Diagnostic Confirmation

[SteveLyle]

Did I tell you that we closed on #75?  It's all mine now.  Current name is "Abracadabra", but we'll probably change it.  I've already found the Interdenominational Name Changing Ceremony.

Anyway, today was winterizing.  

First the engine.  I used the oil changing technique of removing the plug at the bottom-front of the oil pan, catching the oil in a cup, plugging the hole with my finger while I emptied the cup.  I'll remember rubber gloves next time.  Then I took the raw water hose off the thru-hull, put it in a bucket of antifreeze, and started the engine up.  The engine spit a bit of coolant (maybe a quart?) out the exhaust, then nothing.  I ran it for a few minutes thinking maybe there was a thermostat involved that I hadn't heard about, but shut the engine down when it got to 180 deg.  I figure the raw water pump impeller must have failed on me just when the engine started.  Let me know if your dianosis differs.

On to the head.  A Groco HE.  Put the raw water line in the same bucket, pumped the head with the lever up and the lever down.  No difference, both positions it pumps from the bowl to the holding tank - it never draws water in.  Pump rebuild?

Steve

[Ted Pounds]

Steve,

It may be your impeller, maybe not.  Remove the cover plate on the front of the raw water pump.  It's easy to find on the front of the engine.  There should be 4 screws holding it on.  The rubber impeller is right inside.  If it's intact with all vanes then that's  not the problem.  Plan on replacing it anyway.  I change mine every year in the spring.  It's cheap insurance.  I get my impellers special order through BoatUS.  If it's not the impeller then there may be a clog somewhere else.  My pencil zinc in the heat exchanger came loose once and stopped the flow.  I think you said yours is a freshwater boat so salt deposits shouldn't be an issue.  You'll just have to follow the plumbing of the system to troubleshoot it.

Sounds like either a clog in the head inlet also or the valve at the top of the cylinder is malfunctioning.  The pump that empties the bowl is the same one that draws in the water, just different sides of the piston.  BoatUS and West marine both carry Groco parts.  I think the BoatUS catalog has a diagram in it too, if you don't have the manual.  To winterize mine I always just pour the antifreeze right in the bowl and pump it through.  The inlet line just drains out the open thru-hull.  Make sure you leave all your thru-hulls open after the boat is hauled.

[SteveLyle]

I did join the association.  I've printed out all the Tech Notes and read them all.  The oil change method I used was the one recommended/published by Herb Schneider in the Feb. 1990 Tech Notes column.  Didn't lose a drop of oil from the filter - poked a hole in the upper/outer edge, rotated it down, drained it into a cup, and it came off with no leakage.

I saw your post, but don't think it applies to my situation because I didn't change the coolant.

[SteveLyle]

The 'no exhaust water' problem was the impeller.  Took the cover off and several blades were torn, and the impeller core was totally separated from the blades.  Bought 2 impellers, installed one of 'em and it sucked coolant like a champ.

I had the Universal 'A' spares kit.  It comes with an Oberdorfer impeller.  Of course, I've got the Sherwood.  First one to ask gets the Oberdorfer.

The Head problem was solved withh the rebuild kit.  Opened up the pump and one of the flapper valves was torn off.  

I ordered the redesigned alternator bracket, and started installing it today.  Didn't get it done because the fan on my Powerline alternator interferes (barely) with the bracket.  Anybody else experience this?  Do I just go to an alternator shop and have a slightly smaller fan put on it?  The kit comes with 2 belts, one slightly shorter than the other.  Does it make any difference which one I use?  I'm thinking the shorter one, just to keep the alternator a bit farther from the port bulkhead.

It's like this boat is frozen in time - it didn't have the revised bracket, the revised wiring harness, or a through-bolted traveler.  It'll have all of that by Spring.

It also looks like the engine-mounted fuel filter has never been changed - it's painted the same color as the engine block.  That goes on the list too.  The list list is getting longer, not shorter.

Steve