Boat not going anywhere

[Sailfree]

We are living on our boat for 1 yr.

Mains electricity etc.

Should I run the engine periodically and of yes what frequency.

My inclination is if I run it 75HP turbo I should run it until it gets to full operating temperature.

 

[greeny]

If it were mine I would change the oil and mothball it. Why run it from cold to warm for no reason.

 

[capnsensible]

We are living on our boat for 1 yr.

Mains electricity etc.

Should I run the engine periodically and of yes what frequency.

My inclination is if I run it 75HP turbo I should run it until it gets to full operating temperature.

We are just moving from living aboard to house. During the 21 years aboard, I would mostly run the engine for around half an hour a week, in gear and varying the revs a bit right up to max. I didnt worry if I was awayon a delivery. and missed a few weeks. The engine doesnt seem to mind either!

 

[LadyInBed]

Do you run it if laid up for winter?
No, just lay it up if you haven't yet done an oil change. If you have and not done many hours, just leave it.

 

[capnsensible]

Do you run it if laid up for winter?
No, just lay it up if you haven't yet done an oil change. If you have and not done many hours, just leave it.

Hiya. I reckon liveaboards dont 'lay up' in that manner. I certainly didnt....you never know if you are gonna have to move. So I always keep my engine ready to rock and roll.

 

[vyv_cox]

I laid my boat up in September 2016 but due to illness did not return to it until April 2018. Nobody ran the engine in the intervening time. It started almost first turn of the key and has run perfectly since.

Change the oil and filter, remove the impeller and drain all water off, then leave it alone.

 

[DownWest]

Think I would run it on the fresh oil for 20min on load, then drain the water etc. That would flush out any old oil from the bearings.

 

[crown22]

I turn over my inboard engine by hand every week.My Mercury 3.3 outboard was seized because I didn't touch it between July
and last week.Managed to turn it over with a socket on the end of the crankshaft after pouring some oil into the bore.It started and ran fine afterwards.The piston rings will stick to the bore in any engine that is not turned over for some time.Just my thoughts anyway.

 

[oldharry]

I think capnsensible has the right idea. Running a diesel off load even up to working temp doesnt do much good at all except to dry out any condensation. Much better to use anti corrosion fogging spray, particularly on the high grade steel of the turbo, which can rust very easily. Running up to temp off load often does all kinds of damage, even leading to head gasket failure because the engine does not heat quickly enough to warm through equally. Off load running is usually believed to cause bore glazing, though not everyone agrees. Diesels like to work, and work hard.

 

[eddystone]

If it were mine I would change the oil and mothball it. Why run it from cold to warm for no reason.

But you have to run the engine to warm the oil up to get it out of the sump.
Thousands of charter boats around the world run engines off load for hours a day to charge batteries without apparent problems

 

[vyv_cox]

But you have to run the engine to warm the oil up to get it out of the sump.
Thousands of charter boats around the world run engines off load for hours a day to charge batteries without apparent problems

Glazing is far less of a problem than it was due to fuel and lubricant improvements, particularly low sulfur levels. That doesn't mean it has been completely eliminated. Cold starts are the main cause, due to condensation of exhaust gases on the cylinder walls. Once the engine is at running temperature the problem is far less likely to occur.