Storing Diesel engine for 3 mo?

[mrybas]

Hi,
I’m leaving my boat at a dock for 3 months while I go home for work. What are best practices for having the engine sit?
I was planning on doing the following:

Spray down with WD-40

Remove intake hose and run fresh water through cooling system from a bucket

Change Oil and filter (better to do now or when I get back?)


Anything else I should consider doing?

[LeighWebber]

I assume by "cooling system" you are referring to the seawater cooling lines only. The fresh water side of your cooling system (the fluid that goes in under the "radiator" cap) is coolant, not water. Yanmar, for one, warns against putting fresh water in there: it will cause internal rust and corrosion.

Why the WD-40?

[CassidyNZ]

In winter it is not out of range that my boat will sit on its mooring for 3 months. Fresh water through the raw water side of the cooling system will achieve very little, the heat exchangers etc. are made of corrosion resistant materials. Whether you have fresh salt water in there or 3-month-old seawater makes precious little difference.

As others have said, don’t put water into the coolant side of the system unless it is mixed with coolant to the correct dilution.

[mrybas]

Originally Posted by LeighWebber

I assume by "cooling system" you are referring to the seawater cooling lines only. The fresh water side of your cooling system (the fluid that goes in under the "radiator" cap) is coolant, not water. Yanmar, for one, warns against putting fresh water in there: it will cause internal rust and corrosion.

Why the WD-40?

Yes, of course the saltwater side of the cooling system. Wouldn’t make much sense to flush the coolant side of the cooling system (in terms preparation for storage).

Spraying the engine down with WD-40 keeps the rust away.

[jamhass]

IMHO, better to use fogging oil. WD-40 is more of a solvent, less of a lubricant, and does not leave a long-lasting protective film. Fogging oils are designed specifically for this application.

Never hurts to do a fresh-water flush of the sea-water side.

I change oil before I leave the boat. If stored for a longer time (6 months???) in an environment with lots of temperature changes, I change oil again on return to get rid of any condensate.

Never hurts to shock the fuel with biocide before you leave.

Especially if in a hot environment, pull the impeller.

[Svsumurun]

3 months? No chance of freeze?
Here's the list .. shut it off ...



Obviously changing the oil is always good , and biocide in the fuel is SOP for lots of people , but other than that - 3 months is nothing. Thousands of boats sit on the hard for 6 months a year going through tempature changes from hot to freezing , and don't even get that and are fine. ( not to mention that most of them sit 3 months at a time between uses when they are in the water)

[Wotname]

Yes, Svsumurun has it right!

Shut it off and if you are really pedantic, close the seacock and make sure the battery is fully charged.

Finally, don't forget where you put the key.

[mrybas]

Originally Posted by jamhass

IMHO, better to use fogging oil. WD-40 is more of a solvent, less of a lubricant, and does not leave a long-lasting protective film. Fogging oils are designed specifically for this application.

Never hurts to do a fresh-water flush of the sea-water side.

I change oil before I leave the boat. If stored for a longer time (6 months???) in an environment with lots of temperature changes, I change oil again on return to get rid of any condensate.

Never hurts to shock the fuel with biocide before you leave.

Especially if in a hot environment, pull the impeller.

I meant to spray the exterior of the engine with wd-40. Spray it all over the engine and wipe up the excess with a rag. Cleans up the belt dust and grime and keeps rust off the engine.

[Pauls]

WD40 will do a good job of helping clean off your engine. As far as preventing corrosion goes it is almost worthless. I did testing on this long ago. I suggest you convince yourself by taking a piece of steel (regular steel, not stainless) and cleaning it up to remove any corrosion. Spray it down with WD 40 and leave it outside in the salt air. In 24 hours you will find it nicely rusted.

As recommended above, an oil fogger will be much better. Oils have a limited protection time depending on how quickly they evaporate off the surface. Synthetic oils in general seem to evaporate more slowly than petroleum based oils which enables them to protect surfaces longer.

[NYSail]

Flush the engine, change the oil, top off batteries, close all thru holes.

I don’t understand spraying the engine down to prevent rust For such a small period. What type of smells do you get when you run engine and it gets hot? As said before many engines sit for much longer and have no issues with rust.

Good luck

[mlydon]

Boeshield t9 on linkages, don’t worry about the rest - if it’s painted, that protects the metal, if not then it rusts - always

Matt

[Compass790]

Lanocote, CRC soft seal or Tectyl is much better than WD40 for rust prevention but 3 months is not a worry. I fresh water flush our raw water-cooled engine when we rtn to dock as makes the anodes last longer. Unless you have water in the oil I wouldnt bother changing.

[dennismenace111]

LPS3 is the best for protecting against surface rust...problem is that its a bitch to clean off when you want to ... it dries to almost a loose candle wax consistency.. more like the old cosmoline on Army rifles from WW2 days. My old dad used to spray down the outboard motor on our little boat... it was sparkly...looked like brand new after 10 years... but his mechanic absolutely hated him for doing that.

[Cadence]

Run the engine, with good oil, and walk away. I doubt you will have a problem in three months.

[roverhi]

Commute to my boat 2,000 miles away and have done so for over 10 years with this and another boat. Regularly go more than 3 months and sometimes as long as six months without seeing it. I change the oil and filters at recommended intervals and that's it. Engines have always started right up and still working fine. If you are worried about surface corrosion, wash down the engine with freshwater to get any salt off it and spray with WD40. WD40 is not a preservative coating but has kept my tools from rusting possibly because it washes away any salt deposits.

Biggest problem is the batteries. Had the solar charger screw up and fry the batteries when I wasn't able to get back to it for more than 6 months because of a health emergency. Have to rely on the solar to keep the batteries charged because there is no AC electricity at slip.