Starting engine out of water

[mrb2222]

I want to look at a boat (on the hard) with a diesel engine. Is it possible to start the engine while it is out of the water?
Thanks for any info.

[RichH]

Get a 5 gallon bucket, a supply hose that has at least 3 gallons per minute water flow. Disconnect the inlet water hose from the seacock and place it in the bucket - start the engine and keep the water level of the bucket so that the inlet hose is completely submerged. ... otherwise you risk breaking the water pump impellers and burning the fiberglass water lift muffler when running dry - even for short periods.
Dont just simply attach a hose to the water inlet hose but use the bucket so that you are SURE that the cooling circuit is full.

[tsenator]

Sure you can. You just have to make sure the engine has a constant supply of cooling water. Every engine installation is different, but on my old boat I took the raw water intake off the thru-hull and stuck it into a big bucket of water that I kept supplied with more water from a hose.

On my new boat the raw water intake strainer is very big, so I can close the thru-hull, pop the top of the strainer off and supply the water directly in there, being sure to keep the flow of water into it the same as the engine is requiring. If you run the engine at faster speeds and the engine is getting warm the supply of water will increase also so be aware.

This is also a great method to winterize your engine with antifreeze , just replace the water with antifreeze in the bucket until you see the liquid come out the back exhaust and your done.

good luck

[mrb2222]

Thanks very much for the help.