engine storage/inactivity?

[cadye]

I have purchased a used vessel,'86,with a 44 HP yanmar, meticulously maintained. It was winterized last fall, probably not going to be launched this year, is inside heated storage. What would any of you old salts out there be doing for + 1year of no use?
Just trying to protect what I have bought here. Not had prior experience in this dept.,

[Rick]

Others will offer great advice on this topic. I recommend manually turning the engine when you occasion to go onboard to check everything (to make sure no condensation or leaks or insect/vermin intrusion has happened.

Place a rag over the alternator fan to protect your hands and turn the engine over at least one full revolution of the crankshaft. If the alternator belt slips then it is too loose anyway. Tighten the belt JUST until it no longer slips and allows you to turn the crank. Speed is not important in this instance.

[Alan Wheeler]

Whenyou say "winterised", what exactly was done? The biggest danger for engines is lack of oil over meatl parts. Condensation and the acids held in the oil can start corrosion on dry metal parts, cause Valve stems to stick open and the very worst, for the piston rings to stick to the surface of the bore and etch it. Turning over by hand doesn't get the oil up around the engine. So!! Make sure your oil is changed and it is a good clean oil sitting in their. A full synthetic is basicly a must. Synthetics tend to coat and stay on parts much longer than oil based products. When you turn the engine over, it needs to be for a longer period and speed than you can by hand. It doesn't need to start, just turn over. Disconect the water pump">raw water pump so as you aren't running a dry impellor. Now pull the engine stop out and spin the engine over via the starter till the oil pressure comes up on the gauge. Turn it for a good 30secs. Doesn't seem like long, but it is plenty long enough for the starter and battery. This will ensure a good flow of clean oil up and around all parts. At best, this should be done say every month or two. But at worst, you should be able to get away with it once a year.
After you have done this, make sure the air intake and exhaust is blocked off with a rag, to ensure nothing finds it's way down there and either remove batteries or ensure a "REAL" trickle charger is fitted to maintain them.

Good advice so far, but I need to add two things. On the rags over the intake, bad idea, cotton draws moisture. Plastic traps moisture, so as you are in a dry storage, and protected, you are just as well to leave the intake intact, and do not cover it. As for turning the engine, at least once a month, and 30 seconds is good. Synthetic oil is good, but change it as if the engine was in light use, as it will still break down over time. This is controversial, as most will say changing just before startup is sufficent, but regualr oil changes are cheap, and will help prevent the accumulation of moisture (every 6 months is sufficient). If you have a compression release, release it while cranking until the oil pressure comes up. This will ensure that oil gets to the top end before a load is applied.
Almost forgot, spray a shot of WD40 in the intake and that will also help prevent moisture.

[Rick]

This is great stuff that I hadn't entirely thought through. We should be able to take all of the attributes of these contributions and have a better idea of just the best way to deal with winterization!

I like everyone's ideas here, especially Wheels' comments about using synthetic oil. Yanmar, like some other engine manufacturers, does not recommend the use of synthetic oil yet I have not been able to determine if that includes parasynthetic fully fossil-based compatible types (like Amsoil).

I ran parasynthetic (the Amsoil) for many years in my 3QM30 with the great benefits of 300+ hours between changes and the ability to use finer micron oil filters which the synthetics allow. In addition, the amount of oil that I had to carry for changes was less. After over 4000 hours I had developed a slight oil drip apparently from the rear crank seal. Although not a real problem, because it still was easy to keep clean, I could not determine if that was due to the seal material not being "happy" with the fact that even the parasynthetic oil does not leave any deposits or "glaze" that helps keep old seals from leaking. Any informed comments??

Next, if it is a good idea to stuff some material in the intake and cotton is to be avioded, how about using those oil absorbent sloths which will not absorb water?

[Alan Wheeler]

Amsoil is a good product and I highly recomend it. I don't no why some manufacturers get scared of synthetics. I think it maybe due to some rather far fetched claims made by a few additive makers and I have come across additives that can be worse for the engine than a regular grade oil is. Although, the end of the argument is, it doesn't matter how good the oil is, if it is dirty with carbon and metal particles, it is doing harm to your engine. So regular filter changes are a must. I recommend a syntheic oil, increase the time between changes, but shorten the time between filter changes. The filters are cheap and should be easy to change over. A good synthetic has the distinct advantage of staying on parts out of immersion, longer than a regular oil.
There is one good Additive I also recomend and that is the Wynnes additive range. You can add this to a regular oil and get a very good parasynthetic property oil.
An Oil seal uses two things to operate. It needs to be soft a plyable to allow it to contact the shaft, but it has to allow a slight film to wipe under the lip to stop it from wearing away. Heat and oil both slowly degrade seals. They shrink and become hard and eventually leak. I doubt the synthetic was the problem. However, lack of aromatics in Synthetics may not help. They tend to react with the seal and keep it soft. Once again, Wynnes has a very unique product that works in exactly that way, It reacts with seals and softens them. I don't recommen that as a cure, but in a temporary solution till mechanical repair can be carried out, it's a great idea.
As for sealign the intake/exhaust, then don't use cotton. It can even be a gauze or something that breaths. It's just to stop bugs and dust making a home down there. Maybe that isn't an issue in the shed. But also the use of an absorbant material as cotton could be a good idea. It would help draw moisture out of the engine would it not?. You could even put a satchet of those mositure absorbing granules inside the pipes.

