[bradfalk]

hi all,

I have a yanmar 2gm20f on a caliber 28'- how important is it to get my hands on a manual crank to start the engine if the started motor dies? I've heard mixed things and some people say it's so hard to manually start the thing that it's not worth buying and crank. anyone have experience with this and/or know where I could buy one?

also- anyone know of a better yanmar "manual" than the "yanmar manual?" I have probably already learned most of the important things from friends but would like a better source than that lousy manual.

thanks in advance-

brad

 

[mrwuffles]

I am a day fresh out of mack boring's yanmar small diesel class, the manuals were probably stiff for those people because they wernt doing it right, on top of the valve cover there are a couple little tabs and if you release them they will let out the compression making it easy to crank, so you crank it as fast as you can and once you get it up there you click them back to fire it right up. If it is just the operating manual that probably isn't going to tell you too much a service manual will have tons more info.

 

[paulk]

We have a Yanmar 3GM that we have tried to hand crank on numerous occaisions. Despite releasing the compression tabs and having a hefty winch gorilla swinging the handle, we have not been able to "fire it right up" at all. Nothing seems to work but the electric starter, so we have ramped up our solar charger so the batteries are fully charged all the time. We have no problems pushing the starter button, and if it has fuel, the engine runs.

 

[artbyjody]

Last year when my starter died on my Yanmar, we tried to use the crank. Even using the compression levers we could never get it to turn over. End result we broke the doodad that the handle slides into - but since we could never get it to go at sufficient speed to turn over by cranking never fixed it. Just my experience. Do however, check into the price of new versus rebuilds - sometimes new is actually cheaper than rebuilding or purchasing a rebuilt starter.

 

[nereussailor]

Which manual are you talking about, the owners manual or the repair manual? I bought the repair manual, and it is very descriptive about everything on the motor. I believe it was around $65

 

[NOLAsailing]

Don't buy a manual - anything you need is at this website:

Yanmar 2GM & Related Links

 

[tommays]

WAY back when (1974) i have seen single cylinder diesels that had GIANT flywheels that would allow you to spinup the motor buy hand and the flywheel stored enough engery to start the motor after you poped the compression release

 

[jcboyce]

As an old Mariner my first responce is better of not printed, I have had several 30Plus vessels with no Engine.
My Yanmar is of the 15 HP, but I'm only Documented at 11 tons.
Crank Starting a 40 HP Deisel can be done. Genneraly by three large men, cranking to build up enough heat to ignite the fuel since the 3GM has no glow plugs, to ignite the fuel.
Do you need a crank, Back in the 70s I knew a guy that had 3 hurnia opperations before he listened to his doctor and put a winch on the bow to pull up his anchor.
Do you Sail outside of the relm of help? Do You have a towing sevice that will jump start the engine?
Granted I live Motto, If you can't get yourself home, don't take your self to sea. If It won't run, & I can't sail out I tow it with my diny.
If you want to be able to take care of your self, gear a small portable diesel gen
Boyce

 

[j34035]

If you rub 2 sticks togeather fast enough you can build a fire, too. Never seen either one work............

 

[mitiempo]

In the early 70's I had a boat with a Volvo MD-1 (with the big flywheel) and I hand started it a few times to prove it could be done.

My current Yanmar YSE-8 - no such luck. I think if you were really mad maybe.

I agree about the manual - don't buy one as the service manuals are all on line.

 

[marcusc130]

I have a 2qm15 that I have been able to hand crank a couple times. It's a workout for sure. You have to really get the thing moving, and it helps a ton if you have someone else around to flip the decomp. levers.

A little tip, if your battery is weak, you can flip the decompression levers, spin the motor up with the electric starter, then flip the levers closed. It doesn't take nearly as much juice to get it going this way.

 

[SlowButSteady]

I've tried to hand start my 2gm20 a couple of times, without much success. Part of the problem on my boat is the limited engine access. My bet is that if the engine was already warm I might be able to get it going again with the hand crank; but, if the engine was stone cold I would probably have a coronary long before the damned thing was running on its own.

On the other hand, my dock neighbor has a one cylinder Yanmar on his boat and he's able to hand start it without too much trouble (at least according to him).

 

[skygazer]

If you rub 2 sticks togeather fast enough you can build a fire, too. Never seen either one work............

By practicing, I did learn to start fires with two sticks; even did it in the dark to get light.

But I never could get the hang of hand cranking, even though my Dad could do it.

I was also afraid the crank would snap around and break my arm when the motor fired.

