Official 390 E.C. Thread

electricaldoctor said:
Can somebody point me in the right direction for aftermarket exhaust screens for my boat? I am concerned about muskrats sinking my boat.
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...so. I've learned today...I didn't know what a muskrat is and that it could sink your boat :wow:

Ken, what about just adding a wire net on your exhaust holes???
 
So, great season this year! I’m using the boat a lot and it’s not finished yet.

Two problems though.

The starb. Engine is using more fuel than the starb. one, some 16%! I think I need to have the fuel pump serviced. I can add that the prop-scan transformed my boat! No more vibrations, quicker acceleration, a little more speed and some fuel saving (on the port. engine)

I had to replace my old Onan as I found it filled with water! Moreover it was not working properly as the voltage was going up and down continuously and the main breaker was tripping quite often.

Service for Onan is not very good in my region and I was really tired of the malfunctioning of my generator. It really never worked fine!
So I took the plunge and fitted a new Koheler 9kW. 7,500€ plus VAT (21% :smt013)

It’s fantastic! Yanmar engine, 1600 rpm, automatic start up. I also added a Centek water/fumes separator that really made it superquiet. I can only feel it vibrating a little under my feet and now I can leave it on for hours!

koheler.jpg


 
Pietro said:
So, great season this year! I’m using the boat a lot and it’s not finished yet.

Two problems though.

The starb. Engine is using more fuel than the starb. one, some 16%! I think I need to have the fuel pump serviced. I can add that the prop-scan transformed my boat! No more vibrations, quicker acceleration, a little more speed and some fuel saving (on the port. engine)
Click to expand...

I am having the same problem with my starboard engine. I was thinking the carb is prolly the problem. Its really hard to start when I first get to the boat so I figure that the floats or the jets must be jacked up. I was gonna pull it at the end of the season and have it rebuilt. Let us know what you figure out.

This is problematic cause I always try and keep more fuel in that side for the generator. This breeds a question. I know we can switch fuel tanks for the motors, can we do the same with the genny?

Pietro that new genny sure is pretty.
 
wilytemptress said:
. This breeds a question. I know we can switch fuel tanks for the motors, can we do the same with the genny?
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Not on my 390! I'm using it a lot now and I think the fact it's sucking only from the starb. tank is just crazy!

I would like to add a switch or a separate tank.... any idea????
 
Pietro said:
...so. I've learned today...I didn't know what a muskrat is and that it could sink your boat :wow:

Ken, what about just adding a wire net on your exhaust holes???
Click to expand...

They can crawl up into your exhaust pipe and chew a hole through it. No amount of bilge pumps will be able to keep up with that volume of water.

I think that there is a company out there that sells these screens. Mine are not round. They are oval shaped & I was just wondering if anyone out there has installed them on their 390.
 
The exhaust pipe is not oval. It appears to be because it exits at an angle. The pipe is round and I believe is 5" OD with about a 1/4" thick wall leaving about a 4 1/2" ID. Maybe being creative with some chicken wire (or similar) and snips you can make your own and insert them with a friction fit.
 
Interesting information about the muskrats. I will have to look into that mod! To my initial question on stopping my packing from steadily leaking into the boat, I was unsuccessful. I tried a large pair of channel locks, and a pipe wrench. Seems like an odd design and can't quite grip it with anything. I noticed that some of the metal seems mis-shaped like it has been beaten on with a hammer, but I'm not comfortable doing that until I ask here first. Any other suggestion on getting those "nuts" to move? Is there a special tool or wrench that is made for that? Otherwise I will call up a professional as the water is starting to slime my once spotless bilge.

On a brighter note, I have some good video of a friend surfing the wake behind the boat! This weekend I'm going to get two surfboards and try to get one person on each side. They said they have more fun there since it's never ending wave. Anybody have any good water toys to keep an eye on? I'm sure end of season sales will be going on soon.

Thank you,
Bill R
 
I'll post it today....Due to it's size I need to edit it quickly then bring it to work to upload it. I don't want to burn all that data on my phone plan.
 
okay, lets see if it works. It takes a minute for him to throw the rope in as I have to get the wake just right. I think around 1:30 he is surfing the wake without being towed. Nothing too exciting, but it's neat to drive down the channel with a surfer. This weekend I'm going to get a person surfing each side of the wake. Then if I have enough boards and we're skilled enough, maybe shoot for 2 people a side or 4 total. That would be something to see!

http://s1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg576/brinaldo12/?action=view&current=IMG_0156.mp4

 
I want to change my oil this w/e, but I forgot the numbers for the oil & fuel water seperator filters on the boat. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I think that I used Fram filters the last time.
 
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electricaldoctor said:
I want to change my oil this w/e, but I forgot the numbers for the oil & fuel water seperator filters on the boat. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I think that I used Fram filters the last time.
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DON'T USE FRAM'S!!!!!!!!!!!!They are junk. I use Purolator pl34631's on the mains.

I don't know what the water separators are. I think they're all the same (Sierra/Merc).
 
390x said:
DON'T USE FRAM'S!!!!!!!!!!!!They are junk. I use Purolator pl34631's on the mains.

I don't know what the water separators are. I think they're all the same (Sierra/Merc).
Click to expand...

You should be using a marine oil filter, not an automotive type. The marine engines run at higher rpms than an automotive engine and therefore, automotive filters have a bypass in them to prevent over pressurization at high rpms. If an automotive filter is used, it is conceivable that you are not filtering your oil when you run for long periods of time.

This was explained to me this year by a very reputable marine mechanic.
 
Getaway said:
You should be using a marine oil filter, not an automotive type. The marine engines run at higher rpms than an automotive engine and therefore, automotive filters have a bypass in them to prevent over pressurization at high rpms. If an automotive filter is used, it is conceivable that you are not filtering your oil when you run for long periods of time.

This was explained to me this year by a very reputable marine mechanic.
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Um, that's a load. Since my truck runs at the same pressure (more or less) as my mercs, I'm confident in saying that's untrue. It's also my understanding that Purolators for GM applications don't even have a bypass in them. However, even if they do, Purolators have a pretty high bypass setting (over 12 PSI) before they open, so it's doubtful it would ever be an issue anyway.
 
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This is right from him. He is a very valued and reputable marine mechanic:

"WIX marine filters have a stronger spring to keep the filter working
instead of opening to a by pass mode that higher rpms bring."

I've run automotive style filters in my boat motors for years without issues, however, I changed my ways after talking to him.
 
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