2023 G23 Coolant in Bilge

[arohyans]

Hey all - we’re dropping into the high 20s tonight, so I figured I would go drain our G23 for good measure. After popping the hatch, we noticed a significant amount of green coolant in the bilge. I can’t seem to figure out where it’s coming from other than from up under the engine. Anyone else run into an issue like this and have pointers on where to look or investigate? Dealer is 2+ hrs away, so I’ll likely have them look into it, but they’re slammed with winterizations right now. Hoping it’s just a loose connection somewhere that maybe I can resolve? Naturally, I’m panicking because I don’t want the finger pointed at me that it was “because the boat wasn’t winterized” and I’ll be on the hook for an expensive fix (funny how my mind always goes to worst case

I was reading elsewhere in PN that some have had a loose heater connection. We did run the heater more than usual the last time out. But would that cause coolant in the bilge? I thought the heater was closer to the bow?

Thanks for any advice!

[NautiqueJeff]

Very likely a loose heater connection. Check the red hose connection at the engine. That's likely your source.

[arohyans]

Got it. Thanks! Any idea where the heater hoses connect to the engine? General location? Not able to find them listed in any of the PCM manuals… only the raw water hoses. If not, I’ll just hunt around the front of the engine.

[jpwhit]

Nothing is going to freeze if it's only getting into the 20s. Especially if it's been above freezing during the day. I used temperature loggers a few years ago to get a better idea of what temps it takes to cause issues with a boat. My conclusion, it really takes single digit temps over multiple days to cause an issue. And not getting above freezing during the day makes a huge difference in a negative way.

If the boat is on a lift above water that's significantly above freezing such as in the 50s, that has a huge positive effect.

[arohyans]

Yea - I agree with you - I’m just paranoid. Call it peace of mind

I guess my bigger question is related to the coolant. I maintain the boat meticulously and that made my heart sink seeing the bilge full of neon green.

[jpwhit]

I guess I was mentioning not having to worry about these temps because IMO you have time to let the dealer figure it out..... Certainly I'd look around for something obvious / simple, but personally I wouldn't spend too much time before just letting them take care of it. That way it's documented there was a coolant problem. Which could be important if it turns out to be a bigger issue down the road.

[jpwhit]

And given it's a closed loop cooling system with anti-freeze. That really limits what can be damaged due to freezing. Worse case the only things that can be damaged is the transmission cooler, strainer, raw water pump, and heat exchanger. The trans cooler and heat exchanger would take a very hard freeze to be damaged because they are malleable metal. The stainer is the most vulnerable thing because it's plastic, but it's also not very expensive.

Really, the ballast system is the most vulnerable thing beside the stainer. And that can be winterized completely independently than the engine.

[arohyans]

Thanks for the insight! I actually spoke to the dealer just now and he gave me the same insight you just did. That makes perfect sense. I think I’ll try to locate the leak and see if it needs any immediate attention prior to winter layup. When we take it in for a spring oil change, I’ll have them lay eyes on it.