Hi Ralph
The place you want to look is not possible to see - just feel. It’s just aft of the oil filter/dipstick.
You will become intimate with this corner of the engine after a few years so no worries.
The other one is bottom of the port end of the heat exchanger I believe, or maybe the starboard end I cant remember.
Tom
26C 28
Penetanguishene
Hi Ralph
Time to eat crow, again. The Canadian tire item is not the right one. And like you said this correct item is very difficult to find.
I stems from my ignorance of what a NPT size is. I am learning many things lately. It’s a 1/4 NPT but there are no dimensions on this thing anywhere even close to 1/4. The 1/4 refers to the compression ring used with NPT fittings which this item does not even have.
If you are interested in NPT, here is an explanation https://blog.restek.com/how-to-determine-the-size-of-1-4-and-1-8-national-pipe-thread-tapered-npt-fittings/
So in my image above the top item is from the Westerbeke 13. There are 2 of these on the engine but there should be 3. The bleed hole on the top of my manifold is just plugged. So I want to buy one more. As far as I can see it is a 1/8 NPT. The petcock on the block I am not going to touch, it looks like this one from the heat exchanger but all the bolts on the block are metric (all the bolts on the heat exchanger and manifold are imperial).
So I ordered the 1/8 petcock on Amazon. But even the american brand product looks like it ships from China. I won’t get these until mid May if ever. No big deal as this one will be the air bleed valve and it can be installed anytime.
Now I have the manifold taken apart. This photo is from before I had the iron plug out.
Just below the plug (it’s really on the upper side but the photo is upside down for some reason) you can see a little channel machined into the aluminum body. This channel, and another one on the other end, connect the two sides of the two-pass manifold. I’m guessing these channels are to bleed the air out of the other side of the two pass manifold since there is no other way to get this air out unless you open the plug (soon to be a petcock) on top of the manifold. I never bled the air before and just ran the engine then topped up the antifreeze but now that I have the whole thing apart I suspect there was always a bubble in this half of the manifold because the channels were blocked with some crud.
Cedric. The plug opposite the filler cap (by the K in the photo) should be opened as you fill the antifreeze.
Also there is a lot of antifreeze in a W13. I drained it all and it easily overflowed a 4 ltr container. The Operator manual , 2.1ltr or .56 US gal, was written by someone who never saw this engine or 2.1 ltr may be the volume of the block? After I get it together I’ll measure the volume of the cooling system minus the block because I have most of it here at home.
In the top photo you can see some metal shavings. These were in the 1/4 20 holes and are from when the holes were tapped originally. The front 5 holes had a lot of shavings, the back end 5 were clean. So far I have not been able to source 1/4 20 studs to replace the 10 rusty studs so I may have to use bolts. I could not remove any of the rusty iron plug or nipples by unscrewing but they were easy to cut with a hacksaw.
I’m happy to have some boat projects while staying at home. If we launch this year it looks like June maybe. But if we get the green light the super high water in Georgian Bay might close the marina anyway. The parking lot was flooded last week which hasn’t happened since summer 1986 and this is April.
Tom
26C #28 North Star
Penetang
On my W21 it is on the oil filter side, back of the filter dip stick… can’t actually see it but can feel it.
Hi Tom,
Attached is a google query for 1/8" MPT radiator drain cock. The prices start at $1.92.
Tom;
The W13 is a Mitsubishi K2C engine block; there’s a good chance that any tapered plugs on the block are metric. (saying that, some of the metric threads mimic inch ones; eg. garden hose fittings, and M1.7 is the same as (IIRC) 10BA, so an inch one may fit)
There are lots of old tractor supply places that may be able to supply - look for Mitsubishi K2C, and see what you come up with. (check on the engine block; when you are facing stern, on the RHS, just behind where the fuel pump is; it should say K2C on the sand-cast engine block, in fairly large letters)
JohnS NS26C 046
Yes K2C
The petcocks are OK, I just need to get an extra one.
I will be trying to find a small hose that fits into the hole on these valves. It would make draining the fluid less messy.
Tom
Tom - by the way, the service document for that engine - that looks remarkably like the Westerbeke one I had - can be found at the link below my sig. If it does not work, google “mitsubishi k2c engine” and see what comes back.
JohnS NS26C 046 waiting for the water in Bath, ON.
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Great, I have a little tractor engine below deck. It fills in some blanks missing in the other manuals.
I like the “re-tighten engine parts every 800 hours”.
And in the specs it says : Coolant Capacity - engine proper only - 2.1
Tom
I have it back together. All cleaned up and ready to go back in. Still waiting for some parts like the 1/8npt pet cocks and zincs(magnesium) coming from the states that are backlogged at the border.
The parts were in remarkably good condition after all the rust and paint came off. The aluminum was in perfect condition but the steel studs were badly corroded and had to be replaced. The nuts and washers were in very good condition - they were stainless steel.
The iron pipes were in good shape but rusty and I didn’t want to paint over rust. Besides I have time on my hands these days so they were replaced with much cursing and some loss of blood..
