Diesel Engines

Carrera

Just thought I'd ask how many folks on the forum know about diesel engines as I'm currently studying the diesel due to the fact my boat has one. Not just that but I'm studying boat electrics too.
I'm thinking about buying a used diesel from the scrap yard so I can take it to bits and mess about with it somewhat.

stevebaby

Save your money,there will be plenty of other things to spend it on,boat-wise.An engine from a scrapyard is probably there for a good reason.If you want to replace the engine(a difficult and expensive proposition,usually),look around for an old Gardner.Not really worth it unless you plan to keep the boat though.
Most problems with diesel engines result from dirty injectors caused by dirty fuel and fuel tanks,air leaks or electrical faults.They are usually easier to diagnose in a diesel than a petrol engine.
What sort of problems are you having? Cranks but won't start,won't crank at all,starts but misfires,starts but overheats?

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EoinC

SB is correct, Carrera. Better to spend your money on fixing your boat than buying an old diesel engine just to pull it down and have a look. What engine is in your tub? Has it ever been running since you got it? If it's been sitting there a long time without running, I advise you to change out the fuel and the fuel filter/s before going too far. The injectors and fuel pump will love you for it (if they are still in functioning condition).
Diesels are pretty simple to work on, but diagnosis comes first.

Dondare

He won't tell you.

Carrera

I believe the engine will start. Once this frost clears up I'll be buying a new battery and getting the engine ready. I'll probably need to get any condensation out of the diesel and change the filter. Plus, I'm still re-wiring the control panel but, as I say, the weather isn't so good at this time of year.
I've seen the engine whir but not fire up as there wasn't enough power in the old battery.
However, I'm applying the same philosophy to the boat as I do to my bike - you're better off being practical and able to do some DIY. So, I'm reading everything I can find on diesels as well as boat electrics.

Carrera

I wonder how much it will cost me to pull the boat out of the water and have the rubbing strips changed? Then I'll need to apply anti-fowl while I'm at it and have the fibre glass checked for something they call osmosis - that can lead to leaks.
I may need to spend quite a bit of money I suppose and am in no rush to do the project in a hurry. I'm just doing it bit by bit.

EoinC

Carrera, one thing at a time. Have you been in the water to check the rubbing strakes? No point in changing them if it's not required.
Traditional anti-foul is now illegal in many places due to its wonderful polluting qualities. As for anti-fowl, I've never bothered as I seldom see poultry swimming in any of the waters I inhabit.
Osmosis can wait unless there is an abundance of water appearing in the bilges. Get the tub mobile before you worry too much about turning her into the Queen Mary.

EoinC

As I said before, change the diesel and the fuel filter before you even try to start the engine. Don't drain the diesel out until you are ready to refill it, however - dry tanks are not good.

Carrera

The main snag I have at present is painting the damned control panel. I did this in a warm, dry place but now I have my doubts the original wood is hardy enough to resist damp and lead to paint cracking. Paint these days is crap - that's my opinion.
Really I should have replaced the wood entirely and used a special boat paint but the only thing I can try now is to coat the entire panel in plastic glass of some sort and hope that protects it from damp. It looks fine with all the instruments refitted and a clean painted surface but will it endure?
Any DIY experts on the forum I wonder?
P.S. yacht paint is out of the question. This wood is so soft, gloss just doesn't take well to the surface so I used a flat black instead.

EoinC

You're all over the place with this one, Carrera. One minute you're talking about pulling the tub out the water to replace the rubbing strakes (without saying whether there is anything wrong with them) and the next minute you're concerned about the paint on a panel. Are you sure that you've got your ducks in a row on the good ship Lollipop?
Focus on the big ticket items - Is it shipping a lot of water? Does the engine run? Is the steering up to snuff?
My tip - Get her up and running and sort all the small shite afterwards. Don't put a boat up on the hard unless you are pretty sure that you know all the work that you are going to have to do, and know that you are going to be able to complete it. A lot of boats come out of the water and don't go back in.

stevebaby

Yes,get the engine running-it will save on the towing fee for starters.
Marine paints are fine on a "bristol fashion" yacht but a waste of money on a canal boat.Without much knowledge of them,I believe they were originally work boats and house paint will be quite adequate.Modern paints are a huge improvement on the older paints.Problems with paint adhering on the control panel or anywhere else inside the boat due to wet timber would likely indicate a problem with condensation and ventilation,or a problem with rainwater leaks,the most common cause of rot in boats.
There is no such thing as a totally dry boat.They all leak e.g. the propshaft was probably designed to allow a certain amount of water through to lubricate it.
As Eoin has advised,get the engine running first,the rubbing strakes are largely cosmetic ( until you hit something) and can wait.In any case they can usually be replaced while the boat is in the water (unless they are on the waterline).
Does the boat have an all fibre-glass hull or is it fibreglass over plywood?

__________________
I'm Rooting for Chiara!
Drink!Feck!Arrse!Girls!
bastard

EoinC

G'day, SB. What sort of sailing do you do? I used to sail a lot down on the West and Northern coasts of Aussie (many years ago). A mate and I had a beeeeautiful carvel-planked cutter rig (same shape as a Roberts Spray) that we picked up for a song during a partickily nasty cyclone season up in Broome. Last time I saw it was in Darwin Harbour - it had the Worlds largest collection of barnacles growing off it. My mate apparently sold it off shortly after that. I've been having a casual hunt for it every now and then, but I know that SWMBO will have my nads if I manage to track it down and make an offer.
We also had a 5m Hydracat (like a scaled down Tornado - 16' long with a 27' mast, trapeze's and a plank-like jib) that we used in order to put ourselves in life-threatening circumstances. I managed to pitch-pole it into a wave off Koolan Island, putting it upside down in the process. It took me and another bloke (ex-WA dinghy Champ of some sort) 2 hrs to get her back on her feet, all the time floating around in Tiger Shark territory with him bleeding like a stuck pig. Even though we were surrounded by reef, that 27' stick never touched bottom - good karma, I guess.
I've got an old pram-bow Moth hanging up in my workshop down in Perth. The ply is cactus (it spent several years sitting out in a backyard before I got it), but it's still all together, the stick & Main are in good shape and I got it for a carton (Is it a slab on Craggy Island?). When I eventually get back to Aussie, I plan on using the form to re-ply her and get the kids in the water (at least that's the excuse I use with SWMBO).

FredC

Look, the mans an idiot. What's wrong with a portable petrol DC generator to fire up the DC starter for the VW engine to get turnover. Most of farming pals do that sort of thing.

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EoinC

Aaah, but they don't have matt black control panels, do they? I don't know how the rest of us nautical noddies have survived so long without having matt black control panels.