Bypassing water heater engine coolant

[RileyBoo]

Hey all,

As I'm prepping my new-to-me boat for it's trip home, I noticed a little fresh antifreeze on the floor where the water heater sits.  Probably a leaking coolant hose, but I can't start the engine right now to check it because the raw water pump is off.  The water heater isn't a priority as I have more important things to fix, but I need to at least band-aid it since there is a coolant leak somewhere at the water heater.

Does the M2-12 require flow through the water heater hoses to complete the cooling circuit?  In other words, if I disconnect them from the water heater, do I have to join the supply/return hose together to make or loop, or can I simply plug them?  Making it a loop isn't any more difficult than plugging them, but I was more curious than anything. 

I looked at the engine manual but couldn't find anything definitive about that part of the cooling system.

Thanks in advance for any knowledge you can share.   

[BobK]

Play it safe and complete the loop.
BobK

[wes]

Yes - you must complete the loop if you disconnect the engine coolant hoses from the water heater. A barb splicer fitting to match your hose I.D. and a couple of clamps will do it. Brass ones are readily available at Home Depot and Lowe's. Normally brass isn't recommended for boat plumbing, but this is a temporary fix and will probably be fine.

Wes