tom52
Well-Known Member
Sorry to hear of your plight. It must be heartbreaking to find you pride and joy in such a state. You seem to be taking it more calmly than I would.
Good luck sorting it all out.
Good luck sorting it all out.
Careening Gone Wrong!
- Thread starter pratkins
- Start date
pratkins
Active Member
Thank you, Tom 52! I would like to have been captured on candid camera when I first saw what had happened. It could have been worse.
Today I spoke with a Yanma diesel mechanic and he made a couple of good points:-
When he knew that I could turn the engine over, by hand, it was a fair indication that there was no water on top of the piston. He is going to loan me a starter motor tomorrow to get it started and running. He said, it is very important to get it turning over and then to run it asap. I will need, however, to restore enough of the electrics to do this. Electolysis powered by the submerged batteries did a fair bit of damage to the terminals.
When draining the oil from the sump, his suggestion was to drain it with the water emerging first, then close it as soon as the oil comes out. This would leave enough for an initial start. In the meantime I am to turn it over as much as possible. Also, to drain the filter
Gearbox is a must and that will need to be pumped out.
Regarding the injectors, he felt it better not to take them out as I may not have water on top of the piston and better not to disturbe the seal.
Thank you for your company on 'my journey', so far.
Today I spoke with a Yanma diesel mechanic and he made a couple of good points:-
When he knew that I could turn the engine over, by hand, it was a fair indication that there was no water on top of the piston. He is going to loan me a starter motor tomorrow to get it started and running. He said, it is very important to get it turning over and then to run it asap. I will need, however, to restore enough of the electrics to do this. Electolysis powered by the submerged batteries did a fair bit of damage to the terminals.
When draining the oil from the sump, his suggestion was to drain it with the water emerging first, then close it as soon as the oil comes out. This would leave enough for an initial start. In the meantime I am to turn it over as much as possible. Also, to drain the filter
Gearbox is a must and that will need to be pumped out.
Regarding the injectors, he felt it better not to take them out as I may not have water on top of the piston and better not to disturbe the seal.
Thank you for your company on 'my journey', so far.
cliffordpope
Well-Known Member
pratkins
Active Member
Careening.....All's well that ends well!
Following the above advice, I was able to fit the borrowed starter motor and was very relieved when it fired up. I ran it for 20min. then drained the sump and repeated this action four times before what came out showed a lessening of that dirty grey colour and there was a tinge of black in the oil.
I used a mixture of 1/2 litre of pure diesel mixed with engine oil, sufficient to just touch the low mark on the dip-stick. The one mistake I made was not to empty the filter each time which no doubt slowed the process.
Next, I removed the filter and fitted a new one, then filled the engine with Castrol RX Super oil. I had been advised to take Peter Robyn for an hour of motoring to get the engine hot. This I did and it did not miss a beat. Each day for the next three days I did likewise and it has gone fine. I also did the same with the gearbox except that I did not dilute the gear box oil and put it through three changes.
In retrospect, if I had the same experience again, I would:-
Immediately, disconnect, and remove if possible, the batteries, even before pumping.
I am working on an idea with a hand operated pump to place at a higher point over the keel than the bilge, with a hose that can be thown over the side. I want to illustrate with a photo, so more later.
Following the above advice, I was able to fit the borrowed starter motor and was very relieved when it fired up. I ran it for 20min. then drained the sump and repeated this action four times before what came out showed a lessening of that dirty grey colour and there was a tinge of black in the oil.
I used a mixture of 1/2 litre of pure diesel mixed with engine oil, sufficient to just touch the low mark on the dip-stick. The one mistake I made was not to empty the filter each time which no doubt slowed the process.
Next, I removed the filter and fitted a new one, then filled the engine with Castrol RX Super oil. I had been advised to take Peter Robyn for an hour of motoring to get the engine hot. This I did and it did not miss a beat. Each day for the next three days I did likewise and it has gone fine. I also did the same with the gearbox except that I did not dilute the gear box oil and put it through three changes.
In retrospect, if I had the same experience again, I would:-
Immediately, disconnect, and remove if possible, the batteries, even before pumping.
I am working on an idea with a hand operated pump to place at a higher point over the keel than the bilge, with a hose that can be thown over the side. I want to illustrate with a photo, so more later.
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SAMYL
Well-Known Member
One small tip from my diving days, if a camera got flooded you quickly washed it in copious amounts of fresh water then rinsed it in gin (or preferably neat alcohol if you could get it in a hurry).
It did work and saved the electronic bits so this treatment could probably be applied to other electronic boat/engine bits.
It did work and saved the electronic bits so this treatment could probably be applied to other electronic boat/engine bits.
