Winterise ......

[Refueler]

Last night had first snow ... so I finally convinced my self to get of bum and sort my two boats engines ...

Anisette with the Yanmar 2GM (raw water cooled) .... manual gives two ways ... simple - just drain block ... or serious - drain block, remove thermostat and fill with anti-freeze. Doesn't say anything about running engine etc.

I had also operated decompressors ... filled intake water filter bowl .... then turned engine by hand to suck the AF into the pump etc. before removing thermostat and filling block.

Took about 900mls'of AF to fill via thermostat housing ... - I checked it was going into block and not bypass by leaving block drain out at first ...

Onto Superanne with the Perkins 4-107 .... this has always run without thermostat on a raw water intake. My system for her had been close intake ... open up and remove filter .... stick in a funnel and pour AF in while engine running ...

Boats are out of water in the yard ... when I opened up intake .... I could see ground via the strainer ... so closed the valve (6mm key - handle had broken 2yrs ago !!) .... poured a bit of AF into the filter housing ... it flowed out ???? Looked under boat - valve was leaking.even though could see internal had turned and closed ...
This is not good ... as I often have to open this filter body while afloat to clean filter. I hoper that its just crud caught in the valve body as filter was clogged when I removed it.
Anyway - I know my Perkins suck water like a Fire Engine !! so I knew AF poured ion while engine running would be ok ... BUT someone had forgotten to plug in chargers when boat was moved and batts were barely able to turn engine - would not start.
OK ... emergency back-up battery to home for good charge ... boat bank on slow charge ... will go back few days later and finish the job ...

 

[Refueler]

One matter I have never done on my Perkins 4.107 - is remove cylinder block drain plugs ... I believe there are two ?

TBH - I don't know where they are ... I read that one is fwd of starter motor ... other is aft of injection pump .....

Can anyone upload a picture of them ? Detailed description of them ?

I tried filling block via the Thermostat - but it did not work - I assume block is full of water.

Workshop manual I have - 4.99 / 4.107 / 4.108 does not show any in engine views. But I see that another manual just for the 4.108 shows one right back near bellhousing ... which definitely is not same as on my 4.107.

 

[PCUK]

How about filling a five gallon drum with anti freeze and running the engine to pass it through?

 

[Refueler]

How about filling a five gallon drum with anti freeze and running the engine to pass it through?

mmmmm First post ?? engine not starting - so I consider doing similar to the Yanmar ... drain b lock and fill with AF via the thermostat housing.

If engine starts - I have no problem - it doesn't need 5 gallon ... 5 litres poured into intake filter body - which pump then picks up is enough. I usually put nearer 10litres just to be sure.

If anyone can detail where and what the block drains are ... I would be most grateful ...

In meantime - batterys charging - so engine start will be sorted.

 

[Daydream believer]

I run a lot of water fresh water through the raw water system for 15 mins. Then finish off with some antifreeze in the mix. I know I will not get all the water out so need AF. I also know that some salt water will be laying in the exhaust silencer. Do you have one. If so is it plastic or metal. I would suggest a metal one would benefit from flushing with fresh water then a drop of AF just before killing the engine. I suspect that no drain valve gets every drop of water out.
I use a tub & put the inlet hose in that & fill it from the ships fresh water tanks, so I empty those at the same time.

 

[Refueler]

I have no silencer .... its actually just exhaust hose that curves down from manifold and then straight along under cockpit sole and out transom ... nothing fancy ... manifold basically drains to that by itself - so only concern is the block and gearbox cooler ....

The 15mins as you use - I don't need as there is no thermostat in there ... she runs 'cold' - so very little salts deposited ..... 5 - 10lt flush is more than enough.

Will be back on board with charged battery later in week ... just hate humping batts around !!

Thinking about charging ... the two cheap Lidl Smart Chargers I put on Anisette - one each battery have proved themselves admirably ... unlike most smart chargers - if batt falls below xx volts - they kick in again ... as well as providing maintenance trickle. I will ber buying a couple more to replace my slower system on Superanne.

 

[Refueler]

No-one with a 4-107 ????? No-one want to say where drains are ??

Surprising considering how many 4 series engines out there ...

I have 2 reasons to ask about the drains ...

1. For own use and save the blowing AF all over the yard by filling block from thermostat housing....
2. For others with same engine and that they can benefit from such knowledge ...

The Yanmar was so easy to do .... with no environment issues .... if the 4.99 / 4.107 / 4.108 can be done similarly - why not ?

 

[Refueler]

Weather's been atrocious last days ... so Superanne has taken a bit of a back seat .....

Finally a lull tomorrow ... so on with charged battery ... canisters of Anti-freeze .... wad of plastic to stop it just dropping out the faulty seacock !!

Will have another go.

Of course will have to eventually try to remove and service ther seacock that's been there for nigh on 50yrs !! The worry is that trying to remove - may damage the hull fitting if any real force needed. I'm hoping that I can dismantle in-situ ..... but its not so easy to get at ... easy to operate lever / spanner to close / open ... but to dismantle ??

