The mechanic took a look and was optimistic that all we would need was new seals - 5$ for parts and $100 labor. But it was not to be.....
The first twist of the wrench on the rear cap snapped the bolt off, just what I was afraid of. The second bolt was so corroded the mechanic couldn't get a wrench on it and had to drill it off. When he removed the cap, we noted the heat exchanger itself was corroded so badly on the left side you can see that there was no way to obtain a proper seal with the cap. This is where the bad leak had been, apparently for a some time and was hidden beneath the hoses. So a new heat exchanger is required - for $1400, plus $600 labor.
The good news is that they were actually available in stock, not like the transmission travails that we encountered back in February. We were able to order all the parts required plus some new hoses and were ready to get back on the road by the end of the week.
Just like our stay at Fernandina in February, we can't complain about having to spend another week in Florida at Fernandina. The weather was perfect (a little chilly at night, but we have heat in the marina when required) and there are plenty of things to do in Fernandina. Given that it was still in the 30s with rain and snow in Virginia, we were happy to spend more time in Florida.
We walked the 2.5miles into town each day for a coffee or beer while in Fernandina and started collecting garbage along the roadway. By the end of the week it was down to one bag of cans and cups per day.
During our entire time in Florida we were never able to find any grapefruit beers. But we were able to pick up a couple Kalik grapefruit Radlers in the Bahamas. We had one to celebrate our new heat exchange and fixed engine.
We also looked up the recipe for grapefruit Radlers on the internet and now we can make our own versions.
