Trojan 440 Upgrades, Fixes and Ideas

Great blog I learned something new:) I wasn't sure my two water heater were factory back now I know it was, interesting. I don't know any other boat our size with two. Looks like you have done a great job with the upgrades keep up the good work I love these boats!
 
Nice John. I am sure I need to clean the heat exchangers and after coolers as well. I hope to get to it this summer. Great work you did on your boat.
 
Dave - Funny part is, I only have one water heater. There are so many variations to what my owners manual says vs. what I have it really renders it to fun reading material not useful for anything else. I am in the process of re-writing the entire thing to match my boat. It will probably take me the better part of the next year to complete that. Anyway, to me the water heater I do have is so much in the way I am trying to figure out where I can relocate it too. I have considered moving it to the left side of the trunk, tucking it under the port side. Not having it on the Starboard side makes it so easy to get around that motor it would be worth it. I am also considering moving the glendenning barrel back there too. With my two 8Ds in the center bilge between the motors I don't have to worry about moving around them. And I measured the space last week and I can put two more down there along with the genny battery.

Allen - Thanks for the compliments. Most of the ideas and inspiration come from right here at BE. This coming winter I intend to take both heat exchangers and aftercoolers off and send them out to a radiator shop for a good cleaning. At least a better job than I can do. I really do need to update that blog with the other projects I have taken on and completed. This months project is to rebuild that shelf in the anchor locker that directs the rain water out of the boat over the anchor. And add a through hull drain for the anchor locker. Oh, the fun times of being a boat owner. lol
 
Allen - Thanks for the compliments. Most of the ideas and inspiration come from right here at BE. This coming winter I intend to take both heat exchangers and aftercoolers off and send them out to a radiator shop for a good cleaning. At least a better job than I can do. I really do need to update that blog with the other projects I have taken on and completed. This months project is to rebuild that shelf in the anchor locker that directs the rain water out of the boat over the anchor. And add a through hull drain for the anchor locker. Oh, the fun times of being a boat owner. lol
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Let me know if you have a place in mind to where to ship the after coolers and heat exchangers. I was going to clean them my self but your idea sound better :-)
 
Actually by ship off I meant take to a local shop around the Baltimore area somewhere. Having someone else do it to me is a better way to go. They can pressure test them and repair anything they find questionable. I am sure I can get some good local recommendations from some of the BE folks in this area. I am sure you would be able to send them there as well. I think local is better though as if there are problems with them you can discuss it face to face rather than try to do it over the phone or through email.
 
Cleaning them yourself is a very easy DIY job. Check out Tony Athen's article about how to do it on Boatdiesel. You can get the right gaskets from him for about $20.

Knock the inside of the after cooler out, spray the fins with brake cleaner and use a .22 gun cleaning kit to clean out the tubes.
 
quote:
Originally posted by HOGAN

Cleaning them yourself is a very easy DIY job. Check out Tony Athen's article about how to do it on Boatdiesel. You can get the right gaskets from him for about $20.

Knock the inside of the after cooler out, spray the fins with brake cleaner and use a .22 gun cleaning kit to clean out the tubes.

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Mike you and Allen have the same motors I believe, John and I have the Cats not sure the process is the same but I would love to do them as well. I'm much more comfortable with electrical and plumbing projects screwing up the motors scares the hell out of me.
 
Got it John.
Mike I read Tony's article on boat diesel, you referred me to boat diesel for something else. Do you order the gasket from him? What is a .22 gun?
 
Really Allen coming from you this is surprising, it's how you spent your youth! A 22 caliber rifle cleaning kit has the proper size rods and brushes at least this is what Mike is saying I wouldn't have a clue. I have never seen a gun before:)
 
Duhhh :-) I miss read. I thought it was some sort of a "cleaning gun"... Dave thanks for clarifying in simple language! :-)
 
Allen
I finaly solved an almost 10 year old problem, I hate water in the bliges.I always got water in the garage bilge when I was running.No connetion to the rest of the other bilges,right?
Well, one day I hear a bilge pump running! I hand pump all out but a few days later lots of water in the cabin bilge! Dry out and see water coming from aft. Finaly find a pinhole in the port stringer in the engin room, me into the garage and find lots of water up to the big holes there, wire to the bilge pumpe broken, fix it pump out and dry out, soon more water. I had just loaded the dinky on the swimplatform and that lowered the boat enough to bring the waterlevel above the top of the rudder shaft tube, and the seal to the hull was shot. Therefore water in during running! Filled it with Boat Life underwater sealer and life is good again.
 