Just these W13 parts, heat exchanger and manifold, hold 4.35 liters of coolant! Along with the long tube that goes to the water pump that is still on the boat and the 2.1 liters in the block plus the overflow tank it will be an amazing 7ltr or two jugs of Prestone.
Tom
26C #28 W13,
Penetang,
Tom, your picture looks very familiar right now. I just pulled mine (W33A) a couple of days ago. It too is in excellent condition. My main reason was because I didn’t like the configuration of the existing exhaust system but I also wanted to inspect the manifold. You have to keep busy when you can’t go sailing, right? 
Paul M
NS30U #211, Sandpiper
Cowichan Bay B.C.
Looks like Rube Goldberg was working at Hinterhoeller installing exhausts.
I had to cut these iron pipes out with a hacksaw blade, they would not come out otherwise. One was easy but the other, like yours in the photo, was driven into the aluminum extrusion very far and was a real pita to get out.
Tom
I hear you. Mine wouldn’t budge. I took them to a machinist friend to remove.
I have no problem with plumbing pipe and will use it again but this much weight of pipe needs a flex section or it will eventually break the manifold. To make matters worse my mixing elbow was hard against the bottom of the cockpit, adding to the strain on the manifold and causing vibration noise.
Hi Tom;
I don’t suppose that you have a picture of the bottom side of your manifold by any chance?
I finally was allowed down to the boat yesterday, and spent 5 hours draining the coolant (and then mopping it out of the bilge) and removing hoses.
I got stumped trying to unbolt the manifold from the engine. I can’t even get in there enough to see how many nuts I have to get off let alone actually remove them. I got a couple and can feel a couple more that don’t seem to want to move. By then my “appointment time” at the club was up so I had to come home.
I have tried looking at the parts manual, but each drawing has parts for several different engines. I guess they assume that you actually know what you are doing and will order the right parts for your engine.
How did you manage to actually get in there and remove the manifold from the block?
I have reached the point now where going back isn’t an option, so I have on alternative but to forge ahead.
Thanks for any advice you may be willing to impart.
Ralph Bush
1983 N26C #104
“Hyggelig”
EYC, Toronto, ON
Ralph: I hope you left those nuts/bolts soaking in some type of penetrant.
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
Ralph, my engine is a W33 so it will not be the same but for what it’s worth here are some pix. The manifold to exhaust riser bolts (nuts on studs actually) are a bitch to get at especially if you have poor access like I had but persistance should get you there.
My thoughts when it got difficult were:
Paul M
NS30U #211, Sandpiper
Cowichan Bay B.C.
The 4 studs on the bottom of the two pass manifold are difficult to get at.
First three on the front are visible and the outside back ne can be seen from the side.
The last one however is one you can really only feel and it is blocked from underneath by the intake “silencer”.
That last hidden stud nut came off with a small ratchet wrench a short extension and a little 5/16 socket. This combination sort of squeezes past the “silencer” so the socket can get on the nut. If you use a 1/2 inch socket set the socket would be way to large to fit in this space. No way to put a wrench in here either. I have a set of cheap sockets that came with a screwdriver set and various extension and handle attachments.
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/certified-general-tool-set-42-pc-0580231p.html#srp
With this little set the 5/16 socket is no larger than it has to be and just fits.
These came out rather easily without any penetrating oil. Two of the studs unscrewed from the aluminum. It looks like some compound was used on the threads.
BTW I could not find these exact studs. They are 5/16 and have 20 pitch threads on one end and finer pitch on the other end. I could buy 1 1/2 inch length and 1 1/4 but the original look like 1 3/8.
I’m going to install it on Thursday.
Tom
26C #28 North Star
Penetang
Sorry Ralph
I meant to say:
First two on the front are visible and the outside back one can be seen from the side. There are 4 total.
We are talking about the 4 under the two pass manifold to exhaust elbows and not the 4 on the exhaust elbows to the cylinder head(block). I would not take these out, they are probably very seized anyway.
Tom;
BTW I could not find these exact studs. They are 5/16 and have 20 pitch threads on one end and finer pitch on the other end. I could buy 1 1/2 inch length and 1 1/4 but the original look like 1 3/8.
I’m going to install it on Thursday.
The finer pitch might be M8; the threads are finer than UNC threads. Something to think about checking; 5/16 is very close to 8mm.
The engine block is, of course, metric.
JohnS NS26C still in the shop in Bath, ON.
You are right all bolts on the block are metric.
All the bolts and the studs on the manifold are inch. I just couldn’t remember the pitch on the fine thread.
And I was wrong on the pitch anyway. It’s a 5/16-18 X 1 1/4 stud . The fine thread pitch is not specified but in this case the fine thread is on the nut end - the aluminum is tapped 5/16-18.
Tom
I Googled “steel metric studs” and came up with several sources. It was not unusual to come across these double pitch studs when I owned my VW/Porsche/Audi garage.
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
