See full version: Water Problems in Boat Fuel: Sponsored By Sea Tow
At the minimum, follow your engine manufacturer’s recommendations. I typically put between 50 and 150 hours per year on my boat, and I change my filter every spring before starting my engine for the first time. And I always keep a spare filter on board in case the worse happens and I need to change out offshore. [links]
But be advised—your fuel tank is only one in a series of tanks that bring fuel to your engine. There are also large-scale distributors, delivery trucks, and marina fuel stations, all of which use tanks that are subject to condensation, and you may face a cumulative collection of water from all those links in the supply chain. here
This Moeller Clear-Site water separator and filter allows you to see any water settled into the bottom of the clear plastic fuel bowl, and has a large opening valve to drain the water out. However, depending on the boat and fuel system arrangement, such filters may not be compliant with USCG or ABYC standards. here
Condensation can be another source of water in your tank, a situation made worse by ethanol added to marine fuel. more
As far as diesels go, the same basic rules apply but one additional detail should be mentioned. Filters are rated to stop particles of a certain size, typically measured in microns. One micron is equivalent to .00004”. If the diesel engine manufacturer says to use a 10-micron filter stick to that specification. Some people have thought that if 10 is good, a 5-micron element might be better. No! It is actually possible to create a situation where the filter is too fine and will restrict fuel flow, causing a fuel starvation condition with your engine.
IMPORTANT: The engine must not be operating at any point during the draining procedure .
IMPORTANT: Mercury MerCruiser requires that propylene glycol antifreeze, mixed to the manufacturer’s instructions, be used i n
the seawater section of the cooling system for freezing temperatures or extended storage. Make sure that the propylene glyco l
antifreeze contains a rust inhibitor and is recommended for use in marine engines. Be certain to follow the propylene glyco l
manufacturer’s recommendations .
here
Boat out of the Water
Between the years of 1998 and 2001 Mercruiser decided to target the market regarding marine engine draining with specific focus towards making this step easier for the consumer. The thought behind this was that making the process of draining the engine more simplistic had the possibility of lengthening the boating season in areas such as the Midwest where cold weather normally precedes the actual winter months by several weeks if not months. This decision was a delicate balance for Mercruiser due to the fact that a large portion of their dealer network is located in areas that cannot boat year round and therefore these dealers look to the winterization process as a revenue stream leading into the slow winter months when their service departments really slow down. The other major concern was that by introducing a drain system opened the possibility to freeze damage being pointed back at Mercruiser. With the current process of manually removing plugs the customer is ultimately responsible to verify that the coolant drains once the plugs or hose is removed. However with a drain system means any given drain line could plug individually and therefore the customer would not be able to determine if a specific individual component had drained properly.
Drain System Identification here
Your power package is equipped with a drain system. Refer to Drain System Identification to determine which instructions appl y
to your power package . here
Lift the water shutter and water shutter retainer from the top of the exhaust elbow. Remove the exhaust elbow O-ring from the exhaust elbow and replace it with a new O-ring.
Install the exhaust elbow onto the upper exhaust pipe assembly. Tighten the Torx screws securely. here
It clatters like a damaged valve shaft when your Mercruiser engine idles, and it makes you hope it's nothing serious. While it doesn't seem as immediately damaging to your engine's health as a seriously bent valve, the water shutter keeps water from backing up the exhaust system and into the engine's cylinders while the engine is running. That clatter means that soon, you'll have to replace the noisy water shutter or face the unpleasant reality of cold water intrusion into a hot engine cylinder.
Snap the water shutter out of the water shutter retainer. Snap a new water shutter into place.
Remove the three Torx screws from the tabs at the bottom of the upper exhaust pipe assembly, using a Torx driver. Pocket the screws and lock washers for reassembly. The exhaust elbow will pull away from the upper pipe assembly, exposing the water shutter.
Consequently, you can see that oil and water appear to be mixing. Take a closer look at the lower right. This may be the why as to how water is getting in the engine. Secondly, notice that there appears to be washing of the piston domes and related cylinder walls in most cylinders. Now the question becomes, what should I do?
So about a day later and a bunch of pain relievers and heat to help with whatever I have done to my back. I’m half back in commission. We are going to take a look at what we see! So there is a multitude of things on this side of the engine. Firstly, it looks like there is some sort of head gasket failure between cylinders five and seven. Lots of oil there and at the rear towards the lifter valley. here
This manifold weighs half as much as I do? With the Port Exhaust manifold removed, I will proceed to remove the bolts that attach the front lift bracket to the head. In all, there are two bolts that I had to take out. This is the bracket that holds the power steering pump, seawater pump, serpentine belt tensioner, and block drain valve. There was all sort of things out of place on this lifting as the bracket. It looks bent, and half the bolts and nuts are either wrong or missing. Can you say lack of caring and attention to detail? Lastly, I remove the wiring connections on the back bracket that are for the distributor and ignition coil.
Posted By rhanumaiah on March 2, 2021
Cylinder seven and five close up
Rocker Arms, Push Rods and related nuts and bolts more