How long is it safe to leave an engine unused and unattended

[cherod]

This to me is the madness of the current situation. You are allowed to pay someone to go to your boat to work on it or check it, but you can’t go yourself.

I’m self employed and not a complete boat novice. I’ve no work so what’s to stop me from setting up as a boat services company and paying myself to work on my boat, all whilst adhering to social distancing guidelines. I bet I live closer to the yard than any of the tradespeople too!

that was my thot, does not make sense ,, nor does having someone on the marina start it a and leave it running for an hour , suppose a hose has burst ? etc .

 

[Refueler]

If the engine was 'winterised' and has not been used since - getting a yard guy to start it ... run it etc. - destroys all that good work done winterising ...

I don't often agree with P Rainbow ... but on this I do ...

Don't waste your money .....

 

[ghostlymoron]

If you search YouTube for "starting old engine" you'll find lots of examples of dragging an old tractor/bulldozer/excavator out of a shed or forest and getting it running. Mostly it's just a matter of changing the oil (if there is any) clean fuel and churning it over with a good battery. Diesel engines don't need much - just fuel, air and compression.

 

[lw395]

If you search YouTube for "starting old engine" you'll find lots of examples of dragging an old tractor/bulldozer/excavator out of a shed or forest and getting it running. Mostly it's just a matter of changing the oil (if there is any) clean fuel and churning it over with a good battery. Diesel engines don't need much - just fuel, air and compression.

The ones which don't start don't make great videos.

 

[Refueler]

The ones which don't start don't make great videos.

Actually they can make some real interesting ones though !!

Older Belarus and Soviet Tractors - even though they were large engines - had small gasoline starter engines ..... idea being that in hard winter - the gasoline engine would always start ... then kick in to spin the big diesel lump over ... brilliant idea - BUT !!

Original versions had rope pull start to the gasoline engine ... and they could be a real pig !! (Later conversions were available which fitted small 12v starter motors - which mine had).