Saltwater sprayed in engine room

[garyfdl]

To the OP once you get everything flushed/rinsed down, good old heat lamps are hard to beat to dry things out.

Originally Posted by Cheechako

After flushing with fresh water and letting it dry. (Air hose?) spray it liberally on all connections.

By "air hose" assume you mean using compressed air? If so be advised, unless the compressor is equipped with an air dryer on the discharge side, compressed air can be very 'wet' especially in a marine environment. At the very least, make sure the pressure tank is drained (I'd leave the drain valve cracked open, to expel any moisture). I'd also have an airline filter/moisture separator installed (drain it frequently) - but they're not terribly effective in my experience.

An alternative might be to use a leaf blower. What it lacks in pressure it more than makes up in volume.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by seabreez

Hold on... hold on... for the wiring... spray each connector with something like WD40 or Fluid film. This will prevent the green stuff corrosion. Switches are explosion proof and there for salt spray will not get in. The starter is hermetically sealed... as it is spark protected to prevent spark in the bilge. The alternator, some are explosion proof some are not. Do not worry... the alternator will dry up upon start up and is some what protected against salt spray or salty environment. In Canada, starters and alternator last for yearsss in Canadian climate and salty road conditions. I would lubricate connections like battery terminals and similar connections. Salty environment is common in many boats, vessels and not the end of the world...

Once salt water has entered stranded wire by capillary action you are not going to get it out. I have peeled back feet of insulation off copper wire and the copper is black.

The issue with both the starter and the alternator is not about drying it out it is about getting the salt out. Diesel engines do not require spark free alternators and there are openings in them. Starters are protected against road spray but there is an opening where the solenoid is attached. Salt water spraying on it will get in. Salt is hydroscopic - it attracts water. It there is salt inside it will absorb moisture from the air. No mater how dry you get it if there is salt residue the moisture will return and rust/corrosion will follow.

[HarrisonM]

It is all fixed!!!!!!

The hardest part was waiting on parts. Since this is a new boat for me, and the previous owner didn't maintain it very well I decide to re-wire it and replace all the parts I could. I re-did all the electrical connections and replace every electrical component I could. As I dug into it, it really needed to be done! Things were in bad shape....

This is what I did:

- Replaced all connections with marine heat shrink connectors with adhesive and treated connections with dielectric grease
- Replace the following - Pre-Heat Solenoid, Stop Solenoid, Temperature Sender, Temperature switch, Oil Sender, Oil Switch, Glow Plugs, 10 AMP & 20 AMP Breakers, Starter and had Alternator rebuilt.

Thanks to all who replied

[chrisr]

well done !

many would have taken short cuts but you will reap the benefit in peace of mind and no breakdowns !

cheers,

[Sohum]

I keep Salt away and a garden pump sprayer onboard, & the entire engine compartment down as yearly maintenance. Also find it handy w/ hose feeder. Been adding this to the usual spray downs intermittently. Softens stiff lines with a slow pass. Definitely slows down build up, depending on conditions. Rinsing with this actually uses less water, from sheeting action.