rondds
Well-Known Member
- Oct 3, 2006
- 8,859
- Boat Info
- 2001 380DA
- Engines
- Merc 8.1s (2008)...Hurth ZF 63 V-drives...WB 7.0 BCGD (2013), Garmin 8208 & 740 MFDs, GMR 24xHD dome
FINALLY got out of the slip today. after idling out to the river, i hit it to get up on plane. i have an obsessive habit (but a good one) of keeping an eye on all my gauges. after maybe 45 seconds of running at 3200 rpm, i watched the temp on the port engine FLY up the ladder. it was the pace that was alarming, rather than the temp. when it flew past 180, i throttled back to idle speed but it didnt come back down. just then i noticed the bilge pump light on. a second later my wife reported that there was an awful lot of smoke coming from the exhaust. so i quickly shut down the port engine and thought for a minute.... growth in the intake (boat hadnt run in 3 weeks)???? coolant overflow???? busted hose???? only way to find out is to pull the hatches and take a look. the river was quiet so i just drifted and told my wife to keep a lookout while my 10yo daughter (the drama queen) cried (she told me later she thought we were going to blow up - because of the smoke).
everything under the hatches was WET and there was a ton of water in the bilge compartment just beneath the engine. the water was clear (not coolant) and the overflow looked just where i left it. so i know it's seawater and i start looking around, a bit confused and disoriented. then i said to myself, start at the strainer and follow the path. when i got to the oil cooler, i noticed the hose was OFF the output side. i told the girls what had happened and reassured them everything was OK. luckily i had a hoseclamp in my toolbox - a bit smaller but it did the trick. i found the old one, broken, but hanging on the oil cooler. went back up top and started the engine without a hitch and looked over the side for flow. once i was sure there was water coming out, i ran down to check HOW MUCH flow (damaged impeller, etc). i had the wife keep her finger on the ignition for a quick shut down if i yelled for it. but all was well. i idled for a minute or two, watched the temp come back down to normal and we continued to the end of the river and back at about 3200rpm. initially i let the boat drag a bit to get the bow up and the water to run aft to the rear pump, so i was able to get most of it out. and all went well for the rest of the 20 minute ride. when i got back to the dock, i used fresh water to sponge off the engine (there were a few dried salty spots).
so, what's the moral(s) of the story?
1. do a shakedown
2. stock a supply of hose clamps as spares (and belts, filters, spark plugs, duct tape, etc, etc etc.
3. watch your gauges!!!
everything under the hatches was WET and there was a ton of water in the bilge compartment just beneath the engine. the water was clear (not coolant) and the overflow looked just where i left it. so i know it's seawater and i start looking around, a bit confused and disoriented. then i said to myself, start at the strainer and follow the path. when i got to the oil cooler, i noticed the hose was OFF the output side. i told the girls what had happened and reassured them everything was OK. luckily i had a hoseclamp in my toolbox - a bit smaller but it did the trick. i found the old one, broken, but hanging on the oil cooler. went back up top and started the engine without a hitch and looked over the side for flow. once i was sure there was water coming out, i ran down to check HOW MUCH flow (damaged impeller, etc). i had the wife keep her finger on the ignition for a quick shut down if i yelled for it. but all was well. i idled for a minute or two, watched the temp come back down to normal and we continued to the end of the river and back at about 3200rpm. initially i let the boat drag a bit to get the bow up and the water to run aft to the rear pump, so i was able to get most of it out. and all went well for the rest of the 20 minute ride. when i got back to the dock, i used fresh water to sponge off the engine (there were a few dried salty spots).
so, what's the moral(s) of the story?
1. do a shakedown
2. stock a supply of hose clamps as spares (and belts, filters, spark plugs, duct tape, etc, etc etc.
3. watch your gauges!!!