First, let me address the synthetic issue. One of the reasons that synthetics are so highly critisized by manufacturers is the fact that they are too effective. If used during breakin, an engine's moving parts such as pistons and valve guides will not wear in properly. This has been proven in the lab. An engine with a few hundred hours on it should be fine. As for the seals, you make an interesting point, and I do not know.
Closing off the intake and exhaust with oil absorbant material might work, however, if your engine has a standard air filter installed, this should not be necassary to keep out the bugs.
My comments regarding cotton are based on personal experience of rust forming on the valves after 6 months of storing an engine in a storage facility, and relating to gun storage recommendations. The amount of moisture that is inside the engine will decrease, if the storge environment is relatively dry, however, cotton will draw moisture into the engine, and not allow it to evaporate out as quickly.
My earlier reference to WD40 will also help with the moisture. WD40, or similar products will not only coat the intake with light oil, but WD40 will displace moisture. A shot before turning the engine will also help lube the intake valve stems and guides.
If for some reason, you are unable to get to the engine for an extended period (a year or more), remove the injectors, and put about a teaspoon of Marvel Mystery oil, or castor oil down the holes, then turn the engine slowly a few revolutions. This will lube the cylinder walls, and attack any rust that may have formed on the cylinder walls.
As for dessicant to absorb moistur, great idea. Even a dessicant bag hanging in the engine room will help. If you use a small packet, it will not last very long, and more importantly, I, would forget it until after I turned the engine, and sucked it into the intake.

[Alan Wheeler]

Marvel Mystery Oil?? Hey Kai Nui, did some grey bearded ole guy withy a travelling road show sell ya a bottle of that stuff I have never heard of it, but it sounds damn kewl. You almost want to have a bottle of it just to have the label.
The WD40 part just put a grin on my face. I have just been away sailing for 4 days. We birthed against a mates jetty way out in the sticks. The darn thing made this gosh awlful noise all night. It sounded like a cross between a Cow mooing and a Stag calling. It was the retainers of the concrete jetty moving against the four corner poles. It drove me nuts, so I dug out this can of lubricating spray. Can't remember what is was called, but it contained Teflon. The can was old and rusty, and the spray smelt like Bananas. Anyways. I sprayed this stuff on to the poles. No problem there. But almost instantly, Snails further down the poles, dropped off the poles into the water like rain. I was stunned. I sprayed the next and the same happend. It was really funny to watch and it had this almost instant reaction to the snails below. The stuff may have smelt nice, but it gave a faster reaction than I have seen any bug spray on any other little critter before.
Hey that's a good point about the cotton. I will keep that in the back of my mind for future reference.

[Talbot]

WD-40 - most peoples miracle stuff, and if used correctly it certainly is good.

But it is not a universal panacea. It is good at dispersing moisture, but the graphite within the spray will leave a fair mess. It is good at freeing rusted bolts, but is no good as a anything other than a VERY short term lubricant. In fact it will displace grease (useful if the grease has gone solid!) There are other silicon based sprays that are just as good at the water dispersing but dont have the graphite to clean up later (amway make one)

[Alan Wheeler]

Ummm, WD40 doesn't have Graphite. Graphite is Black and a very good conductor. You wouldn't want to spray Graphit around anything electrical, especially high voltage. WD40 is non conductive.
Actually, WD-40 was made by a NASA contracter. NASA needed an all round "miricle" spray for satillite components etc. WD-40 happend to be the number in the Test batches. WD-40=Water Dispersant test batch No.40. It is said to have many "secret" ingrediants. But it is supposed to be Non-toxic, although I don't wish to try that and it can be used as a wood protectant along with many many other things.

[Boracay]

I'm not sure about WD-40 being non conductive.
I sprayed the stuff onto an electrical circuit that got wet and it stopped working.

An electrical circuit on a boat not working? Who ever heard of such a thing?
Marvel Mystery Oil is a castor oil based oil that has been around for a hundred years. It's amazing stuff. I have freed frozen engines with it with very little effort. Because of WD40's solvent properties it is true that it can displace other lubricants, but for displacingf moisture, and a quick prelube it works great.
The stuff that smells like bananas is great stuff for breaking loose stuck stuff. It is right on the tip of my tongue, but I just can not remember the name.
I do not know about graphite in WD40, but it can make a heck of a mess. Of course, if you are doing any kind of maintenance like this you would want to do a good cleanup after anyway, as well as wiping down the engine.
Oh, and Wheels, you are not kidding about the can of Marvel. It looks just like something from an old elixer wagon.

[BC Mike]

Is a favourite with my red neck tractor buddies when they work on old stuck motors. I have not found it in Canada though. From a question from another thread my tractor buddies are located all over the US states, with a few in Canada. When it comes to fixing anything someone will have the answer. I wanted to know how to solder the joints on a new water tank and I found a guy who certified the NASA guys. They get to ask me boating related questions. I am getting more insightful info from them about Katrina than anywhere else.
Michael

Salt of the earth those old tractor guys No wonder you get along.