My engine has been running hot lately normally it runs at about 179 to 183 degrees. This weekend it was up to 195/200 degrees. It was also putting out quite a bit of white smoke. My sea water filter was clear. I suspect it might be the water pump or the impeller. Has anyone experienced anything similar? If so what did you do to repair it and is it something I can fix myself (somewhat mechanically inclined but not a mechanic). Appreciate your thoughts.
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Rick J
some thoughts...
Well, I'm not quite sure about the color of the smoke in relation to the elevated temperature, but there are a lot of diesel enging gurus that can answer that question. It depends, in part, on how much is steam, and if there is any component that is actually 'white smoke.' Personally, I suspect that it might be steam. A few things to try, and a few things not to worry about: First of all, the 'water pump,' i.e. the pump that circulates the internal coolant in the engine, is probably not your problem. The impeller, though,is a likely suspect, and is really easy to replace. Lemme know when you do it, and I'll walk you through it, but it's simple, and you'll figure it out yourself. The heat exchanger is another of the 'usual suspects' in this case. You might try pouring a gallon of vinegar into the raw water strainer, letting it sit for a day or two, and see if that helps. Otherwise, you can pull the heat exchanger and take it to a radiator shop to be soaked and cleaned. Make sure you have new O-rings and packing. Not a particularly hard job. The mixing elbow? An evil job, but you can do it yourself. They last 10 to 15 years, but sooner or later they plug up, and must be replaced. No fun, but doable. Did it a couple of years ago, and I have the scars to prove it. Before I'd tackle that job, I'd take a garden hose, with a bullet head nozzle, and blow out the 'intake' hose, from the impeller to the strainer, and then blow out the line from the impeller to the heat exchanger. That will isolate your problem. Try to force water through the mixing elbow, at the back of the heat exchanger, to determine which of these is blocked if you can't force water from the impeller output hose through the engine. Oh, I forgot... the 'nipple valve,' which is just an elbow fitting into the mixing elbow from the heat exchanger... a common problem, and an easy fix. Replace it, or clean out the gunk and soak it in vinegar overnight. Last but not least, the thermostat. Works good, lasts a long time, but pop it into hot water with a baking thermometer to make sure it works as advertised if the above steps don't yield results. Overheating is a bummer, and bad for the old 2gm20F, but you caught this pretty early, it seem, so no worries. Just don't run the engine if the overheat warning sounds... shut it down and drift, if you can, or anchor. Crack a beer. It will cool down in an hour or so, and then you might get 5 or 10 minutes out of the engine, when you really need it, before it overheats again. Hope this helps - Rick J
Well, I'm not quite sure about the color of the smoke in relation to the elevated temperature, but there are a lot of diesel enging gurus that can answer that question. It depends, in part, on how much is steam, and if there is any component that is actually 'white smoke.' Personally, I suspect that it might be steam. A few things to try, and a few things not to worry about: First of all, the 'water pump,' i.e. the pump that circulates the internal coolant in the engine, is probably not your problem. The impeller, though,is a likely suspect, and is really easy to replace. Lemme know when you do it, and I'll walk you through it, but it's simple, and you'll figure it out yourself. The heat exchanger is another of the 'usual suspects' in this case. You might try pouring a gallon of vinegar into the raw water strainer, letting it sit for a day or two, and see if that helps. Otherwise, you can pull the heat exchanger and take it to a radiator shop to be soaked and cleaned. Make sure you have new O-rings and packing. Not a particularly hard job. The mixing elbow? An evil job, but you can do it yourself. They last 10 to 15 years, but sooner or later they plug up, and must be replaced. No fun, but doable. Did it a couple of years ago, and I have the scars to prove it. Before I'd tackle that job, I'd take a garden hose, with a bullet head nozzle, and blow out the 'intake' hose, from the impeller to the strainer, and then blow out the line from the impeller to the heat exchanger. That will isolate your problem. Try to force water through the mixing elbow, at the back of the heat exchanger, to determine which of these is blocked if you can't force water from the impeller output hose through the engine. Oh, I forgot... the 'nipple valve,' which is just an elbow fitting into the mixing elbow from the heat exchanger... a common problem, and an easy fix. Replace it, or clean out the gunk and soak it in vinegar overnight. Last but not least, the thermostat. Works good, lasts a long time, but pop it into hot water with a baking thermometer to make sure it works as advertised if the above steps don't yield results. Overheating is a bummer, and bad for the old 2gm20F, but you caught this pretty early, it seem, so no worries. Just don't run the engine if the overheat warning sounds... shut it down and drift, if you can, or anchor. Crack a beer. It will cool down in an hour or so, and then you might get 5 or 10 minutes out of the engine, when you really need it, before it overheats again. Hope this helps - Rick J
White Smoke Probably Steam
I have a 2qm15 in my Hunter 33. Have been told the white smoke is probably steam. On one occassion was the impeller. On another occassion was a stuck thermostat. Neither is too tricky to fix. White "smoke" stopped when overheating was resolved.
