Selecting a Starting (SLI) Battery

[CSY Man]

Thanks for the reply gentlemen.

Hmm, low compression?
Could be, the beast is 26 years old... perfect age for a female in a bikini I should add, but perhaps a bit long in the tooth for a diesel engine in the marine environment.

I have no other indications of low compression, such as smoke or lack of power, but I will keep it in mind next time my buddy with the compression tester comes around to bum a beer.

Aye, cold tempratures and cold starts...Indeed.
I drove diesel taxis and trucks in Norway...In the winter.
-20 Celsius was common, and requiered glow plugs and pre-heated engine, etc. Been there, done that...Over and over again.

Perhaps that is why I moved to South East Florida.
Have been here the last 6 years and have sworn to God and the Devil that I will never sail North of 26 North....(Even that is too far North for my taste...)
So, uh...Yes, when I noticed that the Perkins took longer to start than normal, that was about August / September here in Florida.
Close to 40 degrees celsius and 100 Fahrenheit, therefore, smart money say's it ain't a cold fuel problem

Nowadays, January 1st, it is probably 18 C at night and 25 C during the day....A bit chilly for me, but warmer times are-a comming in a few months..

Sorry for hi-jacking yer start battery thread Gord....Will buy ya a been next time, and start my own topics...

[BC Mike]

Where we are the fuel changes with the seasons, at the coast where it is warmer they do not change. The big trucks that go there do not buy their fuel at the coast because it will not work when they get back to the colder places. If you do not have glow plugs then you need compression to generate the heat. Crank the motor over a few turns and then pause, this will allow the heat just created to spread and hopefully help the engine fire the next time. I turn the engine over with no throttle at first, then a bunch more, then almost full throttle and back again. It is the darn cold air that is the problem. Wish I did not know this stuff because I would not have been in the cold to find out. Everyone should have the joy of walking outside when it is minus 35, or being stuck on the chair lift when it is blowing 30 and almost as cold.
Michael

[CSY Man]

Thanks for reminding me why I left the cold Mike..

Aye, after 20 years in Norway and 3 in Alaska, it sure is good to wander around in shorts and T-shirt today...January 1st and all.

I guess one can never go back after getting used to warm climates...Life is too short..

[BC Mike]

You are welcome. I may not be here forever and I am starting to make plans. Another way to fire up a cold diesel if you have enough volts is to use a hair dryer and stick it in the air intake. We are at -10C and we had two lambs born a couple of days ago so there is a heat lamp in the barn for them and water heaters in all the troughs. In the prairies they used to build the barn around the well to keep it warm and kept a fire going near it if required. I was told this. I grew up in Auckland NZ where it never froze. I have a 1941 Ford tractor that I use to plow the snow off the drive, it still fires up in this cold weather although I do use a water heater for it when it is too cold.
Michael

[CSY Man]

Roger on using a hair dryer to warm up a cold diesel.

In Norway we use electric "block" heathers to keep the engines warm over night.

In Alaska we used socalled torpedo heaters to pre-heat air cooled plane engines before cranking.
And of course turn the prop over several times to ciculate the oil..
Aye, all distant memories now.

Yeah get out of the cold man, once ya get used to plam trees and sunshine, ya can never go back...

[BC Mike]

To think I moved here from Hawaii. I am 58 and fit and healthy and should last a while. I do need to make sure my clients are looked after properly and I need to count my pennies, so I thought I would start by taking the current boat to the ocean for a month or two or three per year. At the same time I am going to consider a larger boat up to about 36 feet. I need to find out what duties are applicable if I bring it to Canada. Meanwhile we will be downsizing the home and property. The farm boss is going to be a tourist in Europe and I am going sailing. A job someplace warm paying a couple of grand per month would save me from tapping into the savings which could grow to an acceptable amount over the next 7 years.
Michael

[BC Mike]

I purchased a large deep cycle battery to run the electrics and used a regular truck type battery for starting. I drained the fuel tank and needed somewhere to put the old fuel. The neighbour down the road has heavy equipment so I gave it to him and we poured it into a big machine. He had recently purchased some batteries for his equipment and gave me one. It is also the larger type. The free battery is lasting better than my exspensive one. I was thinking I would let these two batterys run all the stuff and put in a smaller dedicated starting battery, but that is later.
Michael

[David W]

BC Mike C once whispered in the wind:
At the same time I am going to consider a larger boat up to about 36 feet. I need to find out what duties are applicable if I bring it to Canada.

I think the only duites on bring a boat from the US into Canada are GST & PST. I did some checking with Canada Customs (or whoever they are now) and that is what I was told. Because we live so close to Seattle etc. access to a much bigger market and a strong Canadian dollar makes it attractive.

David