Engine has not Been Run in Three Years

[zboss]

All,

I am looking at a boat that has been on the hard for three years now. The broker has indicated that he has only had 1 person look at the boat in the last year.

The engine is a yanmar 3QM30.

My question is this... what happens to a diesel engine that has been sitting on the hard for so long? Is it trashed? What procedures need to be followed to get it running again?

I know this is a broad subject but it appear that I may be able to get the boat for a steal, one that requires lots of labor, but still a good deal. I want to know if I would need to write-off the engine.

Thanks!

- Z

[goboatingnow]

It all depends, have a mechanic look at it, theres a few things that can be done, rust in the cylinders can be an issue. If youve going to be doing lots of work , have it removed , striped and reconditioned.


I certainly wouldnt write it off until its been looked at .
Dave

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

It all depends, have a mechanic look at it, theres a few things that can be done, rust in the cylinders can be an issue. If youve going to be doing lots of work , have it removed , striped and reconditioned.


I certainly wouldnt write it off until its been looked at .
Dave

I agree, have a mechanic inspect the engine, then supervise starting it. If you can, use a mechanic who has been trained on that brand of engine.

[Bluemansailor]

I have the same engine- brought my boat a year and half ago after it sat for 2 years. Started right up and ran great- still does. Brouight the boat in New bedford, MA and basically motored down to Maryland- no wind most of the trip. The only problem I had was water in the fuel tank and ended up having the tank emptied and cleaned 3 days into my trip.

[sestina]

All depends on how the engine was put to bed. If done properly should be no problem in getting her going again.

Inspect raw water impeller
Fresh fuel
Remove heater plugs/injectors
Squirt a drop of oil into the bores, turn over by hand a few times to ensure its not seized
Replace heater plugs/injectors

Connect the electrics and turn the key...

[Bash]

Originally Posted by sestina

All depends on how the engine was put to bed. If done properly should be no problem in getting her going again.

Inspect raw water impeller
Fresh fuel
Remove heater plugs/injectors
Squirt a drop of oil into the bores, turn over by hand a few times to ensure its not seized
Replace heater plugs/injectors

Connect the electrics and turn the key...

You'll want to replace the raw water impeller, not just inspect it. It will have been sitting for three years with at least one of the blades compressed in the same position. By the time you inspect it you've done all the work, it's only another $20 to replace it.

[gjordan]

If it turns over freely, you probably wont have anything other than the normal diesel things like dirty fuel to deal with. As Bash said, toss that old impeller. I would not even keep it as a spare. If you have a mechanic do a compression test, it could easily turn out to be low from sitting. A good hard run will usually bring the compression back within spec. Good Luck with it.____Grant.

[msponer]

Change the oil, filters, coolant, and impeller, then follow the 'first start' procedure in the manual.

On the Yanmars I've had, it's something like "crank engine for five seconds while holding in stop solenoid, wait a while, then start it for real." The thought is that the oil has drained into the pan and you need to pump it up to the top before you start the engine for real.

I've done this a few times with no long term ill effect for the engine.

[SkiprJohn]

Don't have a mechanic look at it unless they will look at it for free. Follow the other advice here. Make certain your fuel is clean, you might need to bleed the engine so learn how to do that properly.
kind regards,

[Octopussy]

We had a similar situation to Bluemansailor.

Our boat was on the hard for three years with 2 Yanmar 3HMF engines.

They were properly winterized and had been maintained until the boat had been put on the hard three years previously.

My husband changed all of the filters, and pump impellers. We changed the oil, got rid of the old fuel, and got new batteries.

Before the boat went into the water our surveyor "bumped" them. We just ran them for a few seconds... but since they started right up and weren't seized, we put the boat in the water for a sea trial.

We ran the engines for about 90 minutes with a load, no problem.

Then my husband as a couple of other guys drove it on the engines from Groton, CT to Annapolis.

No issues the entire way.


Best of luck!

