Troubles with raw water strainer

Your raw water strainer is an essential and easily ignore part of your engine systems. I don't think I've ever done a post on it over all these years because there is really nothing to say. Unless you break it, like I did! Of course you have to drain and clean them once in a while, and many a boater has encountered engine problems due to a blocked strainer that deprived their cooling system of water. But aside from that, there are no moving parts, and should not be any trouble.

Unless, like me, you manage to snap the little plastic drain plug off in the hole. Yes. I had removed the plug to drain the water, and when tightening the little bugger back in the handle snapped off from the shaft, leaving the threaded shaft in the hole. Damn it. Luckily it allowed only a small dribble of a leak so we were able to continue our trip last time out. I put some tape over it and it wasn't a problem.

New plug ready to install

But nothing bugs me more than knowing I have a leak or problem like this. I can't let it go in my mind, nor should I! So I ordered the new plug from Groco, which looks like an improved and stronger design, and when we went back this time I installed it.

However, as many of you know, it is not easy to get a screw out of something if it has no head. I went ahead and drilled a small hole through the center of the plastic in order to give me something to purchase. I did not have an easy out on the boat, or I would have used it. Instead, I took a small flat screwdriver and managed to get enough purchase to reverse the broken piece back out of the hole. Really, the only thing that allowed this to work is that it is a plastic screw in a plastic hole. If it had been metal or corroded metal, I would have had to get an easy out.

Put it all back together with new Orings and she should be good for another 10 years. One note, the screws that bolt the plastic tank to the bronze top on mine were rusted. I cleaned them off and coated them with ACF 50 this time and wish I had done that before. They were a little tough to remove.