Running engine ashore

[Sixbrothers]

I have a Yanmar 3 HMF 27 hp fresh water cooled engine in my recently purchased sailboat. I would like to run the engine before it goes into the water. What it the best and safest way of doing this?

[TrueBlue]

One way is to disconnect the raw water intake hose from the through-hull valve and immerse it in a 5 gal bucket, placed alongside the engine and filled with freash water.

If you plan on running the engine more than a few seconds, stand by with a garden hose - filling the bucket as needed.

You could also close the raw water seacock, remove the cover of your raw water strainer, then insert one end of a 6 foot + - rubber hose into the top of the strainer, then the other into the bucket.

[gc1111]

I don't know the Yanmar engines, but this is pretty common to many engines. First, make sure your oil and coolant levels are normal. Now you need to replace the cooling sea water with water from a hose. What happens is that the seawater comes in (possibly through a strainer), passes through a heat exchanger, the raw water pump and sent out into the exhaust system. The heat exchanger is what cools the "fresh water" that is used to actually cool the engine. The raw water pump needs to have water flowing through it to lubricate/cool it (assuming it is a flexible impeller pump). It will self destruct pretty rapidly if it is not pumping water.

So find where the sea water comes in, disconnect that hose, make up an adapter hose that will fit what that hose feeds and has a garden hose connector on the other end. Hook up a garden hose, turn on the water, start the engine. Make sure you have water coming out the exhaust, sometimes it takes a bit for the water to make its way through the system, expecially if you have a water lift muffler. If you don't have water flow, shut down and figure out why.

[sailingdog]

TB and GC1111 have it pretty well covered... See this thread for ideas on how to get water into the cooling system....

One thing... if you have a water-lift muffler, and the engine doesn't start immediately—don't crank it for a prolonged period of time or you can get water into the engine and hydrolock the engine.

[Sixbrothers]

Thanks for the ideas. I will use one of these methods this weekend.

[Idiens]

You could try just closing the inlet valve and taking the top off the raw water strainer and inserting a hose with a tap on it. Adjust the hose flow to keep the strainer full (a friend helps here). Do think about who in the yard is going to receive the resultant exhaust water flow.

[knuterikt]

Hi
Here where I live we have to winterize the engines every year, first we flush the seawater circuit with freshwater before filling it with coolant mixture to protect form corrosion and freezing.

Last year I found this device (Flush adapter for inboard engine) making the process easier. It is an adapter to place over the seawater strainer (outside) and connects to a garden hose. This eliminates the need for taking the freshwater hose onboard.

[TrueBlue]

Now that's an ingenious device - the telescopic rod enables attachment without use of a ladder from ground level. I wonder if it's available in the US.

[Freesail99]

Originally Posted by TrueBlue

Now that's an ingenious device - the telescopic rod enables attachment without use of a ladder from ground level. I wonder if it's available in the US.

The yard where my boat is at in Tuckerton, NJ has one. I thought they had invented it, never have seen one before.

[sidiag]

It kinda looks like a modified "plumbers helper".[aka Toilet Plunger]