How to clean my inboard engine?

[jc12]

Hey guys - I recently purchased a c&c 27 and am very excited to get it in tip top shape. I am going to begin by scrubbing the interior and cleaning the inboard yanmar diesel motor. The motor and bilge need a good degreasing.. now I have cleaned a many car motors but am wondering if the same theory applies to an inboard diesel on a sailboat? Can I just spray with degreaser, scrub and then hose it all down? Or am I at risk of ruining anything when showering it down? Thanks!

[Island Time O25]

A few years ago a friend who is a life long diesel mechanic gave me a to do list for cleaning the engine. I don't have it handy but will try to recall its major points.

1. If the engine looks dirty and in need of repaint/some rust removal start with thorough clean out of the fuel tank. Change all filters - pick up tube screen, all fuel filters, etc. Otherwise you may end up with a fresh looking engine being choked with old gunky fuel.

2. Make sure all rubber hoses and metal lines are in good shape and securely tightened. Otherwise replace/re-tighten as needed.

3. Cover all entry points such as air breather, etc. with waterproof tape and/or plastic.

4. Apply de-greaser liberally, let it soak as per directions and wipe off. Repeat as necessary.

5. Wash with warm/hot water and regular spray nozzle. Avoid pressure washers unless you have light touch and can be sure not to harm anything.

6. Scrape off any rust or caked on dirt using appropriately gritted sandpaper or drill based flap wheels. Wash, sand and repeat as needed. Spray paint with de-rusting base paint.

7. Using auto store engine spray paint (marine store versions are 4-5 times more expensive and are a rip-offs price wise) matching the maker's colors. I did my old Yanmar using Ford grey engine paint purchased at auto chain store for $5.99 while local Yanmar dealer wanted $20+ for theirs. The Ford engine paint is rated up to 550F so I'm sure it'll hold up fine.

My friend, the old marine pro, has a saying that a cleaned up and painted engine is a happy engine.

[Dymaxion]

You'll end up with a bilge full of oily water and degreaser. You could pump it out via your bilge pump, fouling that up too, and catch the mess in a bucket. Or better, get a good shop vac and use that. Good luck.

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Dymaxion

You'll end up with a bilge full of oily water and degreaser. You could pump it out via your bilge pump, fouling that up too, and catch the mess in a bucket. Or better, get a good shop vac and use that. Good luck.

That's why I was taught to wipe off first. And perhaps to use a plastic pan underneath to catch the spillover degreaser. Shop vac is always a good idea for oily bilge.

PS For an old shop vac to become really good again all one needs is to clean/replace the old foam filter around the motor. I was amazed at the difference and at the amount of caked gunk that came off of it.

[brianlara 3]

G'day JC12. FWIW from a 70 y/o ex Mercedes Benz service manager and previously a motor mechanic, further to Island Times advice, be VERY mindful that alternators and starter motors just HATE being forced to drink the run-off from grease encrusted engines. That means...get NO solvents/detergents/water or any other foriegn matter into these units. Often, careless cleaning may produce no adverse failures but it just isn't worth the risk..!! Capiche?
And, before you start the job remove rubber "V" belts from the engine as well.
Furthermore, be aware that just a teaspoon of water ingested through the air filter of any internal combustion engine will usually destroy the motor, bent con rods usually being the result.
Remove the air cleaner and seal off the intake too.
Cheers. B

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by brianlara 3

G'day JC12. FWIW from a 70 y/o ex Mercedes Benz service manager and previously a motor mechanic, further to Island Times advice, be VERY mindful that alternators and starter motors just HATE being forced to drink the run-off from grease encrusted engines. That means...get NO solvents/detergents/water or any other foriegn matter into these units. Often, careless cleaning may produce no adverse failures but it just isn't worth the risk..!! Capiche?
And, before you start the job remove rubber "V" belts from the engine as well.
Furthermore, be aware that just a teaspoon of water ingested through the air filter of any internal combustion engine will usually destroy the motor, bent con rods usually being the result.
Remove the air cleaner and seal off the intake too.
Cheers. B

Thanks. I forgot to mention (it's 2AM where I am) that I did take the air filter housing off to be cleaned and painted separately and taped up the breather hole as you correctly pointed out. And the belts were off as I was in the process of replacing them anyway.

Next Spring I will be doing a similar job on Universal 5432. A bit more rust and nooks and crannies to contend with but hopefully it'll be manageable.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

That's why I was taught to wipe off first. And perhaps to use a plastic pan underneath to catch the spillover degreaser. Shop vac is always a good idea for oily bilge.

PS For an old shop vac to become really good again all one needs is to clean/replace the old foam filter around the motor. I was amazed at the difference and at the amount of caked gunk that came off of it.

If you're using your Shop Vac to suck out fluids, use caution should you decide to risk sucking anything flameable. As to what fluids this may entail, you make the call.

Usually the foam filters on my Shop Vac's have gotten tossed not too long after purchasing them. Which tends to be at the start of any big project. As they get nasty right quick thanks to such projects.
That, plus running them when sucking fluids kinda' makes'em FUBAR. Temporarily, if not permanently.

Note, you might try using Simple Green, or similar to degrease your engine first, prior to trying say automotive engine degreasers. As the latter are primarily petroleum based, which makes quite the mess to suck out of the bilge. Especially when mixed with the gunk that they wash off of an engine.

The other thing is that using automotive degreasers in the enclosed space of a boat can make for some pretty stiff, & somewhat toxic fumes. Often even with lots of hatches open. So watch yourself, as these fumes can even affect one's eyes, mucous membrains, & or other sensitive areas. Which ain't fun to deal with.

