Engine Cleaning, Heat Exchanger & Altenator

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

Engine Cleaning, Heat Exchanger & Alternator

The Engine in General
So here is what my engine looked like at the end of the season.

You can see a good amount of rust on various parts. Some were never coated with paint, others the paint has worn off and the parts have began to rust. I blame part of this on my wet exhaust elbow failure last year that resulted in hot salt water and soot covering the motor and filling the engine bilge. Also, the previous owner didn't spend much time on the engine.​

So the first step I took this year was to take off the alternator, heat exchanger, the exhaust elbow and all the hoses that I hadn't replaced last year. Here is what the engine looked like at that point.

Over the next month or so, I will take a wire brush to all the exposed rust and flaking paint. Then I plan to prime the areas of exposed metal and then repaint all of the metal surfaces with the same color from Westerbeke. I will prep the area with a combination of blue painters tape, tin foil and contractor's paper. I will post photos of the prep then the repainted engine.​

Engine Compartment Modification​

There was a design flaw with the C310 in that the back bulkhead of the engine compartment is too close to the exhaust elbow. This has resulted in the bulkhead smoking and even catching fire on some boats when motoring for a long period of time. We have had a few issues with this, although it has never caught fire. I have tried a couple of fixes but none has really worked well. So to permanently fix this issue I plan to cut away the area shown below and then install a new bulk head with about two more inches of spacing. This will cut into the back birth slightly but not enough to out way the benefit of not catching on fire. The new bump out would be lined with fiberglass and metal for heat shielding.

Again, I will post an updated photo when completed.​

Alternator​

When I pulled the alternator off it didn't look so good. I took it down to the local auto shop and had them test it. It failed the test and needs to be rebuilt. I have never rebuilt and alternator before, so this should be interesting. I will do a separate post on just the alternator when I jump into that project.​

Heat Exchanger​

One of the motivations for the whole engine project is that I felt that there may have been an issue with the heat exchanger brackets. And sure enough both were broken when I took it off. One was broken at the bolt; the other broke off at the heat exchanger. The brackets were just pieces of steel connected to the copper heat exchanger by solder. I cleaned up the corrosion and paint and cleaned the outside as best I could. I tried to channel my inner MaineSail but I am just not that good of a perfectionist. Here is where I ended that part of the project.

In the top photo, you can see the residual of the solder from the brackets. I was thinking I could heat this with a torch to soften it and then wipe it off with a rag. Is this a bad idea?​

The next big step with the heat exchanger will be to take it to a radiator shop and have them pressure test and clean the internal tubes. Then repaint and it will be ready for reinstallation. Updates to come on this progress.​

The most difficult part of the heat exchanger will be coming up with new brackets. Anyone have any ideas?​

I will post updated photos as the project progresses. I want to give a big thanks to Maine Sail/Compass Marine and the people at Sailboat Owners. I have no previous experience with diesel motors or really any experience with motors other than some minor work on my Jeep and old outboards. Thanks to the help I get from these sources, I feel confident diving into these projects.​

Cross-posted at my blog.​

 

[jsalley]

Check some of Stu Jackson's posts on the HX. The later C34's use the same engine as the 310 and share the same HX issues/fixes. Stu has a number of posts that refer to the C34 site where this issue is addressed in detail.

 

[Tom J]

JK, the heat exchanger brackets on my C310 are not soldered to the unit. They are a steel band that wrap around the exchanger, and are secured by bolts at the rear of the engine. They cost about $10 each, not bad for Universal parts. I had ordered mine while cruising the ICW, and they were delivered to the Universal dealer in Oriental. (My fault the originals broke, I had lowered the idle rpm too much.) This is a good project you are involved in. How many hours on your engine? I wouldn't bother with the solder on the outside of the exchanger. Too much heat could mess up the tubes inside the unit, maybe.

 

[Witzend]

JK, the heat exchanger brackets on my C310 are not soldered to the unit. They are a steel band that wrap around the exchanger, and are secured by bolts at the rear of the engine. They cost about $10 each, not bad for Universal parts. I had ordered mine while cruising the ICW, and they were delivered to the Universal dealer in Oriental. (My fault the originals broke, I had lowered the idle rpm too much.) This is a good project you are involved in. How many hours on your engine? I wouldn't bother with the solder on the outside of the exchanger. Too much heat could mess up the tubes inside the unit, maybe.

Not your fault. The brackets have the radius for the mounting tabs to sharp causing metal fatigue, poorly manufactured.