I have this filter assembly - with a ball valve .....

I'm hoping that I can use a pipe brush to maybe clean down through ... if its crud just stopping complete closure.

 

[Alicatt]

Did my tiny little engine (MD7A) on Wednesday, warmed it up and shut down, closed the seacock, undone the hose to the water pump and stuck it in a gallon container of anti freeze, started up the engine until it was coming out the exhaust let it run a little longer until it had sucked up most of the AF, shut down the engine and reconnect the hose to the seacock and let the AF flow back down the S-drive water intake until we could see it come out under the boat, shut seacock and let the engine run to suck up more of the AF from the can. shut down and that's it.
Boat is kept in fresh water, will be removing the battery tomorrow as it is forecast to -4c during the week.

 

[Refueler]

"Boat is kept in fresh water, will be removing the battery tomorrow as it is forecast to -4c during the week."

We drop to -20C and lower .... often hitting -28C ..... I only remove SLA's from my smaller boats ... the larger standard batterys as long as they are charged up are fine in such cold.

The problem for Lead Acids is when they are allowed to discharge and not charged up ... then in extreme - they can freeze .. swell and split the case ... I had it happen ... What a mess to clear up !!

 

[Alicatt]

"Boat is kept in fresh water, will be removing the battery tomorrow as it is forecast to -4c during the week."

We drop to -20C and lower .... often hitting -28C ..... I only remove SLA's from my smaller boats ... the larger standard batterys as long as they are charged up are fine in such cold.

The problem for Lead Acids is when they are allowed to discharge and not charged up ... then in extreme - they can freeze .. swell and split the case ... I had it happen ... What a mess to clear up !!

Mine is a smaller boat @ 7.5m
-28c is the lowest I have experienced here in Limburg which was in 2008, it is lower than what I have experienced in Scotland too.
The cold here has killed off a few batteries in my Range Rover, so I'm going on that experience, I did try and keep them as charged up but still the cold managed to reduce the capacity of the battery so much that even fully charged they struggled to start the engine

 

[Refueler]

Mine is a smaller boat @ 7.5m
-28c is the lowest I have experienced here in Limburg which was in 2008, it is lower than what I have experienced in Scotland too.
The cold here has killed off a few batteries in my Range Rover, so I'm going on that experience, I did try and keep them as charged up but still the cold managed to reduce the capacity of the battery so much that even fully charged they struggled to start the engine

Please don't mention Range Rover battery .... I have L322 4.4 TDV8 ... I dread day I have to change battery ... I swear some designers are in competition to find daftest ,ost awkward places to put gear ...

I have a couple of Lidl chargers in my 38 boat ... they have a winter maintenance setting that ups the cut off voltage a bit ... never seen that before ...

I'm aiming to get a couple more ...

 

[Refueler]

OK ... full charged battery ... connected up

Seacock ... was crud in the ball ... quick pipe brush passed up / down ... worked valve few times ... closes fully now.

Power on ... hit the button - away she went ... poured in the AF ... magic.

All done.

Winters coming on ...

Much as I am against this ... I blew the AF onto the yard ....

 

[Alicatt]

It's a 3.6 TDV8 Sport I have and the battery is in no better position, a good battery from a full charge would last just over 2 weeks if left unused with all the electrowhackery in the RRS.

 

[Refueler]

It's a 3.6 TDV8 Sport I have and the battery is in no better position, a good battery from a full charge would last just over 2 weeks if left unused with all the electrowhackery in the RRS.

The Discovery I had in UK - was fitted with a dual battery system ... an option they used to have ... don't think they offer that now.

 

[Refueler]

Winters closing in ... -9C this morning ... river starting to freeze over .... about 10cms snow out there ...

View from my balcony ....

Glad I finally got Superannes antifreeze sorted.

 

[Refueler]

Another thread talks about leaving electrical gear connected .... so thought I'd show the simple setup I have to keep my batterys over winter ... actually all year !! Just need to formalise mounting the units later in springtime ...

Two bargain chargers with smart charge / maintenance modes ... one for each battery ...



The boat has 3 batterys ... (all 90A/hr Lead Acid) ... two are banked for domestic 12v and the third is engine start.

Domestic and Engine have separate main switches - but it appears that the solar panel charges both sets ... must be a relay somewhere - yet to find !! The Solar controller is only a single outlet.

Unfortunately all wiring disappears behind panels and very hard to trace ...

 

[Refueler]

Just checked thermometer outside .. and forecast ...

Winter looks as though its coming to town ..... -8C ... and forecast to dip to the -20's for the next week or so ...

 

[Refueler]

Its good actually ... usually means blue skies .. dry and crisp clean air ...

 

[Alicatt]

Its good actually ... usually means blue skies .. dry and crisp clean air ...

Here it is more like a Glasgow pop group, Wet wet wet.
Next week the temps are supposed to go sub zero