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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Diesel Scare

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ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/14/2006 : 10:10:25

Time to get boat ready for spring, clean up etc. A month ago I ran the engine for ~30 min to clean it out and charge the batteries, all in the slip. No problem.

Last weekend was clean-up day with a friend (admiral, who is pregnant, and supreme commander, who is three, are not allowed around when i am spraying death and dismemberment around the boat). Anyway the mildew was viciously attacked, scrubbed and washed. As I was spraying mildew killer everywhere, I decided to attack under the engine too. I took one of the side panels off the engine compartment completely and sprayed the fiberglass underneath. I did not spray the engine directly but I'm sure it got enough incidental. Did not start the engine that day.

Next day, we take the boat out (left engine cover off). Engine coughs a bit but starts and runs fine. On the way out the channel the buddy helping me out is steering and I am putting things away, etc. Notice HOT smell, stick my head down companionway, smoke everywhere. I look at the gauges, temp off the scale. I put the engine in neutral (can't remember if I throttled down) and engine dies. I am unhappy and in modified static panic. Fortunately wind is blowing into marina, so we float back to the end of the dock and tie up.

I notice the engine control panel (which is on the sidewall of the cockpit footwell, over the engine) is all steamed up. No smell of burning rubber or oil and I can actually touch the oil filter. After 15-20 min we turn on the ignition and temp is down to bottom on gauge. So now I am thinking the water from yesterday steamed (steam, not white smoke) and faked out the temp gauge. We start the engine, watching the temp gauge and looking for smoke. Nothing. I crawl into the q-berth and I see a few white wisps, but now I am thinging it's steam.

We go out the channel, all OK. finally throttle down to put up the sail, look down: Temp off the scale; look below, smoke everywhere and now it's burning my throat (still could not identify it as burning oil or rubber). More static panic...

By now we are outside and sails are up. So we sail around a bit to calm down. On the way back I sailed almost to the slip (involves a u-turn and backing in) started the enging to push boat back and turned it off pretty quickly, so never got a chance to heat up.

Since then I asked on Seven Seas and Sailnet. Got a few suggestions on holes in exhaust, etc. I guess I have soem crawling and inspecting to do. Then to the friendly boatyard for oil change and service. I figured rather than learn by trial and error, I'll watch over their shoulder the first time.

Nadi ex-C25
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/enka
http://building-spindrift11s.blogspot.com/

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 10:41:29

Broken Impeller?

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 11:28:05

99% of problems with a diesel are cooling related. Every time before motoring, check the oil. You'll have to change it now that you had an overheating. Every time you start the motor, check the exhaust to see if water is coming out. You've got one of 3 problems:

blocked or clogged water intake (the through-hull is open, right?)
broken or worn impeller
blocked exhaust system.

Very easy to suck up a plastic bag or something and block the intake, check that first. Most likely the impeller is now toast, so buy a new one and change it. Change oil. After starting and verifying that water is flowing out the rear, drive the boat around, get it to full heat, then check the exhaust system carefully for leaks, bubbles or cracks in hoses. When done check the oil again. Water in the oil will look like milk in coffee. That would be bad, most likely meaning you blew a head gasket during the overheat.

Edited by - on

Champipple
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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 11:43:58

You should also have a spare impeller or 2 laying in a drawer for emergencies. Jim's method above is a good way to check for problems.

dw

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5909 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 11:57:49

Check the water pump drive belt. They're usually fairly short, and it doesn't take much for them to get out of adjustment. It can feel tight enough when it really isn't. Also, if you replace the belt, you should re-tighten it after running it a few hours.

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ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 12:04:27

Amazing how the mind does what it's going to do anyway. On SSCA and SailNet water intake was the first question everybody asked, so I corrected the post. I put parts of the original post here again...

- Seacock was open and water was coming out of the exhaust the whole time. I do have a spare impeller but did not bother with that since water was coming through.
- Oil was 3/4 from "low" to "high" and black (I did not see any foam or white)

it was suggested the water/exhaust mixing poitn can get restricted and develop a hole, so even though water comes out the back, setam mixed with exhaust escapes from the manifold. I will check into that next.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 12:05:22

The Catalina 30 is famous for well designed access to the engine, how much room do you have on the 25? I would love some up close and personal photos of the "engine room".

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ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 12:43:10

Since the side cover is off, I will post a picture with myself wedged in for good measure.

I always thought the C30 had a great solution but I have read many owner reviews complaining about vibration from the long shaft and noise. Maybe there is a reason everybody else does it a certain way.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 12:51:34

Tartan puts in the middle of the salon.

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djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 12:57:51

When I was a little kid, we had a cottage in northern Michigan on Burt lake. We had a 16' sailboat (what I learned to sail with) and a 18' wood CrisCraft speedboat. One summer we blew the motor up due to waterpump failure and we never notice the temp gage but from that day on, I always wanted to rig up at a kill switch to the temp sensor so the motor would shut down if the temp got to a certain point and also do the same if the oil pressure zeroed (I just thought of the oil pressure one). I think you could do that with a diesle if you could hook it up to the fuel pump. So when it hits....240???, the switch kicks and shut off the fuel pump. I currently have an outboard so I'll have to think on this when I get an inboard. Cheers.

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Champipple
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Response Posted - 03/14/2006 : 13:57:41

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
 Tartan puts in the middle of the salon.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Many many racers have it there too Frank. Its the best place for the weight, dead center over the keel

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jmoritz
Deckhand

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21 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2006 : 11:45:09

If you have the factory Universal diesel it is fresh water cooled and has a heat exchanger. Make sure you have coolant in the fresh side by checking the cap on the top of the exhaust manifold. If you have good water coming from the stern (raw water) a blockage may be in the fresh side of the system which will not be obvious. On the fresh side it could be out of water, have a stuck thermostat or blockage in the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger has a screen of sorts on the starboard end behind a plate. If you have good flow from the stern and all of these things chech out OK, I would pull the fresh water pump and see if it looks good. Let us know what you find.

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ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 05/21/2006 : 22:44:12

Update: according to (very) friendly local boatyard I managed to knock a coolant hose loose during my last de-mildew blitzkrieg. When the thermostat opened to circulate coolant, some leaked, steamed and caused temp sender to read high. Fortunately we shut off engine as soon as it steamed so we did not lose to much coolant escaped. Given all the possibilities, paying for a few hours' worth of labor is a good deal (plus I got a professional oil/filter change).

It seems mostly operator error (cleaning in there with a big deck brush) plus diesel virgin (could not trace the steam to a leak). Well, now I learned something: have a good, trustable mechanic around

At least until I learn more...

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