a bad start to the season, but not as bad as it could be...

[jim rosenthal]

On the first trip of the season, to move Blue Note to her usual slip, my friend checked the engine room twice. The first time, everything was fine. The second time, he came flying up the bridge ladder, saying there was water all over the place in the port side.

We nursed the boat to her slip at idle speed, after we dewatered the engine room sump with the bilge pumps, and later determined that an aftercooler hose had blown off drenching the back of the engine in seawater, which was then inhaled by the turbocharger. Engines don't like breathing water any more than people do.

T&S Marine came to the boat a week or so later, after we determined that the port engine would run, but not throttle up, and that one cylinder wasn't firing.

Cylinder head was removed, showing all the pistons and cylinders intact, but a bent pushrod, broken rocker pedestal, a bent head bolt, and a bent intake valve. The head was looked at by their machine shop, the bent valve replaced, and the engine reassembled with a new rocker pedestal, pushrod, head bolt, torqued and timed, oil and filter changed, and on sea trial yesterday, she seems fine. I am doing a second oil change this week. So far, the port engine seems to be okay, knock wood. I keep telling myself that it could have been worse. We have not had to haul the boat and take the engine out, and I hope it stays that way. I plan to do one more oil change in a week or two. While we didn't see any obvious water in the oil, I'm sure some got in there, so a combination of getting the engine up to temp and several oil changes are the best I can think of to get the water out, whatever's there. .

 

[SEVEN]

So sorry Jim.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Thanks. It's been a rough start to the season.

 

[jap201]

Sorry to hear Jim. Hope the rest of the season gets better.

 

[rsmith]

What’s the salinity levels that far up the bay?

 

[jim rosenthal]

They define it as brackish, which I think is a range rather than a figure. You can certainly taste it; I don't make a habit of swimming in the Bay, but you can definitely tell.

I'm going to pump out the oil tomorrow or Saturday, and refill with new. Then there'll be one more change with the synthetic I usually useI also have to replace the serpentine belt on the other engine- they did the port while servicing it, but I still have to do the stbd. Never ends.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Glad it wasn't worse.

I had a similar incident today but on a much smaller scale. I almost blew up the little diesel in my lawn mower. I felt my back was hot (radiator just behind the seat on this zero-turn). Then I looked down at the temp gauge and it was in the red. I shut it down immediately, cleaned the radiator filter which was covered in pollen, and fired it back up. All is well and it runs at normal temps now but had I not caught it when I did, I would have toasted it for sure.

 

[rsmith]

Was it a hose that was off for winterizing. I was always worried I had everything buttoned back up for recommissioning in the spring.