bounce in the dinghy then plop - into the drink. I think my epoxy fix should last the season so I can do the proper fix on dry land. I keep checking it for leaks.

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