Freezing Weather, Overheat Alarm... - FIXED!

[swatski]

I tried to go out and do some wakeboarding today... Well, it did not go as planned.
The weather was a factor but I've been in cold water before and wakeboarding with a little ice around the river edges is a thrill, actually.
Yeah, it's been cold, going to the boat:


Kate was wearing her full snow ski attire, and a heating blanket:


But I digress...
So, about 2-3 min into it, pulling out of the slip and the marina at about 2,000RPM (both engines started instantaneously as always, no issues there) - I get an overheat alarm on my STRBD engine...

Turned both engines off immediately and start looking into it, the STRBD engine is noticeably warmer (hot-ish) while the PORT is still cold... Hmm...
I started them up again and immediately noticed no pisser stream on the STRBD, the PORT is fine.

No cavitation issues, not water in the bilge, no obvious blow-off hoses, no unplugged plugs etc. etc.

I'm thinking: could my cooling water intakes be frozen (and blocked)? (for the STRBD engine)

The boat is on the lift, and I am not winterizing. I don't recall the last time I left it but I might have skipped the blowing the motors after putting her up on the lift. Don't remember, I usually do it, but entirely possible I didn't. So, could water have accumulated in the intake tubes/hoses and froze solid (it's been very cold, in the teens the whole last week)?

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[haknslash]

Hmmm I agree it could be that you had some water leftover in the cooling intake strainer that eventually froze and is blocking your flow. Do you have tow valves? If so maybe you left one closed by accident?

 

[zipper]

Yes, water does collect at the low points of the cooling hoses. But most of us do not use our boats when "ice is on the river edges".
That water froze, hopefully your water boxes are ok. Being on a lift, gets your boat out of the warmer water and exposes the boat to only the cold air. I just posted a pic. on another thread of a frozen over Mallets Bay. All the service and rescue boats that stayed on the Bay until it froze, were in the water. If you are going to keep it like that thru the winter, maybe a little heat tape on the lines, PITA, or a small heater on a thermostat in the engine bay. Would not take much with all the sound deadening insulation in there. OR, leave Kate's electric blanket plugged in for the boat when it's cold. Good Luck

 

[2kwik4u]

I had an S10 pickup that would do that from time to time. Only overheat in extremely cold weather. Found out a few years later it was mostly water in the cooling system instead of the proper mix. Would only happen on VERY cold days, and would go away if I pulled over, attempted to investigate, and then took off again. Took awhile for me to figure it out, but it was actually freezing in the passage ways, and the warmth from the block took only a few minutes to thaw the blockage, which was coincidently the same amount of time I spent in the cold poking around under the hood looking for a problem.

My ramblings are to the point of, perhaps if you have a cold/frozen blockage somewhere that you can run the engines for a moment, let them warm, then turn off again to not overheat, and allow the convective nature of the block and any water that got in to thaw the blockage. Then repeat to get going again. Kinda risky without a good engine temp gauge, but might work.

Ultimately a little heater on a 40deg thermostat might be easier if you have a dock power source. I've also heard stories of people leaving 100watt incandescent bulbs on in the bilge while wet slipped to keep the motor from freezing. Just enough heat to keep the ice away.

 

[swatski]

Thank you guys!
No tow valves. Need to rethink my winterization schedule, I guess...

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[Mainah]

I tried to go out and do some wakeboarding today... Well, it did not go as planned.
The weather was a factor but I've been in cold water before and wakeboarding with a little ice around the river edges is a thrill, actually.
Yeah, it's been cold, going to the boat:
View attachment 85734

Kate was wearing her full snow ski attire, and a heating blanket:
View attachment 85735

But I digress...
So, about 2-3 min into it, pulling out of the slip and the marina at about 2,000RPM (both engines started instantaneously as always, no issues there) - I get an overheat alarm on my STRBD engine...

Turned both engines off immediately and start looking into it, the STRBD engine is noticeably warmer (hot-ish) while the PORT is still cold... Hmm...
I started them up again and immediately noticed no pisser stream on the STRBD, the PORT is fine.

No cavitation issues, not water in the bilge, no obvious blow-off hoses, no unplugged plugs etc. etc.

I'm thinking: could my cooling water intakes be frozen (and blocked)? (for the STRBD engine)

The boat is on the lift, and I am not winterizing. I don't recall the last time I left it but I might have skipped the blowing the motors after putting her up on the lift. Don't remember, I usually do it, but entirely possible I didn't. So, could water have accumulated in the intake tubes/hoses and froze solid (it's been very cold, in the teens the whole last week)?

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Where is the batshit crazy rating You have already got the cabin fever bug bad or you are just more manly than the rest of us. Well you did cross the gulf stream holding up your tower with one hand and driving with other after being bonked in the head with it. In all seriousness ice can cut very badly and I have a scar to prove it. Be careful out there.

