Lessons from the short bus riders........
Posted: Aug 27th, '07, 19:56
Don't run your turbo with no air inlet screen or filter and don't flush the freshwater side of the cooling system with muriatic acid.
Two 30 something brothers are customers of mine.
One has a 37 Sea Vee with a 420 Yanmar.
The other has a commercial fishing boat with a 550hp Yanmar.
In the last 5 months the owner of the Sea Vee has spent about 13k fixing the engine from neglect and abuse.
While I was away in NY, they somehow broke the air inlet filter housing.
Hey we don't need one despite the many plastic ice bags dumped in the bilge. Load up boat and head to Bahamas.
17 miles out one bag found its way into the turbo inlet and melted and locked the turbo up. Not a big deal although the turbo had less than 50 hours on it since being replaced due to a cracked housing.
Quick we need to get back to the marina, jump in the brothers fishing trawler and go back to the Bahamas to chase fish.
Puffing I'm sure big black belows of smoke due to the lack of air, carbon built up in the cylinders and hung up some exhaust valves. This lead to, drum roll please....
Valve indegestion of said engine.
The engine is knocking more than a Pit Bulls knees at the sound of, " Hey we just found you a good home with Michael Vick".
Scratch one 35k engine.
Second brother with the fishing boat just purchased a few months back with 16,000 hours on it had an over heating problem.
Rather than consult a real mechanic, he decided to let his fishing buddy help him out.
They removed every cooler, turbo, injecters, coolant tank and the such to have cleaned and rebuilt cause that's where the problem was according to the friend.
Well after about 6 grand I'm guessing, the problem was still there.
Owner now decides to walk the 30 yards up to my shop and discuss the problem as he is now out of money and the over heat is still there.
After asking a few simple questions I ask has he been running water or antifreeze mix.
Previous owner and he have been running pure tap water for who knows how long.
I suggest a good descaling as I think that's where the problem is.
At this time he says they already flushed the freshwater side with muriatic acid. I ask if by some chance they are loosing coolant. He says how do you know that?
I said let me still descale and replace pressure cap. If its doesn't fix it, he doesn't have to pay.
I descaled, replaced cap and the over heating is all but fixed except running a little warm at full throttle.
He was annoyed at the ease of which I fixed it after all the money he spent to which I replied, you havn't even begun to spend money yet.
Looking perplexed I informed him that in all likley hood, the muriatic acid ate thru one or both head gaskets and you are burning it.
With the new cap and the system building pressure now, he's leaking more coolant out and looking at major work.
He will just keep adding antifreeze until he has the money to fix it.
I see a new 50k engine in his future.
Good thing dad own's some resturants and strip clubs.
Two 30 something brothers are customers of mine.
One has a 37 Sea Vee with a 420 Yanmar.
The other has a commercial fishing boat with a 550hp Yanmar.
In the last 5 months the owner of the Sea Vee has spent about 13k fixing the engine from neglect and abuse.
While I was away in NY, they somehow broke the air inlet filter housing.
Hey we don't need one despite the many plastic ice bags dumped in the bilge. Load up boat and head to Bahamas.
17 miles out one bag found its way into the turbo inlet and melted and locked the turbo up. Not a big deal although the turbo had less than 50 hours on it since being replaced due to a cracked housing.
Quick we need to get back to the marina, jump in the brothers fishing trawler and go back to the Bahamas to chase fish.
Puffing I'm sure big black belows of smoke due to the lack of air, carbon built up in the cylinders and hung up some exhaust valves. This lead to, drum roll please....
Valve indegestion of said engine.
The engine is knocking more than a Pit Bulls knees at the sound of, " Hey we just found you a good home with Michael Vick".
Scratch one 35k engine.
Second brother with the fishing boat just purchased a few months back with 16,000 hours on it had an over heating problem.
Rather than consult a real mechanic, he decided to let his fishing buddy help him out.
They removed every cooler, turbo, injecters, coolant tank and the such to have cleaned and rebuilt cause that's where the problem was according to the friend.
Well after about 6 grand I'm guessing, the problem was still there.
Owner now decides to walk the 30 yards up to my shop and discuss the problem as he is now out of money and the over heat is still there.
After asking a few simple questions I ask has he been running water or antifreeze mix.
Previous owner and he have been running pure tap water for who knows how long.
I suggest a good descaling as I think that's where the problem is.
At this time he says they already flushed the freshwater side with muriatic acid. I ask if by some chance they are loosing coolant. He says how do you know that?
I said let me still descale and replace pressure cap. If its doesn't fix it, he doesn't have to pay.
I descaled, replaced cap and the over heating is all but fixed except running a little warm at full throttle.
He was annoyed at the ease of which I fixed it after all the money he spent to which I replied, you havn't even begun to spend money yet.
Looking perplexed I informed him that in all likley hood, the muriatic acid ate thru one or both head gaskets and you are burning it.
With the new cap and the system building pressure now, he's leaking more coolant out and looking at major work.
He will just keep adding antifreeze until he has the money to fix it.
I see a new 50k engine in his future.
Good thing dad own's some resturants and strip clubs.
