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smoke filling up the cabin

6K views 49 replies 26 participants last post by  Ajax_MD 
#1 ·
went out for a short windless cruise. Water was flat, no wind, on my way back at full throttle I suddenly notice smoke pouring out my dorade vents. the whole cabin was filled up with white(I think)smoke. Temp light came on and oil light came on but went off after I throttled back. After reducing the rpm's the smoke went away and I was able to motor into my slip no problem. I am just worried about what it was? I did just hose down the boat real good last night and probably sprayed water in the tank vent(did not know what it was till now). I am hoping to go back out later today. What steps should I take to see what the problem was/is?
 
#2 ·
sounds more like steam, especially if the temp light came on and went away when you throttled back. But then there is the oil light coming on.

I have been sailing well over 40 years, but I still look at the cooling water stream every 12-15 minutes, and I would suggest that be the first thing to check. Volume may fluctuate or pulse at idle and slow speed, but should be a pretty steady flow at speed. And not be overly steamy.

Don't know your boat model or engine make, but this is where an IR thermometer would come in handy, to check temps along the water path. I suspect a restricted elbow, heat exchanger, or impeller/pump issue.

I doubt that it is water in the fuel
 
#3 ·
Probably just steam from an over heating engine. Can happen to the best at any time. Did you check the engine. A ruputured hose, failed water pump. a loose fan belt. blown head gasket.If it turns to a darker smelly kind of smoke,reduce rpm some more and don your full respirator mask .It may go away.
 
#4 ·
beta 20 tartan 30. I did check the engine and the oil was a tad low, but I will check again after everything is settled. Temp light stayed on, the oil light went on but back off after throttling down. The dipstick was sure hot. I'm adding oil and going back out with guests later today. Hope it is a uneventful ride. Thanks for any additional input.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Wait, you are going out today with guest and you haven't identified what caused all the smoke, temperature and oil lights to come on?? Something is wrong, about to fail or has failed. Maybe an object was sucked into the cooling lines and caused a temporary blockage. If it was me I wouldn't take the boat out till I went over the systems top to bottom and left to right to ensure all was right. When was the last time you changed the water pump impeller? Or flushed the heat exchanger if so equipped or changed the coolant?

Faulty thermostat?
 
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#7 ·
I keep reading posts of diesel engines being pushed to "max" rpm I'm no expert, but they are NOT high RPM engines, right? So why are so many people (it seems) racing these things back to port only to have what sounds like high rpm problems?
 
#39 ·
Most manuals say not to run at full throttle all the time, but my 1GM10 manual also specifically says that you SHOULD run at full throttle periodically.

I just did that myself last night for about 7 minutes specifically because of that instruction. Personally I hate doing it though it's good to know I can.
 
#10 ·
I don't know about running at "max rpm", I don't know why people would want to. I wouldn't unless I'm in deep trouble.

Having said that I would note that a diesel engine while cruising should be run at ~75% of its max continuous rpm rating. That's what they are designed to do. Running it at low rpm will allow the cylinders to glaze and cause problems down the road.

When I took the yanmar owners class by Mack Boring, the instructor recommended taking the boat out at least once a year for 4 or 5 hours and "running it like a power boat." Every mechanic I've spoken to has agreed with that.

Too many of us (sailors) fire the engine up for 10-15 minuets and than shut it down for several hours before doing the same thing again when we return.

Brian
 
#15 ·
I don't know about running at "max rpm", I don't know why people would want to. I wouldn't unless I'm in deep trouble.

Having said that I would note that a diesel engine while cruising should be run at ~75% of its max continuous rpm rating. That's what they are designed to do. Running it at low rpm will allow the cylinders to glaze and cause problems down the road.

When I took the yanmar owners class by Mack Boring, the instructor recommended taking the boat out at least once a year for 4 or 5 hours and "running it like a power boat." Every mechanic I've spoken to has agreed with that.

Too many of us (sailors) fire the engine up for 10-15 minuets and than shut it down for several hours before doing the same thing again when we return.

Brian
Who said run on idle?
 
#12 ·
Friends had this problem going down the Oregon coast at night. What made it trickier was the entire lighting system was from one source, A battery operated light by the companion way would have made a huge difference , instead of them both looking down a dark hatch into a cloud of smoke, with no light available.
 
#13 ·
Maybe over pitched prop causing the engine to over heat? Check your manual or call Beta and ask them.

I had a Autostream feathering prop and recently adjusted the pitch a little too much and will have to reduce a bit next time I pull as my engine alarm went off after a full throttle run and not able to reach WOT.

FWIW...diesel engines, especially the Beta/Kubota are designed to be run hard and all day...treating like a gas engine I am told is not adviseable. Sure you can over do it but if you think about a tractor or some other diesel driven piece of equipment they run those things all day everyday hard...and last year's properly maintained ;-)

My thoughts anyway.
 
#18 ·
If you keep treating that engine like that, you'll be needing a new one. If the engine overheated enough to thin the oil enough to turn on the low pressure warning light, you might have already done permanent damage. I certainly wouldn't risk doing it again.
 
#19 ·
Some engines have a max rpm and a continuous max rpm. Be sure to read your owners/operators manual.

Most diesels perform best in the 60% to 80% of max rpm range. If powered properly, that typically gets you to hull speed too, so running hotter doesn't do much more than burn fuel anyway.

Everyone should run at wide open throttle underway for no more than 30 seconds, once per year, just to see that you actually make max rpm. Any deviation suggests you have a problem, usually the prop.
 