I agree that the pisser hoses may be frozen which is a clear sign it is too cold to be boating. I would not be too concerned with the water boxes if you blow them out. The pisser lines and fittings I would be concerned about.

 

[Julian]

I used to put a "trouble light" in my old IO over the winter to keep snow from building up on the cover (it worked pretty well until it got WAY cold and the light couldn't keep up with heavy snow). Of course the light had an incandescent bulb in it which burns hotter.....you could likely put this in your engine compartment and it would keep it from freezing. Not sure if enough heat would get under the swim platform though.

Perhaps just ensuring you rev'd the engines when done next time would be sufficient.

You are a maniac!

 

[zipper]

One or two of these or something similar in your engine bay will keep the ice out, for a while. https://express.google.com/u/0/prod...9of0-xaOyLiRJqLoGjiuF-DOxgcFM2jMaAjImEALw_wcB Put it on a 120v thermostat.

 

[Scottintexas]

I also would guess frozen water between the strainer and cooling line Y, with out looking at my boat I'd bet there was a low spot where water pooled and froze,

 

[haknslash]

Also worth mentioning that if your boat is on a lift and near the water but above the waterline you can still accumulate moisture because it will be in the air being so close to the water. Wherever dew or moisture gathers it will likely freeze, especially in such small amounts as the strainer orifice or hoses. The air temp can be below the water temp

 

[Bluewater272]

You're nuts. That's all i have to add.

 

[djetok]

put golf tees in the pissers and a light bulb in the engine compartment to thaw it?

 

[swatski]

put golf tees in the pissers and a light bulb in the engine compartment to thaw it?

I ordered this boat engine bay heater, the best I can figure, and yes - it is ignition protected.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MEMRGZE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

It is supposed to keep things from dropping much below 45deg, so I would keep it inside the engine bay with the hatch crack open. Not sure if I should mount it permanently in the engine compartment or just stick it in there during winter storage on the lift?

My hope is it will keep the bilge from freezing solid as well. Couldn't be bad overall, I guess, whether or not my current predicament is related to actual freeze-blockage of the cooling intake lines.

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[buckbuck]

I would suggest you cancel the order and use the money to fund your psychological therapy sessions.

 

[PEARCE]

Good deal @swatski . That little heater will certainly give the piece of mind you need in the freezing weather. I wouldn't bother mounting it if I were you. Our cruiser has a bilge heater that's probably three times bigger then the one you posted and it's mounted. But the space it's heating is considerably larger. To give you perspective, one of the main engines is big enough to almost fill the engine compartment on the Yamaha. It also sits in the water all the time which gives it some insulation to some degree. The water never gets as cold as the air.

 

[BlkGS]

Is it possible that you caused some damage to the engine with it not being winterized? Could a coolant passage have frozen and cracked?

 

[Scottintexas]

extremely doubtful, I would suspect either the cooling supply line has a low spot that pooled some water that froze or the strainer froze,

how many people boat in this weather and would even know if their supply line and a loop or low spot,

I think Swatski may have won the award for Yamaha boating in the coldest weather! @KXCam22 do you feel up for a challenge??



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[swatski]

Is it possible that you caused some damage to the engine with it not being winterized? Could a coolant passage have frozen and cracked?

It is possible but I think it's extremely unlikely, water does not pool in those engine blocks, tends to flow down rubber/plastic hoses, and will collect there and in water boxes, and pumps.

In my five or six years of Yamaha jet boat ownership I have never winterized and do not plan on it. I tend to use the boat throughout the year, as long as the rivers are not frozen solid. Just like an outboard. This is the first time I have experienced an issue like this, I am very curious to see what it is!
I will be certainly updating this thread with any findings.

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[BlkGS]

It is possible but I think it's extremely unlikely, water does not pool in those engine blocks, tends to flow down rubber/plastic hoses, and will collect there and in water boxes, and pumps.

In my five or six years of Yamaha jet boat ownership I have never winterized and do not plan on it. I tend to use the boat throughout the year, as long as the rivers are not frozen solid. Just like an outboard. This is the first time I have experienced an issue like this, I am very curious to see what it is!
I will be certainly updating this thread with any findings.

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That makes me feel better about my boat, lol. I've been worried about not flushing my boat well enough lol.

 

[Mainah]

It is possible but I think it's extremely unlikely, water does not pool in those engine blocks, tends to flow down rubber/plastic hoses, and will collect there and in water boxes, and pumps.

In my five or six years of Yamaha jet boat ownership I have never winterized and do not plan on it. I tend to use the boat throughout the year, as long as the rivers are not frozen solid. Just like an outboard. This is the first time I have experienced an issue like this, I am very curious to see what it is!
I will be certainly updating this thread with any findings.

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If your passion is boating year round you may want to consider moving south. Like Texas or Florida south.