Mike - I could do it myself. I know it is really not that difficult to clean out the heat ex-changer but the after cooler is a bit different. Just as easy to take them both somewhere and have them cleaned and pressure tested. That way if they find any potential issue they can take care of it then. While they have the innards, I can bead blast and paint the casings. Good winter project at the Auto Hobby Shop on base. I may also rebuild the starters and alternators this winter if I can find a good electrical shop here.

Odvar - I feel the same way. Eventually I will have a dry bilge as well. I too believe I have water coming from the garage. I have not sealed the lid with gaskets yet like you have but do intend to do that this summer. The leaking in has rotted the floor of the garage which I need to replace as well. On a dry warm day with a dry warm bilge I plan to run water into the garage bilge and test my theory. I know very little is coming from the anchor locker now as I have put a hose from the 1" tube that leads from there to the bilge and connected it to my shower sump. When it rains the water runs down the tube into the hose and out the shower sump. It is not glued in so a little water does get by but not so much that should cause that much water to be in the center bilge. That is why I think it has to come from the garage.
 
I have water running forward from the garage through the stracture beam on both port and SB side. the deference is on the port side there is a drain to the cabin bilge but not on the SB side. there os actually no drain hole from the SB side which leads me to belive this is the reason my boat is listing to the SB side, new problem.I just discovered there was no hose in the hole they put in the stracture beam to drain the water to the center bilge in the garage. I put a 2 inch through hull with a hose to the center bilge on both sides, used a lot of silicon to seal the hole with the through hull. Water are now running into the main center bilge but I am still getting water in the cabin bilge. Can't figure it out. Found this out when I did new floors to my garage. Very frustrated with the water situation.
 
Allen - what did you use in repairing your floor? Under my floor there is a tube through the beam from the outboard of both sides to both the port and starboard bilge and again from each of those to the center bilge. And I get a lot of water in there when it rains hard or I wash the boat. Oddly that bilge pump is the strongest of the bunch based on the stream it puts out. However that pump is up a couple inches off the bottom so it never gets all of he water. I never get water in he bilges of the engine room or the outboard bilges of the salon. I get plenty in the center bilge when it rains or I wash the boat. By the end of summer I will have a dry bilge whether it is raining or getting washed.
 
I simply replaced the whole floor. I assume yours is like Dave's and it is fiberglass, mine was 3 platform of painted pli wood. Cheap. The tube you were referring to is MIA on my boat, non NADA. Dumb. They probably forgot to install it. Stop the water is on top of my list. I think I stopped the water from leaking into the boat from the arch. I will take pictures of what I did and post.
 
Allen - mine is three wood painted wood panels as well. I thought when I replace them I would put a few coats of epoxy on them.
 
Probably a good idea, I didn't mount mine back, I don't see the point. I want to keep it easy to remove and replace.
 
Allen mine is wood as well, it's just painted so I guess you thought it was fiberglass. I may use another coat of epoxy paint when I get a chance this is not high on my list. I too would like to eliminate the water in the bilge so I think I will want until you guys figure this out and then do whatever you do:) I wouldn't mind so much if I had access panels to open and pump out the water, removing the carpet and pulling up the floor it a job so it does not get done often. Allen gave me a hand this past weekend and we pumped out a lot of water I have no idea where it came from, at least it didn't smell!
 
Hard to see but at the top SB of the arch (same on port) there was a drain hole that had a hose running to a drain hole in the back of the arch. Not sure if it is manufacture or owners work. I sealed it with a plastic cap. The hose was leaking inside the arch. No hose no leak inside the arch. now it leaks badly onto the wet bar SB side and on the mid seat of the port side. Then i took a few stripes of door seal with back glue. That stopped the leaking almost completely. Need a little more work.
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Easier to see the plastic cap i placed to closed the hole and the stripes i glued.
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Inside cap i attached
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