 

[rpwillia]

Couple of Tips

JK, I would not waste much time trying to rebuild the alternator. It is a Mando 55 amp OEM model. I replaced mine with one with a Mercruiser 55 amp one that when I got it home was identical to the original Universal/Westerbeke one. I recall it was only $80 for a new alternator, where a replacement diode unit for the back was $45 +shipping. Was not a hard decision.

For your heat exchanger there was a discussion a few weeks ago on the Ask All Sailors forum about OEM exchangers that were about 1/2 the price of the named ones. My boat originally had the HE with the brazed on tabs that cracked at them and I replaced it with the newer/cheaper version that had the straps that go all the way around the HE. This is much better.

My bulkhead has the improved heat shield that I supplemented with extra tin foil. I have not had any problems there.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

JK, the heat exchanger brackets on my C310 are not soldered to the unit. They are a steel band that wrap around the exchanger, and are secured by bolts at the rear of the engine. They cost about $10 each, not bad for Universal parts. I had ordered mine while cruising the ICW, and they were delivered to the Universal dealer in Oriental.

Those brackets are exactly what I was looking for, I'll call my local Universal guy. Thanks

How many hours on your engine?

I have 625 hours on the motor. We bought it in 2010 with 540, so we are averaging a little over 40 hours a year. That will increase when we leave to head south in 2015. I am sure there will be lots of motoring on the ICW.

I wouldn't bother with the solder on the outside of the exchanger. Too much heat could mess up the tubes inside the unit, maybe.

I actually cut a bunch of it away with a razor blade last night. I am with you about the too much heat messing with the tubes and I don't want to damage that aspect.

Thanks

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

JK, I would not waste much time trying to rebuild the alternator. It is a Mando 55 amp OEM model. I replaced mine with one with a Mercruiser 55 amp one that when I got it home was identical to the original Universal/Westerbeke one. I recall it was only $80 for a new alternator, where a replacement diode unit for the back was $45 +shipping. Was not a hard decision.

I might do both. With a replacement being so cheap is does make more sense just to go new, but I have never rebuilt an alternator and was looking for the experience. I will have to think about that. I will do a seperate post for the altenator when I make up my mind.

For your heat exchanger there was a discussion a few weeks ago on the Ask All Sailors forum about OEM exchangers that were about 1/2 the price of the named ones. My boat originally had the HE with the brazed on tabs that cracked at them and I replaced it with the newer/cheaper version that had the straps that go all the way around the HE. This is much better.

If the HE fails the pressure test, I will keep the cheap replacements in mind.

My bulkhead has the improved heat shield that I supplemented with extra tin foil. I have not had any problems there.

I tried something like that this year but the I am just not comfortable with how close the elbow is to the bulkhead. Since there is no real structural aspect of this bulkhead I think I would just like to give it some room. Plus if the repair elbow breaks (which I think it will), I can go back to the one I made and have plenty of room. Also, I could have a little less insulation on the elbow and let it exhaust heat more.

Thanks

 

[pk104]

Catalina sent me a free heat shield for the bulkhead. I chose to make a square cutout in the original bulkhead and screw the shield onto it from the rear for a little extra space. My bulkhead had already been burning when I bought the boat.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

UPDATE – March 11th – Engine Disassembled and Ready for Pain

It’s been too long since my last update on this topic. However, this weekend I was able to make some significant progress thanks to Tom’s help. Below are some photos of the progress thus far. The first thing to notice is the giant hole in the bulkhead behind the engine. This previously had some far damage (see the before image, below). The second thing is that most easily removable items have been removed. We took wire brushes to the engine, a significant amount of Gunk applied with microfiber clothes, tooth brushes and Q-tips, and washed down the engine (using a garden sprayer to limit the volume of water) to prep it for painting.
​

Bulkhead Before

Bulkhead After

Engine at Start of Project

Engine prepped for Paint

An area of the engine not normally visible

Following this work I got to sleep on the boat because neither my Bride nor I were comfortable with leaving an electric heater on unattended. It wasn’t too bad; a decent temperature with two electric space heaters going (one for the engine and one for me) and my laptop for watching a couple of Kevin Smith movies.

Next step will be finishing the masking and painting the engine.​

 

[Stu Jackson]

For your heat exchanger there was a discussion a few weeks ago on the Ask All Sailors forum about OEM exchangers that were about 1/2 the price of the named ones. My boat originally had the HE with the brazed on tabs that cracked at them and I replaced it with the newer/cheaper version that had the straps that go all the way around the HE. This is much better.

Ray, the less expensive model is SEAKAMP. The other source is SENDURE.

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6920.0.html

 

[rpwillia]

C36 Forum Guys

Stu, You all are like kindred spirits. I definitely appreciate all the good advice I have snagged off the C36 forum.