Cheers,
S/V Octopussy

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Don't have a mechanic look at it unless they will look at it for free. Follow the other advice here. Make certain your fuel is clean, you might need to bleed the engine so learn how to do that properly.
kind regards,

Of course. Why pay a trained professional to work on your multi-thousand dollar engine when you can just follow the advice of strangers on a web forum who may or may not know what they are talking about?

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Don't have a mechanic look at it unless they will look at it for free. Follow the other advice here. Make certain your fuel is clean, you might need to bleed the engine so learn how to do that properly.
kind regards,

I just figured out how to bleed my engine. Really helps to know this part. Turned out to be quicker and easier than I expected.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Of course. Why pay a trained professional to work on your multi-thousand dollar engine when you can just follow the advice of strangers on a web forum who may or may not know what they are talking about?

You may want to reread the OP more closely. He asks whether the engine is trashed, and whether whether he should write it off. Given those questions, he seems to be getting some good advice. Nobody needs to hire a trained professional to determine whether an engine is seized or whether it will run.

The OP clearly states that he knows that the boat will require a lot of labor, and seems willing to do so given the low asking price of the boat. That being the case, the bulk of the advice he's receiving is well considered.

*****

Zboss, it's good to understand that there are a number forum members who work within the marine industry and who get involved in these threads. Most, but not all identify themselves as having a commercial involvement. Some, but not all, will give you the impression that disaster looms any time a non-professional grabs a wrench near a boat. Those fellows are best ignored, of course. The tricky part is figuring out what advice to heed. For my part, over the years I've found SkiprJohn to be a font of wisdom.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by Rhapsody-NS27

I just figured out how to bleed my engine. Really helps to know this part. Turned out to be quicker and easier than I expected.

I just took "Diesel 1" at Annapolis School of Seamanship, so we learned all this and more on about 4 makes of engine. A very informative part was on winterizing and the mistakes that are commonly made in the winterization process, which can result in micro-fractures in several areas.

However, I don't really feel qualified to judge the quality of an engine that has not been run in so long. I wonder, did someone open a seacock and let the anti-freeze out? Is the regulator fried? What oil was previously used?

I'm betting all the hoses will need to be replace due to dry rot.

What happens to the injectors when they are not used? Do they rust?

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Bash

You may want to reread the OP more closely. He asks whether the engine is trashed, and whether whether he should write it off. Given those questions, he seems to be getting some good advice. Nobody needs to hire a trained professional to determine whether an engine is seized or whether it will run.

The OP clearly states that he knows that the boat will require a lot of labor, and seems willing to do so given the low asking price of the boat. That being the case, the bulk of the advice he's receiving is well considered.

*****

Zboss, it's good to understand that there are a number forum members who work within the marine industry and who get involved in these threads. Most, but not all identify themselves as having a commercial involvement. Some, but not all, will give you the impression that disaster looms any time a non-professional grabs a wrench near a boat. Those fellows are best ignored, of course. The tricky part is figuring out what advice to heed. For my part, over the years I've found SkiprJohn to be a font of wisdom.

Dude; My reading comprehension is fine, thank you. The original post hasn't changed since the first time I read it.

I find your suggestion and your emphasizing of that suggestion not to have a qualified marine mechanic to inspect the engine of a boat that a person is considering purchasing pretty strange. It's like suggesting that a potential buyer not get a home inspection or a boat surveyed. Having a pro check the engine is pretty cheap compared to the cost of a replacement engine. The suggestions people posted are OK as far as they go, but one would have to be at least a little familiar with diesel engine mechanics to perform them. Without a mechanics diagnosis, the OP could well trash an engine that could be repaired for a few hundred dollars. In any event the suggestion to have a mechanic check the engine (I'm not the only person who suggested it) is every bit as valid as your contention that it would be a waste of money.

As for your off topic contention that marine professionals post on this forum without identifying their status as professionals just to scare people into hiring professionals, I find it just as bizarre or more so than your insistence that hiring a mechanic is a waste of money. I am not a marine professional, just someone with a lot of real life experience with a genuine concern for someone who would ask a sincere question on a web forum.