Trojan Boat Forum

I have a new to me 84' Trojan 11 meter Express. After bringing her to her new home, I noticed the starboard engine raw water strainer was only half full of water. The port side was still full of water. There were no overheating issues during the trip. The engines are Crusader 454s with just over 500hrs. The setup is: Thru hull seacock, hose, shut off valve, hose, strainer, hose, pump. The strainers are low profile brass with clear cap and wingnut on top of cap. While running the engine at the marina I can clearly see water being pumped, and it is keeping pace with the half full water/half air scenario. I do not see any leaks or hear any air hissing sounds. The strainers have very little debris in them and I was told the impellers were newer. The strainers do look older, and may have at some point been leaking because it appears they were sealed with a black silicone/rubber substance along with a gasket. Two questions: 1. Are these strainers OEM? 2. Any idea why I may be getting air in them, or could this be a low flow issue caused by a bad impeller? Thanks in advance. P.S. This my first Trojan after 20yrs on the water with 10 different brands, and so far I love her!

Are you saying its staying half full when running ? Look for any air leaks and look to see if the hoses maybe hooked up backwards .

At least you're not a half-empty kind of guy.

prowlersfish wrote:Are you saying its staying half full when running ? Look for any air leaks and look to see if the hoses maybe hooked up backwards .

Yes, it is staying half full when running. Heading back down today to do a little more investigating. I can see water pumping in correctly, but I'll double check the hoses for correct placement and possibly try to find an air leak. Was probably just going to replace the older strainer and impeller, and start there I guess. Thanks for your response! I'll post updates as I find issues.

prowlersfish wrote:Are you saying its staying half full when running ? Look for any air leaks and look to see if the hoses maybe hooked up backwards .

Yes, it is staying half full when running. Heading back down today to do a little more investigating. I can see water pumping in correctly, but I'll double check the hoses for correct placement and possibly try to find an air leak. Was probably just going to replace the older strainer and impeller, and start there I guess. Thanks for your response! I'll post updates as I find issues.

bjanakos wrote:At least you're not a half-empty kind of guy.

LOL, definitely not.

If you see the water coming in the top of the strainer when running, I think the input and output hoses are switched so it never draws the air out the top like it should.