[brianlara 3]

So dumb of me to not think of the fumes!

[gjordan]

Smelling the fumes is not nearly as bad as the result of a spark in a potentially explosive atmosphere. I once got a job on a large motor yacht because the engineer was cleaning parts in the engine room and burned himself very badly and was flown out to a burn center. You even need to be very careful of painting. On another motor yacht I went into the engine room to check on a couple of West Indian guys that were cleaning and painting the engines. There was so much vapor in the air that I stopped them and had them come on deck for a half hour and then we rigged a much better ventilation system. It could have been a bomb. Use lots and lots of ventilation. ____Grant.

[desodave]

I use citrus based biodegradable degreasers to clean bicycle drivetrains. Has anyone tried those on their boat engines? Might deal with the fumes issue but not sure how well they'd work on a dirty engine.

[Cheechako]

As far as just the cleaning part: I would put those oil absorbent mats under the engine everywhere. Spray it liberally with degreaser. Wipe off as much as you can with throw away rags, You'll need to get in every nook and cranny. Then remove the mats etc and hose off the rest of the engine well. After you do this you will probably need to give it a once over after it dries in various spots.
Do not use a shop vac for anything flammable as noted above. The danger is real. I've seen a big one explode from doing this in a manufacturing facility. The motors are not sparkless. You are essentially creating a jet engine! In this case large heavy pieces flew about 50 feet.

[bwells79]

I have been doing some research on cleaning engines as my wife and I bought a 1977 MGB that had a bit of an oil leak and the entire engine compartment needs a thorough cleaning. If you are going to use the spray on engine cleaners be sure to cover all exposed skin. Simple Green was recommended to me by the guy who told me to cover exposed skin while he was pointing to scars on his arm. Simple green should breakdown the grease and oil and it is biodegradable. Spray it on let it work, then assist with a brush. If you can, get some kind of poly lined catch basin, or maybe newspaper to catch the run-off that you can gather up and dispose of.

[phstol]

JC12, Good advice so far, but be very = anally sure to control every teaspoon of whatever you are using to wash whatever off of your engine. Be aware that the resulting emulsions are more damaging to the environment than oil or fuel. Depending on your marina and local EPA people you could be in a world of hurt for what you thought was only a "minor" spill. I've seen in other posts over the years tht some marinas will treat you as a commercial spiller if they find even a small sheen around your boat. They take safeguarding the environment seriously.

Take a look at this site for guidelines.... Marine Defenders: What if I Spill Oil?.
From that siteo not apply soap or detergent to the sheen. Adding dish soap only breaks the oil into smaller parts, which causes dangerous hydrocarbons to disperse into the water. Breaking the oil down into smaller droplets also makes it much harder to contain and clean up the spill.
Dish soap is also highly toxic to marine life. A study by Canada’s environmental protection agency found that dish soap is 27 times more toxic to rainbow trout than some industrial chemical dispersants.

Ref sucking it out with a shopvac...that will work, but a simple one-time suck is not going to clean your bilge and bilge pumps. Unless you get every thing really clean, every time your float switch activates the pump, you will have a sheen around your boat. Have to budget for hours and gallons and scrubbing to get the bilge completely clean. Also, what are you going to do with gallons of cruddy emulsion? maybe best to find a site that will accept it before you start on the job.
Enjoy!!

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

If you're using your Shop Vac to suck out fluids, use caution should you decide to risk sucking anything flameable. As to what fluids this may entail, you make the call.

Usually the foam filters on my Shop Vac's have gotten tossed not too long after purchasing them. Which tends to be at the start of any big project. As they get nasty right quick thanks to such projects.
That, plus running them when sucking fluids kinda' makes'em FUBAR. Temporarily, if not permanently.

Note, you might try using Simple Green, or similar to degrease your engine first, prior to trying say automotive engine degreasers. As the latter are primarily petroleum based, which makes quite the mess to suck out of the bilge. Especially when mixed with the gunk that they wash off of an engine.

The other thing is that using automotive degreasers in the enclosed space of a boat can make for some pretty stiff, & somewhat toxic fumes. Often even with lots of hatches open. So watch yourself, as these fumes can even affect one's eyes, mucous membrains, & or other sensitive areas. Which ain't fun to deal with.

I usually do any substantial cleaning during off season when the boat is on the hard. So far all boats I've had had engine compartments with good ventilation.

As far as shop vacs I have one for really messy jobs and another for just household dirt and some such.

So far I only thoroughly cleaned the Yanmar. And that was when it was out of the boat. The Universal will have to be cleaned in situ and that will be a more delicate job, as you correctly pointed out all the potential pitfalls. The boat yard where the boats are kept is pretty good as far as being "workingman's yard". Plenty of barrels, pans, etc lying around to catch whatever discharge needs to be caught from the bilges. And they have a scheduled (intermittent?) hazmat pick up and so far have been pretty relaxed about owners adding a gallon or two to its pick up barrels' volume.

Also I would recommend cleaning (not just the engine but most anything non-porous) with rubbing alcohol (91 or 182 proof) or grain alcohol (96 or 192 proof), where available. It's pretty strong stuff, environmentally and eco friendly and is relatively cheap. So many uses on a boat or at home it's amazing. And IMO a better disinfectant is not to be found.

[Pete7]

Would it be heresy to suggest pulling the engine if its that bad? because "Gunk" type chemicals stink and you will spend longer scrubbing the bilges than cleaning the engine. With it out you can then replace the engine insulation with the latest materials which will make a huge difference.

Pete