How Often to Start a Diesel Engine?

[Juniper]

In maine, if there is water in the engine anywhere, the first time the temp in the engine goes below the freezing point of seawater you may have a problem.
Pour a gallon or 2 of rv antifreeze in the top of the strainer with the seacock closed and shut her down, close the strainer, when ready to go, open seacock and go.

[Cheechako]

as long as it gets up to temp, no need to go all the way up to cruise speed (might avoid kicking up a bunch of muck off the bottom too!) Most mine would warm up good in gear at 1600-2000 rpm.
Here's a question of interest: Does an engine work harder in gear tied to the dock than free and moving?

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

............Here's a question of interest: Does an engine work harder in gear tied to the dock than free and moving?

I'd like to hear more thoughts about this too. My first expectation would be that, since you a eliminating your speed across the water, then more energy is required to move that water past the prop at the same rpm; however, this reasoning would suggest that the engine would be doing less work if you were heading against a current at the same rpm. I suspect that there is no significant difference in work. Like, Cheechako, I'd like to hear more ideas.

[rebel heart]

I think I went a year and a half one time without starting it. Thing is fine. The whole "get it up to operating temperatures every week" thing is nonsense, at lease in the climate I was in (San Diego).

[rtbates]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Go to about 1000 rpm after 5.5 seconds at idle, precisely. Then reduce to idle after 35.6 seconds, put in gear, throttle up to 1200 for 2 minutes, 1500 for 5.32 minutes and them up to cruise rpm...

What does your owner's manual say?

Darn I was only letting it run for 5.3 minutes at 1500

Is your cheek sore?

[DeepFrz]

Oh, oh...your engine is toast...

[sartorst]

S/V Illusion when you pull the kill cable or lever you are shutting off the fuel to the injectors

[sctpc]

Oh I am too late my boats has only done 740hrs in 25years, I am doing it wrong as per the previous owner told me. "change oil and filter at start of winter and if I start the DV10 run it for half hour then put up sail"

Sometimes it has not been started for months on end could this be as this motor is for life boats it has no need to run every couple weeks? I sail on and off the mooring so dont want to start it every time as thats half hrs sail gone.

[Bash]

Boats with folding props: have another reason to run the engine in gear--so that barnacles don't form in the gearing that will keep the prop from opening all the way once the boat finally goes out. (More important with some props than others.) Years ago, a buddy of mine backed out of his slip after letting the boat sit for three months in La Paz, only do discover that a barnacle wouldn't allow his prop to rotate into forward.

Boats with turbo diesels: Should pay more attention to cool-down periods. I'm told that the worse thing you can do for a hot turbocharger is to shut it down without allowing it time to cool off.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Bash

Boats with folding props: have another reason to run the engine in gear--so that barnacles don't form in the gearing that will keep the prop from opening all the way once the boat finally goes out. (More important with some props than others.) Years ago, a buddy of mine backed out of his slip after letting the boat sit for three months in La Paz, only do discover that a barnacle wouldn't allow his prop to rotate into forward.

Boats with turbo diesels: Should pay more attention to cool-down periods. I'm told that the worse thing you can do for a hot turbocharger is to shut it down without allowing it time to cool off.

This is a great commentary on "when you put 'improvements' on a boat you need to futz with them more".

[S/V Alchemy]

I couldn't find a new diesel in my 50-60 HP range with compression levers, alas. Like the old method of starting a manual with a dead battery by pushing it downhill, I liked the idea of using one working cylinder to encourage the others, along with the technique of spinning up the flywheel with a crash gybe, as some ocean racers have done when confronted with flat batts.

[hellosailor]

"spinning up the flywheel with a crash gybe"
i was going to ask, hth you manually crank an engine that size. Mount JATO bottles on the flywheel, turn it into a St. Catherine's Wheel? <G>

[roverhi]

I doubt that you'd be able to hand crank any diesel without compression releases. Started my Volvo MD2b for ten years using the compression releases. Couldn't budge it without releasing compression. New engines, even with compression releases, don't have the large flywheels of engines designed to be handcranked. Hand cranking them is problematic without the stored energy from cranking in those large flywheels. Believe the rules for ship's lifeboats used to require a hand crankable diesel. Believe they've changed those requirements and hand crankable engines have pretty much disappeared (Volvo MD series, Sabb, Petter, etc.).

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

I couldn't find a new diesel in my 50-60 HP range with compression levers, alas. Like the old method of starting a manual with a dead battery by pushing it downhill, I liked the idea of using one working cylinder to encourage the others, along with the technique of spinning up the flywheel with a crash gybe, as some ocean racers have done when confronted with flat batts.

Youd never be able to start one that big by hand anyway. Even 10hp is hard... and dangerous in many applications....

[sushirama]

Whats missing here is not the running but your pre underway prep. From working with large auxiliary diesels on submarines. We didnt necessarily run them once a week. We did however just turn them over for about 20 seconds. Ive seen videos of old perkins and other diesels that have been sitting for 20 plus years start and run. But, its the preparation to run that makes that happen. If your engine has not been run in while. replace the oil, clean your fuel systems and injectors. etc.. Have a more thorough prestart checklist than if youre running every day. And always have a pre-start check list. Some friends of mine recently replace their Perkins 108 with a new unit. The failed to have a working check list they went against for every start. Like check oil, check fuel system. etc.. On a 500 hundred foot move they just started and ran an oil dry engine, at 100 feet it was gone. Now they have to pull and rebuild their brand new engine. All for lack of pre-start discipline. All that submarine training has taught me that you live and die on your pre-underway check list. No matter how many times you think you know its done you will forget that one item that sinks you at some point.