 

[MedSailor]

hi all,

I have a yanmar 2gm20f on a caliber 28'- how important is it to get my hands on a manual crank to start the engine if the started motor dies? I've heard mixed things and some people say it's so hard to manually start the thing that it's not worth buying and crank. anyone have experience with this and/or know where I could buy one?

also- anyone know of a better yanmar "manual" than the "yanmar manual?" I have probably already learned most of the important things from friends but would like a better source than that lousy manual.

thanks in advance-

brad

I guess I'll break with the pack and say HELL YES get yourself a handle and learn to use it! I had the Yanmar 2QM20F which is a slightly older verion of your exact motor (mine was 1980). I probably hand started it 20 times or so and I'm no gorilla. Once after flooding the starter with salt water I used it to motor out of Princess Louisa Inlet. If you're not familliar with the area, it's a fjord with mountain walls so high you can't even get VHF reception with a nearby coastguard station. We would have had to wait for the next ice age for wind there!

People will tell you that it's impossible but really it's a matter of technique and once you get it right you can always do it, though you do need 2 people so that the second person can release the decompression lever. There are lots of tricks and shortcuts that make it easier. PM me or ask me to post it if you'd like the entire procedure and list of tricks to make it easier.

Yanmar put a lot of thought into this feature also. For example the handle will not fly around and break your wrist as some hand crank engines will. It is attached to a free-wheeling device simmilar to how a bicycle wheel can be driven by the pedals but not the other way around. In fact, in my manual, it listed the starter motor and electrical gauge panel as optional accessories!!!

On another occasion I had another electrical issue and couldn't use the starter. Having the hand crank meant I could still start the engine, and go on my weekend trip to show off the boat at the wooden boat festival without worry.

Now that I have a 45HP that doesn't have a hand crank option I REALLY miss the ultimate redundancy of the hand crank.

Medsailor

PS One more tip, carry a spare length of bicycle chain and a chain remover/fitter tool. Keep it in a zip lock packed in grease. The first time we tried to hand crank the motor the bicycle chain connecting the flywheel to the hand crank wheel broke from rust.

 

[Lake Superior Sailor]

I have a YSM-8 , I am a tree climber by trade, I bought the crank, But I can't do it either! When my batteries were dead I had to sail in! The crank is handy while working on motor, or a heavy weapon! --Dale

 

[sawingknots]

i can't on my ysb12 either,i expect the compresion or engine wear has something to do with it,i keep plenty of batterys and a spare starter on board and a backup outboard mounted on the stern,i had to call s**tow once,i'll not make that mistake again,fool me once shame on you,fool me twice shame on me

 

[Skipper Jer]

I have a Yanmar 2gm20F installed in a Nor'sea 27. It would take two people to hand start the engine. One to crank it with the decompression levers open, the second person to close the levers while the engine is spun up. I don't have the crank. Any idea how much they want for it?

 

[killarney_sailor]

I had a Nonsuch 30 with a Volvo (I think it was 23 hp) that I hand-started a few times. I found that you really need two people - one to crank the damn thing as hard as you possibly can and the other to flip the decompression levers down. I found that if you took one hand off the crank (and still kept cranking with the other) it would not work. One time I did it by myself by running a light line from the lever through a couple of blocks to a loop around the top of my head and then moved my head back to close a lever once I was cranking furiously. It can be done, but is quite hard work.

 

[j34035]

By practicing, I did learn to start fires with two sticks; even did it in the dark to get light.

But I never could get the hang of hand cranking, even though my Dad could do it.

I was also afraid the crank would snap around and break my arm when the motor fired.

Did not say it could not be done, just never seen it. Rubbing 2 sticks have kept a lot of kids busy over the years though
DD

 

[SloopJonB]

I put a new on the pallet YSM8 1 lung in the first boat I built. When it arrived it was sitting on the pallet and I was checking it out. I put the hand crank on it and couldn't really turn it. Then I discovered the compression release, released it and spun the engine over a couple of turns - after that I closed the compression release and the damned thing lit off - on the assembly lube!

Talk about a moment of panic until I thought to simply trip the compression release again.

After I installed it, I started it with the handle a number of times - even in the winter, although THAT took some doing. All I ever had to do was open the throttle wide, trip the compression release, crank it until it was spinning well and close the CR - it would start right up - first or second time if it was warm out, after many times if it was cold. Having someone on the throttle to slow it down obviates diving into the cockpit before it over-revs.

The YSM base engine had no electrics - starter, alternator, panel - all options. The crank was for real. If I had a diesel with a crank, I'd learn how to start it manually - they don't provide the hand option for no reason, it costs them money to provide it.