#21 ·
Full throttle does not necessarily mean max rpm. The OP can tell us what he meant. In the navy you have full speed and flank.... Doesn't really matter, I still stand by my original post. Which was correct in it's statement and actually was meant to back up your comment Denise.

Denise,
Your the one who felt that you had to leave snarky one line comments not me. I notice you didn't site who talked about idle. You can place yourself where you like. I don't really care nor will I continue to respond to what appears to be trolling.
Brian
 
#22 ·
The Beta Marine diesels, just like the Universal Diesels, are based on Kubota diesels.

Here are the RPM ranges from the Universal Owners Manual for selected Universals;
 
#23 · (Edited)
Next time this happens, immediately measure the water outflow at the stern of the boat while the engine is running at 2000 rpm. Most small diesels use an 'Oberdorfer type' raw water pump that should be putting 2-3 gallons per minute 'out the back end' at 2000 rpm. Your engine shop manual should have the 'range' of this output correlated to a specific engine rpm. Just use a marked bucket and stopwatch.
If less than that value, find the obstruction. If the obstruction is 'occasional' consider to remove the exhaust manifold and look for 'slab rust' internal to the water side of the manifold. These large 'platelets' of slab rust inside cast iron manifolds are notorious for 'moving' inside of the exhaust manifolds and can easily block the outlet port of the manifold .... and can easily fall back to the bottom of manifold when reducing rpm or shutting down the engine.
Also when this happens, it would be 'handy' to have an indirect read infrared thermometer .... just follow the 'heat' readings from the water pump all the way back to the wet muffler to see where the 'high heat' readings are found.
Normally one should have 'profiled' the engines heat signature at normal cruise temperatures while under load - just take some digital pics of the engine's cooling circuits and simply 'write' the normal temperatures ON the pic --- when you have 'heat problems', re-shoot the temps and compare with your marked up digital pics.
example of indirect read IR thermometer: Nubee® Temperature Gun Non-contact Infrared Thermometer w/ Laser Sight - Instant Read Thermometers - Amazon.com
 
#25 ·
Forgot to mention .... Slab rust inside of cast iron castings such as engine blocks and exhaust manifolds are especially formed when one 'drains' water from an engine or does not use anti-rust compounds for long term lay-up.

The best course is to ALWAYS fill an engine with antifreeze mixtures that have the appropriate 'anti rust' compound already in them. The US navy will rarely ever shut down a ships engine because of the development of 'slab rust' inside of the cast iron components for this very reason.
Cast iron is very good material for use in salt water - the engine heat causes the formation of 'black rust' or ferrous oxide which is protective to the cast iron. However if the engine is drained or the engine is stored for long periods without anti-rust compounds that black protective iron oxide will soon change to red rust (ferric oxide) which is the 'destructive' form of rust.

Rx: dont drain your engine and manifold and leave it to 'dry out' for long term lay-up. Instead fill it up with a proper antifreeze mixture that contains 'anti-rust' compounds.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I would agree that the "smoke" was steam. But what has not been asked with an old boat the OP has is, is this a raw water cooling system? Or a sealed system with heat exchanger? I can't imagine a raw water cooling system putting out steam...really no way of creating pressure in the cooling system and expelling steam. I also assume that the engine is in an inclosed engine compartment...to fill the entire cabin with steam would be an incredible amount of steam. A closed system after an event like this would show low water.

I definitely would not be taking the boat out without identifying the issue. With the amount of steam that was released, it should be easy to identify where it was leaking. There should be some kind of residue at the leak point and or damage to surrounding wood or plastic. If it is a sealed system with antifreeze, the antifreeze will stain the area.

OP said he does not have RPM gauge, so any RPM advice here is not going to help. Edit: I must have been dreaming the the OP said he has no RPM gauge. Must have been someone else.
 
#29 ·
What I don't get is why the cabin filled with smoke/steam! This fact alone cause for concern. When my raw water cooled engine had a thermostat failure it produced steam, but it came out the exhaust port.
I have never had a fresh water cooled engine, but presumably the fresh water side is similar to an automotive system that is pressurized to prevent boiling. If there is a pressure cap that isn't sealing it could conceivably release steam inside the engine compartment.

Either way I wouldn't go anywhere with the boat without knowing what is going on! There is something wrong, and these things Don't typically fix themselves!
 
#30 ·
White smoke can be water steam, OR oil smoke from a blown head gasket or oil leak onto the manifold or other hot surface.

At the dock, preferably with a helper and an extinguisher at hand "just in case", check for signs of steam or oil in the engine spaces. If anything unusual is oily, that points to an oil leak. Any usual visual clues around the head gasket, and you need to confirm it isn't a blown head gasket. A blown head gasket can be no big deal, but if unattended, it can become a major engine job.

You, or a mechanic, can do a compression check and a few other things to make sure.
 
#32 ·
.... I suddenly notice smoke pouring out my dorade vents. the whole cabin was filled up with white(I think)smoke.
During the day this picture has come back to me ... white smoke out of the Dorades, a new use of Dorade vents!
Crew anaware of anything until they see the smoke from the Dorades ...

Temp light came on and oil light came on but went off after I throttled back. After reducing the rpm's the smoke went away and I was able to motor into my slip no problem.
Well, from this it seems it was more steam than smoke. Your engine overheated, back came back to normal after throttling back.

But but ... your cabin must stink now! Whatever it was, steam or smoke, it was not pure destilled H2O. And even if, parts of the engine was clearly over boiling temp. That use to smell ...
And you are considering bringing some friends to that?
(of course there are the safety aspects, already pointed out. )

/J
 
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