- Messages
- 1,595
- Reaction score
- 899
- Points
- 247
- Location
- Ottawa, Canada
- Boat Make
- Scarab
- Year
- 2015
- Boat Model
- 165 G
- Boat Length
- 16
Your BRP Rotax engine is cooled by antifreeze (aka coolant), NOT the plumping kind.
Your exhaust system is cooled by external water (lake, ocean, river, etc.).
The coolant for your engine is quite important and often overlooked. BRP has two kinds:
Green: good for 2 years
Orange: good for 5 years
Your boat may have come with one or the other. You can absolutely change IF you follow proper flushing procedure. The Green 2 years XPS coolant works fine though. But I'm a fan of longer term coolant = less maintenance.
Coolant is rated to work at certain operation and ambient temperatures. You can use off the shelf ethylene glycol 50/50 premixed coolant, but I don't think it's worth it since the orange stuff will last much longer and end up being cheaper because of this over that period.
You can also check its condition by using a device called a hydrometer. They are super cheap at your nearest hardware store. Learn how to use it properly via YouTube. Suck in the right amount and keep it levelled. Presto, it shows you it's current capability via its specific gravity. Otherwise, just follow the 2 or 5 year recommendation. Your engine could overheat if you don't.
Replacing the coolant is very simple:
- Drain the coolant and rinse with demineralized water via the plug on the ride plate. You'll see a hex key bolt right in the middle of the ride plate (big metal plate under the jet nozzle). That ride plate acts as a radiator to transfer heat away from the plate as the coolant flows through it. Note that this coolant is highly toxic to the environment, please be considerate. Capture it and bring it to a hazardous waste drop off. This isn't plumbing antifreeze which is considered quite a bit friendlier.
- Now that you've ran some demineralized water through the system and it's coming out clear, it's time to start filling. Open the cap of the fill tank and start pouring her in. Have a friend do that part while you watch the ride plate.
- When the antifreeze comes out on the ride plate and it's a solid green or orange as per the bottle, replace the plug quickly then tighten to 73 in-lbs or 8 Nm. The goal is to NOT have trapped air in the system.
- Continue filling until you're at the half way mark on the fill tank between min/max labels. Don't overfill! When it gets hot, it will expand and potentially overflow via the overflow tube and spill into your bilge.
- Put the cap back on (it's tricky to get it right, make sure it's well seated and locked in place!) and then run your engine via proper flush procedure. Engine on, water on, water off, engine off, in that order. Run the engine for say 45 seconds and watch The coolant reservoir. It's perfectly normal to see it drop suddenly and air bubbles coming out. You're purposefully burping the lines by running the engine. Top the reservoir back up and that's it.
- Keep spare coolant the first time you go for a boat ride. The first few minutes especially, take a look at the reservoir and make sure it's kept at the mid-mark. More air may burp out of the system and you don't want to learn this while your engine starts to overheat.
- The fill tank should be read when the engine is COLD! Hence the comment earlier as NOT to overfill.
Your exhaust system is cooled by external water (lake, ocean, river, etc.).
The coolant for your engine is quite important and often overlooked. BRP has two kinds:
Green: good for 2 years
Orange: good for 5 years
Your boat may have come with one or the other. You can absolutely change IF you follow proper flushing procedure. The Green 2 years XPS coolant works fine though. But I'm a fan of longer term coolant = less maintenance.
Coolant is rated to work at certain operation and ambient temperatures. You can use off the shelf ethylene glycol 50/50 premixed coolant, but I don't think it's worth it since the orange stuff will last much longer and end up being cheaper because of this over that period.
You can also check its condition by using a device called a hydrometer. They are super cheap at your nearest hardware store. Learn how to use it properly via YouTube. Suck in the right amount and keep it levelled. Presto, it shows you it's current capability via its specific gravity. Otherwise, just follow the 2 or 5 year recommendation. Your engine could overheat if you don't.
Replacing the coolant is very simple:
- Drain the coolant and rinse with demineralized water via the plug on the ride plate. You'll see a hex key bolt right in the middle of the ride plate (big metal plate under the jet nozzle). That ride plate acts as a radiator to transfer heat away from the plate as the coolant flows through it. Note that this coolant is highly toxic to the environment, please be considerate. Capture it and bring it to a hazardous waste drop off. This isn't plumbing antifreeze which is considered quite a bit friendlier.
- Now that you've ran some demineralized water through the system and it's coming out clear, it's time to start filling. Open the cap of the fill tank and start pouring her in. Have a friend do that part while you watch the ride plate.
- When the antifreeze comes out on the ride plate and it's a solid green or orange as per the bottle, replace the plug quickly then tighten to 73 in-lbs or 8 Nm. The goal is to NOT have trapped air in the system.
- Continue filling until you're at the half way mark on the fill tank between min/max labels. Don't overfill! When it gets hot, it will expand and potentially overflow via the overflow tube and spill into your bilge.
- Put the cap back on (it's tricky to get it right, make sure it's well seated and locked in place!) and then run your engine via proper flush procedure. Engine on, water on, water off, engine off, in that order. Run the engine for say 45 seconds and watch The coolant reservoir. It's perfectly normal to see it drop suddenly and air bubbles coming out. You're purposefully burping the lines by running the engine. Top the reservoir back up and that's it.
- Keep spare coolant the first time you go for a boat ride. The first few minutes especially, take a look at the reservoir and make sure it's kept at the mid-mark. More air may burp out of the system and you don't want to learn this while your engine starts to overheat.
- The fill tank should be read when the engine is COLD! Hence the comment earlier as NOT to overfill.
