Starting Winterized Engine for First Time After Three Years

[Captin_Kirk]

My new to me sailboat is powered with a palmer P60.

The PO stated that it has been an the hard for 3 years. He says it was winterized 3 years ago and unless he sailed where there is bright green water, I believe that to be true. There is what looks like anti-freeze in the water cooling lines.

My question is what procedure should I use to test it? The boat is still on the hard until I launch on May 1st. However I want to test and repair before that.

Alsoo.... I am a complete newbie when it comes to inboard so please don't mock me when I ask. How do I get all of the anti-freeze out of the engine into a container and not all over the ground. When I am testing, can I hook a hose up to the intake for cooling? I am such a newbie it hurts sometimes!

[Stillraining]

Im a little confused Cap...The antifreeze should stay in the engine.


As far as starting it on the hard ...no problem just secure up a garden hose in to the raw water through hull and force feed the raw water pump water.

Here watch this, this is a two year sat idel cold start...it will give you some ideas.

YouTube - 416 Start test

[Captin_Kirk]

The anti freeze is in where the raw water will get sucked into! How can it stay in. I guess I should clarify. The palmer is a gas engine, not diesel. Would there be a difference. Should I put some oil in the cylinders and turn it over a few times by hand to get it lubed up? Or just crank it up. The gas tank has been removed, cleaned and reinstalled with fresh fuel, and the carb has been rebuilt already.

[Christian Van H]

Awesome StillRaining! I loved it!

[captden]

The anti freeze in the exhaust would come from the p.o. using the green anti freeze to winterize the engine two years ago. if that's the case I would try to get a barrel or 55 gal drum and put it under the exhaust. you then dispose it properly

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by Captin_Kirk

The anti freeze is in where the raw water will get sucked into! How can it stay in. I guess I should clarify. The palmer is a gas engine, not diesel. Would there be a difference. Should I put some oil in the cylinders and turn it over a few times by hand to get it lubed up? Or just crank it up. The gas tank has been removed, cleaned and reinstalled with fresh fuel, and the carb has been rebuilt already.

I see...OK well yes then you have to set a barrel ou at the exhaust through hull and catch all that water till it clears up...your yard should have all that stuff and a method of disposing of it.


As far as what to do differently...you will know with the first turn of the key is she is seized up....not the end of the world here if it is...Then yes you will want to pull the plugs and squirt in some lightweight oil 20 weight would be good,, marvel mystery oil or tyranny fluid is fine as well..Let it sit over night...Then you are going to have to try and break it free by hand...

The best place is the main crank shaft pulley nut..This will take a long breaker bar and socket to accomplish....If it feels like it is taking too much effort and your concerned about breaking the bolt...Try and locate a couple holes in the pulley and get the yard to fashion something to engage the holes as well as welding a large 1" or better nut on the plate..this will allow you to physically jump on the breaker bar shocking the crank and breaking the pistons free.

Here is one I made up of just such a process I explained.

Once you have it broke free..continue to rotate the engine several complete rotations... you will fell it getting easier and easier...you will know when its time to try the starter again...Put the plugs back in once the starter will spin it fast enough and try to get her to start.

If it were me I would get her to start before worrying about force feeding any raw water to the pump for cooling...as soon as she fires shut her down and rig that up..it will keep you from flooding your exhaust with raw water manifold and possibly your engine with raw water.

You will probably want to change your oil right away after you get her running and warm for a couple minutes.

Hope this helps.

I have to find my home made tool and take a picture of it ..so i will post that later..have to run an errand right now.

[mike d.]

do not try to start until you are sure the engine turns freely. if you do then you stand the chance of getting the starter locked up (it won't release and it and the wiring will burn up. because the solenoid will not stop delivering power when the starter engages if the starter does not turn to take pressure off solenoid . if you can get at and see in plug holes look inside cylinders to see if they are rusty either way put Marvo-Mystery oil in the cylinders and let sit for a few days this will lube the rings. then take a breaker bar(me personally i would use a ratchet, less leverage) and try to turn engine. if it does not move let sit longer and try again. your not in a rush to break something. you have plenty of time before launch. once you get the motor turning over move pistons and look at cylinder walls to see if you have any marks(rust rings) you can usually tell if the rings are bad by how much build up there is on the walls. once you get it turning freely try starting it by switch. i like to add Marvo Mystery oil while engine is first running to keep cylinders wet to help scrub away rust. after engine warms up shut it down. let sit check oil on stick for rust suspension in same change and repeat if necessary.

[Captin_Kirk]

I know it turns, if I put it in gear I can turn it over by turning the prop. IT is tough, but I can do it. I will let it warm up a bit outside before I take the antifreeze out, but then I will put in a battery and try it out. Thanks.

[Stillraining]

OK Im back from robbing the Bank..

Here is that tool I was talking about..just some scrap steel and 2 x 3/8" bolts and a 1 1/4 inch nut for some easy torque application.

The bolts line up into holes in the crank pulley..If you have some this will take all the strain off using the crank pulley bolt...Although a general torque for those is usually around 130 to 150 ft lbs which is quit a bit....so try the bolt first it might just break free.

Anyway...After I did what I told you to do in the previous post..The next day I built this and literally jumped on a breaker bar with 2' of pipe on as an added extension to get the 350 engine in my ski boat I bought to break free..once it did I spent maybe 15 min turning and turning like I explained to you to do adding just a tad more oil to each cylinder once or twice till it was pretty easy to spin...Put the plugs back in poured an ounce and a half of gas down the carb and hit the starter.... she didn't turn half a revolution and was running...Never had an issue with it.

Quit common for gas engines to seize after a couple years..just from internal condensation.....it doesnt take much rusting to do it..it not like there full of it....Iv freed up three of them up so ...Never yet had to tear one down because of it.. Nor has any of them smoked or used oil either.

Let us know how it goes

[tallyhorob]

It will turn a lot easier without he plugs in. If you want to take the time to oil it a bit and spin it by hand first. The extra hour or two to pull plugs and turn it over a few times and reinstall them MAY save you a scored cyl. liner and a rebuild, once it goes no matter how fast you shut it off its all ready damaged. And if it turns free feel free to crank it over with the starter when the plugs are out if getting to the crank is to hard.

[Chief Engineer]

On the really big engines I have worked with, we had a pre-lube sequence of any where from 30-90 seconds prior to start up.

My late mentor had a setup where he could pre-lube smaller diesels after rebuilds.

Take your time, don't force things with extensions on breaker bars, Crankshaft nuts do shear off (DAMHIKT).

PB and Thin oil/diesel fuel in the cylinders and time...my friend