I have a 2qm15 in my Hunter 33. Have been told the white smoke is probably steam. On one occassion was the impeller. On another occassion was a stuck thermostat. Neither is too tricky to fix. White "smoke" stopped when overheating was resolved.
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Rick J
p.s.
Just looking over my post as it popped up on the site. And, aside from the typo's and grammatical mistakes, I just want to clarify a couple of points: 1) I would try the garden hose thing first, or at least while you are replacing the impeller, as you'll have the intake and output hoses disconnected, and it's an easy way to isolate the blockage, if there is one. The impeller, according to Yanmar, is supposed to last something like 1500 hours, but it's a simple job to replace it, and most folks do it 'prophylactically,' if you will... every couple of years or so. If, or when, the actually 'fail,' it's not pretty. 2) The 'vinegar through the raw water strainer idea': obviously, this needs to be done while the engine is running, and warm, so the vinegar is drawn into the heat exchanger, etc. This, also, is a procedure, that is sometimes done prophylactically, like maybe annually, by some folks, to prevent and/or reverse blockage of the heat exchanger, nipple valve, and mixing elbow. Dunno if it works, really, but it's a pretty simple procedure that makes your engine smell like a salad. Chicks dig it, and it can't hurt,... and lots of the crud that accumulates in the raw water plumbing seems to dissolve in acetic acid, which is, according to my harbormaster, an environmentally friendly compound, and is the main ingredient in vinegar. Distilled white vinegar, to be specific.
Just looking over my post as it popped up on the site. And, aside from the typo's and grammatical mistakes, I just want to clarify a couple of points: 1) I would try the garden hose thing first, or at least while you are replacing the impeller, as you'll have the intake and output hoses disconnected, and it's an easy way to isolate the blockage, if there is one. The impeller, according to Yanmar, is supposed to last something like 1500 hours, but it's a simple job to replace it, and most folks do it 'prophylactically,' if you will... every couple of years or so. If, or when, the actually 'fail,' it's not pretty. 2) The 'vinegar through the raw water strainer idea': obviously, this needs to be done while the engine is running, and warm, so the vinegar is drawn into the heat exchanger, etc. This, also, is a procedure, that is sometimes done prophylactically, like maybe annually, by some folks, to prevent and/or reverse blockage of the heat exchanger, nipple valve, and mixing elbow. Dunno if it works, really, but it's a pretty simple procedure that makes your engine smell like a salad. Chicks dig it, and it can't hurt,... and lots of the crud that accumulates in the raw water plumbing seems to dissolve in acetic acid, which is, according to my harbormaster, an environmentally friendly compound, and is the main ingredient in vinegar. Distilled white vinegar, to be specific.
White smoke...
White smoke = steam in the exhaust Steam in the exhaust can be caused from several problems. A stuck closed thermostat A bad circulating pump A blown nead gasket I'd check the impeller, but it's probably good. I don't suspect the elbow because they usualy coke up on the exhaust side not the water passage. Here's a quick test. Top up the coolant, start the engine cold and take off the cap. If coolant erupts out, the head gasket is blown. If this doesn't happen, repalce the cap and let the enging warm up, as it warms keep checking the temp of the hoses to the water heater. If they heat inequaly, you might have a bad thermostat or circ pump. Look at the bottom of the circ pump, there is a hole called the weep hole. Look for water trails, another indicator of a bad circ pump. Pat McCartin Inland Marine Diesel Buford, Ga
White smoke = steam in the exhaust Steam in the exhaust can be caused from several problems. A stuck closed thermostat A bad circulating pump A blown nead gasket I'd check the impeller, but it's probably good. I don't suspect the elbow because they usualy coke up on the exhaust side not the water passage. Here's a quick test. Top up the coolant, start the engine cold and take off the cap. If coolant erupts out, the head gasket is blown. If this doesn't happen, repalce the cap and let the enging warm up, as it warms keep checking the temp of the hoses to the water heater. If they heat inequaly, you might have a bad thermostat or circ pump. Look at the bottom of the circ pump, there is a hole called the weep hole. Look for water trails, another indicator of a bad circ pump. Pat McCartin Inland Marine Diesel Buford, Ga
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Darrel
Fouled Prop/Dirty Bottom
This is probably way to simple, however a fouled prop/dirty botttom can cause the problem you describe. The engine will have a heavy load and heats up and starts emitting white smoke. Might be worth a try to dive the boat and take a look at the prop and shaft along with a dirty bottom, if you haven't checked it in a while. Good Luck.
This is probably way to simple, however a fouled prop/dirty botttom can cause the problem you describe. The engine will have a heavy load and heats up and starts emitting white smoke. Might be worth a try to dive the boat and take a look at the prop and shaft along with a dirty bottom, if you haven't checked it in a while. Good Luck.
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