Messages

Thanks again guys!
Mike....

Thanks Ron, I'll give that a try.
Mike...

Hi all,
The flexible metal jacket on the head faucet has separated from the base of the faucet and slid down the hose a little. Does anyone know how to re-attach it to the base? I've tried screwing it in and pushing it in, but that doesn't seem to work. Thanks
Mike....

Thanks Ron, I'll give that a try.
Mike....

Hi all,
Has anyone found a way to remove dried on Sikkens Cetol from nod-skid around teak grab rails on deck? Tried acetone, paint thinner, scraping, Orange stripper, with no real success.
Any suggestions? Thanks!
Mike.....

For anyone who has replaced the teak handrails withe stainless, do you have photos, project info, sourcing info, .......?
Thanks,
Mike....

The older I get, the harder it is to raise the main. I looked into installing an electric winch, but found the cost was more than I wanted to spend, so I purchased a WinchRite battery powered winch handle. It works quite well, and has the added advantage of being able to use in on the other winches if necessary.
I did have the battery die 3 months after the warranty expired. It has to be replaced by the manufacturer, so I sent it in. They agreed to replace the battery free of charge anyway.
This might be an alternative to consider. Good luck!
Mike.....

Hi guys,
Thanks so much for all of the suggestions and ideas, I really appreciate all of the help you provide. Sorry it's taken me a while to follow up.

It appears that the thru hull got plugged after leaving my slip. I always verify that water is flowing after starting the engine. I ended up blowing out the inlet line and something finally broke loose. After that, I was able to get the old pump to pump water. It was still dripping, so I put on the spare pump and it worked fine. I've taken the boat out a few times and just motored around for hours. (No wind anyway) So far so good. I will either rebuild the old pump or have it rebuilt to keep as a spare.

The only real difference that I can see between the 2 pumps is the cover plate gasket. The replacement pump has an o-ring and the original pump had a paper gasket. The inlet and outlet elbows fit both pumps.

Thanks again for all of the help!!
Mike......

Sorry about the gasket and o-ring confusion. The strainer I mentioned has an o-ring.

The pump currently on the engine uses a paper gasket. The spare pump has a groove for an o-ring on the pump. The cover plate goes over the o-ring. That appears to be the only difference between the 2 pumps. The spare pump has a small metal plate attached over the cover plate with one of the 4 cover plate screws. It says Oberdorfer and has N202M 15 stamped into the plate. The cover plate itself has Oberdorfer Pumps 6597 stamped into it. The 2 pumps have identical mounting bases and hole configurations.

As far as the pump mounting gasket goes, I wanted to be sure to have a new one on hand in case I needed it when mounting the spare.

I really appreciate all of the support from everyone. Probably can't get back to the boat for a day or 2. I'll further investigate/test a few things, based on all of your comments, prior to swapping the spare pump. Still hoping the spare is a good pump. It was on the boat when I bought it. Looks like it may have been rebuilt. We'll see. Thanks again!
Mike......

Hi Ken,
Haven't been able to locate the Kubota gasket nearby, but have a few on order. The places I called said the gasket was for an hour meter. Does that sound right? The pump is N202M15 and my engine is an XP.

I did not actually see the impeller turning, I was going by the fact that the flat on the shaft was in a different position each time I removed the cover. Maybe I'l turn the engine over with the cover off briefly to actually see it turning. If it is, I'll try the water in the bucket again with a shorter hose. I was going from a tee off the hose after the thru hull and strainer. Thanks again!
Mike....

Hi Ken,
Just saw your reply. Thanks. Tried all of those things, then tried a second new impeller. The first new one from today was Oberdorfer, This one is from StayCoolPumps.com.
Still would not pump. This time the pump has water leaking from the opening on the bottom of the pump near the back. I'm guessing that's a good indication of a bad pump. I may have missed the water dripping before I put in the second new impeller.

I have a spare used pump from a previous owner, that appears to be rebuilt with new impeller inside. I don't have a gasket for mounting it to the engine, I'll have to locate one and give it a try. Will also have to transfer the 90 degree inlet/outlet fittings from the old pump to the backup.

If that makes sense, anything to watch out for when removing the old and installing the new pump? Tips/cautions?
Thanks,
Mike.....

Ron,
Your reply came in while I was typing. Yes I did find pieces in the elbow and removed. Also checked the heat exchanger, but did not find any there.
Thanks,
Mike

Hi all,
I'm having trouble getting the Oberdorfer water pump on my engine to pump water through. I changed the impeller and gasket, cleaned the sea water strainer, sucttioned the water through the pump inlet hose and reattached to the pump, started the engine and nothing coming out the exhaust. Removed the pump outlet hose from the heat exchanger and little or nothing coming out with the engine running. It won't seem to prime. I removed the sea strainer lubed the gasket/o-ring and re-tightened, suctioned the water through the pump inlet hose again, re-attached the hose again, and still nothing.

Is there a way to determine if the pump itself is bad, other than what I have already done?

Engine over heated on last trip out which prompted all of this. (Bad impeller after 2 seasons) I always change the impeller every season. This time I tried to get more time out of the impeller.

Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks
Mike......

Wow! Lot's of good information. I really was a little concerned about the manufacturer claims, but considered the option a a last resort fall back. I currently have 2 banks, start and house. I wasn't considering changing that, just adding another level of backup. Based on Main Sail's testing and experience, it sounds like it would likely be a waste of money. My existing system probably provides enough redundancy. Thanks so much for very detailed response. I can't say enough for the incredible support from the members of this forum! Very much appreciated!
Mike....

Hi all,
I am considering purchasing a lithium ion portable battery jump starter to keep on the boat. I have an M25XP engine (liters ?), and want to make sure the jump starter has plenty of power for multiple starts. The advertised specs are often stated using different measures, which adds to the confusion. I would love to hear some feedback from some of you who have a much better understanding of this technology than I have. Thanks.
Mike......

Thanks guys! I connected the regular brown wire to the ignition switch wire and it seems to be working fine now.
Bob, I don't understand how it worked in the oil pressure switch circuit for several years either?? The Balmar troubleshooting guide does show that as an option and that was how the previous ARS-4 was wired when I bought the boat as well. The ignition circuit makes much more sense to me, and now it works.

Thanks to all!
Mike......