Speaking of things I have snagged off of the C36 forum, I ordered some Target EM2000 water based semi-gloss varnish over the internet this morning. I have some internal wood to re-finish and I just could not find anyone (Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace x2, and Benjamin Moore) carrying water based varnish so I got the exact stuff Catalina uses. To be honest I am not really sure what varnish is except it is like polyurethane, only harder when it dries.

Back to the original subject: JK, I thought you were gonna practice by coming down and cleaning my engine first? I do have to say I like the look.

In a bit of a regression, I will say I would be leery of the guys in the auto parts store saying my alternator was fubar. The ones down here were pretty clueless about how to look it up. Sometimes that free alternator test ain't so free.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Ray, that would be the C34, not the C36, although I contribute there, too, since, like yours, they are all great boats with similar, if not identical, systems.

 

[gpd955]

I'm anticipating seeing how your bulkhead turns out. Are you going to make it easily removable for access to the aft part of the engine??

Engine looks great so far!

 

[jsalley]

Speaking of things I have snagged off of the C36 forum, I ordered some Target EM2000 water based semi-gloss varnish over the internet this morning. I have some internal wood to re-finish and I just could not find anyone (Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace x2, and Benjamin Moore) carrying water based varnish so I got the exact stuff Catalina uses. To be honest I am not really sure what varnish is except it is like polyurethane, only harder when it dries.

I just finished my interior cabinet project and used the Target EM2000 Satin. It matches the rest of my interior perfectly. Very good to work with - dries fast, flows well, water cleanup. Pictures on the 309 forum.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

Back to the original subject: JK, I thought you were gonna practice by coming down and cleaning my engine first? I do have to say I like the look.

Thanks, but once is enough. Using Q-tips to get into all the little tiny crevices was too much. I hope to never have to do that again. The Gunk Gel worked great but because I couldn't run my engine after, I was a little leary of over doing the spraying and rinsing. I might have been more aggressive if I did that when the engine was still together and I could run it after.

In a bit of a regression, I will say I would be leery of the guys in the auto parts store saying my alternator was fubar. The ones down here were pretty clueless about how to look it up. Sometimes that free alternator test ain't so free.

It took me 4 stores before I found someone competent enough to test it. Most wouldn't even touch it without a part number to look it up. I wish I had put the multi meter on it in the fall when I could run the engine but I forgot to do that. The alternator is off, the bearings definately sound like they should be done and the rest of the kit is not that much money. I also found a really good 12 volt shop near me. I think I will have them test it before I put it back on the boat.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

I'm anticipating seeing how your bulkhead turns out. Are you going to make it easily removable for access to the aft part of the engine??

Engine looks great so far!

That is the plan. My friend Tom that has been helping me is a really talented carpenter. We have discussed a couple of ways to deal with the bulkhead but all of them include access from the back. It's amazing how much access you have with that area cut out.

I have a couple other carpentry improvements planned that Tom and I have been discussing. Hopefully we get to them all before he heads south. They will clearly come out better with his help.

 

[gpd955]

That is the plan. My friend Tom that has been helping me is a really talented carpenter. We have discussed a couple of ways to deal with the bulkhead but all of them include access from the back. It's amazing how much access you have with that area cut out.

I'm going to be taking my shaft coupling off to change out the lip seal on my dripless (formerly) shaft seal so having that extra space would be a blessing!

 

[Bob S]

JK,

It took me 4 stores before I found someone competent enough to test it. Most wouldn't even touch it without a part number to look it up. I wish I had put the multi meter on it in the fall when I could run the engine but I forgot to do that. The alternator is off, the bearings definately sound like they should be done and the rest of the kit is not that much money. I also found a really good 12 volt shop near me. I think I will have them test it before I put it back on the boat.

A-1 Battery & Electric Inc in Quincy, right up the street at the Fall River rotary is a great place to test or rebuild your alternator. They are also a great $ source for US Batteries.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

JK,

A-1 Battery & Electric Inc in Quincy, right up the street at the Fall River rotary is a great place to test or rebuild your alternator. They are also a great $ source for US Batteries.

A-1 is the shop I was referring too.

Do you know a good radiator shop to look at my heat exchanger.

 

[Bob S]

I used Pembroke Radiator 19 Church St Pembroke, MA 02359 781-826-4321

To be honest, I cleaned mine up like you have and had it boiled out ($60.00) but I didn't think it looked any better after being boiled. I did use an air hose to blow out each tube and didn't see any blockages before I did it. It's deteriorating zincs that cause the blockages. I wasn't having a problem but did it more out of curiosity and peace of mind.