Norman_E
Well-Known Member
I think that surgical spirit from a chemist works just as well as gin, and is a lot cheaper.
pratkins
Active Member
Just to Illustrate!
A few glimpses to illustrate!
A few glimpses to illustrate!
SAMYL
Well-Known Member
pratkins
Active Member
Modifications after a bad experience-Careening
Now that the engine is going well, I have addressed a couple of issues which result from a bad design in the wiring:-
1. Bilge Pump Wiring:I have taken the trouble to bring all connections to a higher level ( see top right hand corner of photo) so that if this happened again, it would be more likely to keep working, at least until the batteries gave out. The effect on the positive connections under water was quite drastic.
Secondly, since there are two levels above the keel, the bilge and a higher level, I have installed another float switch at this higher point ,so that if the main one fails, the other will take over when the water reaches that higher level.
2. I am wanting to place the new solar panel voltage regulator higher than the original one was under the bunk. Still chewing it over as to exactly where!
Now that the engine is going well, I have addressed a couple of issues which result from a bad design in the wiring:-
1. Bilge Pump Wiring:I have taken the trouble to bring all connections to a higher level ( see top right hand corner of photo) so that if this happened again, it would be more likely to keep working, at least until the batteries gave out. The effect on the positive connections under water was quite drastic.
Secondly, since there are two levels above the keel, the bilge and a higher level, I have installed another float switch at this higher point ,so that if the main one fails, the other will take over when the water reaches that higher level.
2. I am wanting to place the new solar panel voltage regulator higher than the original one was under the bunk. Still chewing it over as to exactly where!
Avocet
Well-Known Member
Sorry to hear about your plight - lousy luck!
Still, if it cheers you up any, Avocet sank twice before we bought her and her original engine still runs fine - 15 years later!
The second "sinking" was similar to yours in that a previous owner craned her out of the cradle and on to the scrubbing posts to await the tide - without having checked that all the seacocks had some sort of hose attached to them AND were shut! The boat filled with water as yours did and the engine was immersed.
He dropped the engine oil BUT he also filled the engine with fresh water a couple of times -right to the top of the filler neck, and then dumped it. He then left a hosepipe in there for a while before draining it and filling with the cheapest supermarket oil he could find. He then fired it up and ran for just a few minutes before dropping the oil and repeating the process, (about half a dozen times, he said), running it a bit longer each time. I should point out that Avocet's engine doesn't have an oil filter and can be started by hand (the starter and alternator were scrap). He didn't touch any of the fuel system, working on the assumption that if it was full of diesel and could hold it there aginst pressures much higher than that of the incoming seawater.
In the 15-odd years since, I've had the engine semi-stripped on various occasionsand have never found any evidence of rust in there.
Everything else you've been told about electrical connections going green is, I'm afraid, true, but you'll be able to take the opportunity to improve loads of things that you'd always been meaning to get round to!
Also, worth taking the starter and alternator to an automotive electrician. My alternator was a weird one and beyond saving but the starter turned out to have been the same as those used on an old VW Beetle. He reconditionned it with bits he had lying around for £50 and it's been fine ever since.
Good luck!
Still, if it cheers you up any, Avocet sank twice before we bought her and her original engine still runs fine - 15 years later!
The second "sinking" was similar to yours in that a previous owner craned her out of the cradle and on to the scrubbing posts to await the tide - without having checked that all the seacocks had some sort of hose attached to them AND were shut! The boat filled with water as yours did and the engine was immersed.
He dropped the engine oil BUT he also filled the engine with fresh water a couple of times -right to the top of the filler neck, and then dumped it. He then left a hosepipe in there for a while before draining it and filling with the cheapest supermarket oil he could find. He then fired it up and ran for just a few minutes before dropping the oil and repeating the process, (about half a dozen times, he said), running it a bit longer each time. I should point out that Avocet's engine doesn't have an oil filter and can be started by hand (the starter and alternator were scrap). He didn't touch any of the fuel system, working on the assumption that if it was full of diesel and could hold it there aginst pressures much higher than that of the incoming seawater.
In the 15-odd years since, I've had the engine semi-stripped on various occasionsand have never found any evidence of rust in there.
Everything else you've been told about electrical connections going green is, I'm afraid, true, but you'll be able to take the opportunity to improve loads of things that you'd always been meaning to get round to!
Also, worth taking the starter and alternator to an automotive electrician. My alternator was a weird one and beyond saving but the starter turned out to have been the same as those used on an old VW Beetle. He reconditionned it with bits he had lying around for £50 and it's been fine ever since.
Good luck!
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