Hand Cranking the Engine

I ran the engine today for the first time since the test start I did immediately after the rebuild. Started right up and I let it run about 15-20 minutes. Out of curiosity, I decided to try out the hand crank since the engine was well warmed up. Started up pretty quickly, but I think it's only because it was warm. I'd hate to see how it would go if the engine was cold.

It's quite a work out trying to start it manually. I had to take breaks between attempts.

After several failed attempts, I was able to start it a second time, and more attempts after. Like I said, it's a work out. Heart beat pretty hard while cranking this engine.

But, I got it working. I was able to get the third start on camera.

Engine Is Out

Just a quick post showing I got the engine out today so I can get to work on replacing the fuel tank under it.

Sails And Engine Are Ready

At least I hope all is ready. Everything seems to be working so far.

This weekend was busy. I replaced the valve cover gasket on the engine and rigged up the sails.

The area at the base of the valve cover showed some oil that had leaked. At first, I thought the oil came from a failed head gasket but after a closer look, I saw it was actually the valve cover gasket.

Here is my first look after removal of the valve cover. I saw there was some buildup of dirt, possibly of where the oil had leaked.

I removed the old gasket and had to clean up the groove on the cover. This shows some of the residue left in the grove. I had to use a screwdriver and a metal pick to clean it out.

It looks much better now. I also cleaned up the top of the cylinder head where the gasket sits. Compare this picture of the valves with the one above and you can see that it cleaned up pretty nicely.

 The next step, I was trying to put the new gasket into the grove. It didn't want to stay in place. I tried using some of the oil pooled in the corners of the cover to coat on the gasket but it wasn't enough. I also tried setting the gasket on the cylinder head but it kept wanting to curl up. I walked over to the boat shop on the other side of the marina to see if they had any type of sealant that could help keep the gasket in place. Thankfully, they did have this stuff that had an applicator brush on the lid. I brushed the liquid on the groove and waited for a minute or so. It dried with a stickiness that helped keep the gasket in place, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

I attached the valve cover back on the engine. I tightened the bolts and looks like it got a good seal. I started up the engine and looked it over for several minutes and everything looked to be working nicely. No sign of additional oil leaking. The water pump I cleaned up during the last visit turned out to be functioning well too. No water leaked from the pump during the engine testing so I'm happy with that too.

I also setup the jib and main sails up on the boat. I then tied things down and put the cover on the main sail. Everything seems to be ready to go out sailing. If any other setup is needed, it might be to setup the reefing lines. The next time I'm at the boat, I may just let loose the dock lines and head out onto the lake.

Yanmar Parts Catalogs

While looking around for spare parts for my engine, I came across this website that has Parts Catalogs for Yanmar engines.

http://www.lsm-diesel.dk/2012/common/menugen.php?sprog=uk&kode=&umenu=500

What's nice is that there are diagrams for the engines with an exploded view and a list of parts that go to certain places. You can be sure to find the correct part knowing where it goes too. Just note that some part numbers may have been updated. Also be sure that the engine type is correct. While I have a Yanmar 2GM, the parts for a 2GM20 could be slightly different. There are separate files for each.

Torrenson Marine seems to have a large number of parts online and if doing a search for a part, their website may inform you of an updated part. So if you're like me, do the research and be sure you get the right part.

I hope this can be a useful resource for others.

Impeller Installed

I installed the new impeller I bought at West Marine.

 

I used the lubricant that came with the impeller and coated it and the pump housing. I installed the Speedseal cover with the thumb screws but used a pair of needle nose pliers to tighten. At first it wasn't pumping and leaked a lot so I had to keep tightening the screws for the cover. I got it pumping water again. The engine started right up quickly on the first try and the additional times when testing the pump. I'm hoping it will continue to function throughout this sailing season.

 

I put the camera behind the pump to get a shot of it. I wanted to see that I had the fins on the impeller were facing the correct direction. Looks like it will need a good cleaning. At some point, I'll take the pump off of the engine and give it a good scrub. Since it looks like it might take a while to do, I may wait until after this season to work on it. It will definitely be worth cleaning up since new ones are pretty expensive. This is why it's important to do regular maintenance to keep things in working order.

 

 

Bleeding the Engine

Today was a pretty good day. I originally didn't plan on going to the boat but it was such a nice day I went anyway during lunch. Last time I was at the boat, I was working on getting the engine started but it wouldn't work. Last time it ran was when I winterized it. I looked up some info and received lots of advice about needing to learn how to bleed air out of the engine. I read up in the manual and gave it a try.

These are the videos showing what I was doing. Kind of a Part I and Part II. I explain a little what I did to get it working. I'm happy to say that it now seems to be working for now. Since I bought the boat, I haven't looked at the impeller so I decided to go ahead and pull that out. While doing that, I tore a small piece off and now need to replace it. I'll try going to the West Marine that's an hour away and see if they have something I can use.

 

 

Hopefully some of the info can be useful to others. I learned something so it wasn't a wasted day.