Charging Batteries while in neutral

[Jim Cate]

IMO, the requirement to put in reverse is ensure that the prop folds. Once folded, shifting to neutral will not harm anything. The prop will not reopen, and all will be well. As others have said, running under light load for relatively short periods on odd occasions will not harm the engine.

I don't think you have a problem!

Jim

[model 10]

It ticks me off that my Balmar came with a cheap automotive pulley but maybe you can't get a single groove pulley to work with any smaller diameter?
I think you need to change to a bigger pulley on the crank, like maybe 10" or go grooved.

[Deltasailor]

Originally Posted by Captsteve53

As you say following Quoted from my VOLVO manual (never bothered to look prior)As have always sailed and charged Batteries (obviously in NEUTRAL)

When sailing the control lever should be in the reverse position if a folding propeller is used and in neutral position if a fixed propeller is used.

The above just dosent make any sense in so many ways

1) Our Engine will not even start in gear it must be in Nuetral

2) Normally in Races the drive shaft or linkage is sealed in Nuetral

3) It states if fixed prop leave in NEUTRAL and if so there fore the drive shaft/sail drive is rotating

I can understand the reverse gear situation to help fold the prop and there fore reduce drag/noise (depending which school of thought you belong to!)- Dont want to go there-Again!!,

Cheers Steve

Pop it into reverse gear. The prop will fold with the movement of the water knock it out of gear with prop folded, problem solved!!!! It will remain that way until you start the motor and stick it into gear.

[Elie]

Runing a large diesel engine without a significant load, won't help much the engine function. Carbon deposits in the top end of engine will slowly but surelly reduce the performance of the engine. On my boat,I have 2 large alternators that create some load, and I also run de fridges at full capacity to creater some labor for engine.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Guy

It ticks me off that my Balmar came with a cheap automotive pulley but maybe you can't get a single groove pulley to work with any smaller diameter?
I think you need to change to a bigger pulley on the crank, like maybe 10" or go grooved.

The Balmar serpentine conversion for a Yanmar 4JHE puts a crank pulley of the largest possible diameter right on top of the factory crank pulley, but I think the alt pulley is also larger maintaining the ratio, I wish the alt pulley was smaller, more for alternator cooling than for higher output.
Like most my alt output is constrained by cooling, if it spun faster, I'm sure it would cool better

[Captsteve53]

And get you disqualified as well:

[james247]

Originally Posted by AnegadaDave

While racing in long events I need to charge the batteries with the engine. I have a Volvo D1-30 sail drive with folding propeller.

Can I sail and charge the engine in neutral without damaging the transmission? The manual says set the shaft in reverse while sailing to lock it.

Thanks!

AnegadaDave

Depends on where your oil pick up is. If you are on port tack and the pick up is on that side then you may have no oil to suck up from the sump. It's not the transmission it's the engine you need to worry about. If you do watch the oil pressure like a hawk. Some transmissions require load. Older style ones are just gears and as long as they are lubricated they are happy.

[james247]

Originally Posted by james247

Depends on where your oil pick up is. If you are on port tack and the pick up is on that side then you may have no oil to suck up from the sump. It's not the transmission it's the engine you need to worry about. If you do watch the oil pressure like a hawk. Some transmissions require load. Older style ones are just gears and as long as they are lubricated they are happy.

Engines glaze up the sleeves or piston bores if run with insignificant load. This takes some considerable hours for this to become an issue
A good hard run after such use at various rev levels is required to counter this issue.

[roverhi]

Should be no problem with running in neutral except possible gumming up the mixing elbow. Did it with my old Volvo for over a year full time cruising. With the Yanmar trans and fixed blade prop, they should be in neutral while sailing. The reason for that is to stop wear on the internals though it doesn't make a lot of sense to me as it seems a non rotating shaft would produce less wear. Looks like your Volvo trans is the same. They say to put it in reverse with a folding prop to keep the prop folded. Folding props don't apply a rotating force like a fixed prop when folded.

With a Yanmar caution that running the engine with a very light load may clog up the mixing elbow in short order. Yanmar mixing elbows seem to be especially sensitive to no/low load running.

[Suijin]

Raced a 36.7 offshore for years with the Volvo and SD and charged batts all the time in neutral. No problems that I was aware of.

[billknny]

Originally Posted by Captsteve53

Thats Strange here's the page from the Yanmar operation manual Manuals SD50 / SD50-4T

NOTICE: When sailing, set the remote
control lever in neutral. Not doing so WILL
introduce slippage and void your warranty.

And from the SD20:

NOTICE: When sailing, set the remote
control lever in neutral. Not doing so WILL
introduce slippage and void your warranty

If running the engine in Neutral then the sail drive unit is dis-engaged so cant see why you have any issues or makes any difference,

Cheers Steve

This is a perennial cause for argument between people who have limited exposure to different types of engines and transmissions and assume what they are told in THEIR manual is ALWAYS the right way. It is for YOUR boat, but there are other boats for which your manual will be WRONG.

Most hydraulically shifted transmissions automatically drop into neutral when the engine stops. SOME of these need a shaft lock because they should not spin when the engine is stopped. Others are fine spinning away in N. Read YOUR manual, not someone else's.

The reason it tells you to put it in R for a folding prop, is to be sure it folds, and stays folded. The reason is says N for a fixed prop is if the boat moves fast enough (maybe surfing down a big wave in a following sea) the prop could, maybe, possibly, turn the engine against the compression and that would be bad.

And at the risk of starting a war, is has also been shown that free wheeling the prop is the lower drag method of sailing.

The universal rule, as far as I know, is no marine transmission should be left in F while sailing. If there is a contrary example to that, I'd love to know about it!

If you are familiar with the internals of a typical marine transmission, you know that when the shaft is freewheeling in N you are spinning one bearing, and MAYBE one other gear... Not a lot of wear if properly lubricated. And remember, motorboats spin all those shafts and gears for every mile they move!