Rocklobster
New Member
I have a 97 330 Sundancer with a built in 4.5KW Westerbeke Genny.
When I went to change the plugs during my winterizing process, I found that there was salt water in the cylinders. Arg! After the advice of a local mechanic, I removed the hose coming off the exhaust riser. The whole muffler and hose was filled with water! I later learned that if a genny doesn't start IMMEDIATELY, it will build up the cooling salt water into the muffler system and then flood the engine with salt water. The design on the 330 relies on the Genny's exhaust pressure to blow the water out of the muffler system after it's running.
It ended up being a big mess. After 4 oil changes and a rebuilt carb, I think I have it back on track.
I can tell you that the coolant pump dumps the water into the exhaust very quickly. If it doesn't start quickly, you should turn off the salt water supply temporarily until you get it started.
There strange thing is that my genny always started quickly so I'm not totally sure why it filled with water. One other possible design flaw in the setup is that the exhaust hose coming out of the muffler rises vertically for about 2.5 feet before going down the the exit fitting. When you stop the genny, some water does fall back and fill up the muffler, thus getting you closer to that situation where it fills up to flood the engine.
Overall, It seems like a terrible design. A cutoff float switch or something would have saved me a lot of work.
I was never aware of this situation and hear it's a common problem. Thought I'd share it with everyone.
......Joe
When I went to change the plugs during my winterizing process, I found that there was salt water in the cylinders. Arg! After the advice of a local mechanic, I removed the hose coming off the exhaust riser. The whole muffler and hose was filled with water! I later learned that if a genny doesn't start IMMEDIATELY, it will build up the cooling salt water into the muffler system and then flood the engine with salt water. The design on the 330 relies on the Genny's exhaust pressure to blow the water out of the muffler system after it's running.
It ended up being a big mess. After 4 oil changes and a rebuilt carb, I think I have it back on track.
I can tell you that the coolant pump dumps the water into the exhaust very quickly. If it doesn't start quickly, you should turn off the salt water supply temporarily until you get it started.
There strange thing is that my genny always started quickly so I'm not totally sure why it filled with water. One other possible design flaw in the setup is that the exhaust hose coming out of the muffler rises vertically for about 2.5 feet before going down the the exit fitting. When you stop the genny, some water does fall back and fill up the muffler, thus getting you closer to that situation where it fills up to flood the engine.
Overall, It seems like a terrible design. A cutoff float switch or something would have saved me a lot of work.
I was never aware of this situation and hear it's a common problem. Thought I'd share it with everyone.
......Joe
