Finally, we have a working hot water heater. One that doesn't leak.
I got it installed last Saturday but it wasn't making hot water when on AC power. This wasn't a big deal since we were motoring around, and that makes plenty of hot water using the engine coolant.
I had to pull the decking back up again to get at the heater. I tested the harness and it had AC power. I check the connections and the cable from the heater and they were good. I had to pull out the old wiring to compare and noticed a difference. (I'll try to post pix later). The AC wiring connector has 'pins' in it that can be set to one of three 'depths'. The harness on the boat was set to one depth, but the cable that came with the new heater was set to a different one. It's a difference of about an eight of an inch. Hardly enough to notice visually. But plenty wide enough to keep it from making a complete circuit. I had to push out the retaining pin, move the pins and reassemble it. Voila! Now we have hot water from AC power!
Two things became apparent.
One is that it would be a GREAT idea if FW changed how the tank is positioned. Right now it's facing forward. This makes it exceptionally difficult to get to the drain and relief valves. I have long arms but it's a real challenge crouching over the v-drive and straining to reach the valves. If they turned the heater around 180 degrees, facing aft, it would be MUCH easier to get to the valves. It really wouldn't require much changing. Just make the engine coolant hoses about 2' longer and slide the water connections likewise aft about 2 feet.
The second is it's not possible to remove the water heater whole in a 6.0L inboard setup. You have to remove the housing around the tank. This isn't complicated, just tedious. There's no way to rectify this without changing fiberglass molds. The molded-in seat supports would have to be moved.
Other than shipping screw ups, the Four Winns folks have been very helpful during this dealer-inflicted fiasco.
Now, on to the fresh water leak...
_________________ -Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista
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