3GMF Yanmar

[Lady B]

Hello Everyone,

I am real new to the sailing world so any and all help would be greatly appreciated. I just bought a 1984 Hunter 34. He was dry docked so I did the a lot of the work on land. He was put into the water and no leaks. Yeah. When the mechanic went to check out the motor the raw water pump was gone. Here is my problem; Numorus mechanics have had a say as what to do. 1) Find a pump similar to the yanmar, 2) change the plate to adapt to the other pump, 3) then find a pulley to fit it. I feel I should get another yanmar pump. Would that be right ? (I have no idea about motors at all), Then I read that my 3GMF is fresh water. Does that mean I cannot go out to sea with Him ? When I bought this boat a month ago there was no kind of paper work on it. I have nothing to go by as far as the motor goes as well as the boat its self. I really do need some help.

Thank you for time.

 

[Steve Dion]

I would suggest that you replace the pump with the OEM or a direct replacement. The mickey mouse stuff usually gets you sooner or later.

The fresh (F) engines have a closed loop system with a heat exchanger (HE). The HE has the fresh (coolant) water that flows through it and the sea water also flows through a seperate area with the HE.

It may be worth your time/money to have a "certified" Yanmar mechanic check our your engine and give you an estimate of getting back to OEM specs. If you decide to have one of these guys do it, I suggest that you were in attendance when they perform the work. It will give you some good training on the engine.

Other things that you should have checked out include the mixing elbow, refresh the coolant in the system and change any suspect hoses and belts.

If you get a new pump you will not need an impeller, but you should know how to change them out. They should be replaced about every 2-3 years.

If these engines are taken care of and well maintained they may outlast the boat & the owner.!

 

[kloudie1]

Welcome aboard, Lady B..
Steve is right on.. the parts he talks about checking are mandatory before getting the boat back in the water. The water pump (Yanmar part #721575-42701, same pump as on the 2 GMF engine) has a size and the pulley is made to work with that engine. There are some places that sell the same pump (it was not made by Yanmar) but I don't think that they are any cheaper than the Yanmar part. The other option is if you are lucky enough to find a mechanic who is a scrounger, he may be able to find one at a boat wrecking yard.. but by the time ya finish having it rebuilt, the cost may be close to getting a new one..
The 34 is a fine boat and you'll enjoy learning it.. !
Ya may want to talk to these guys in Clearwater Fl:
http://www.depcopump.com/home.htm

 

[Ed Schenck]

But please, our boats are ladies. Especially yours, "Lady B"? He is a SHE.

 

[jtm]

Some of the best money ever I've spent on my boat was taking a basic maintenance course 25 years ago at the regional Yanmar Dealer - Mack Boring. It has paid me back many times over, given me piece of mind armed with a knowledge of my Yanmar engine, and self confidence that for the most part, with basic tools , "I" can discern & handle most of the issues related to the engine - while at the dock and while out on the water. You can buy ($$) the Yanmar maintenance manual, or find an online version and/or get the generic diesel engine maintenance manual by Nigel Calder (avail at WM & Amazon) which closely models the Yanmar engine. You might also get the "sister" book on sailboat electrics as well - since these systems intersect at some points. Both will give you a fair understanding how these things work.

If its really shot, You should buy a new water pump - its an important part to rely upon. I recently rebuilt my water pump's shaft assembly - hardly brain surgery- and installed a new spring seal bushing to solve a persistent drip.

You take care of it, and it will take care of you - you can handle doing periodic hose repairs, impellers, filters, crank oil & tranny fluids, cooling system flushing, winterizing and just keeping a wary eye and EAR and it will be a very reliable asset- functional when you REALLY need it to perform.

 

[seadaddler]

Power Squadron

Check out your local power squadron and they do run a lot of nice boating courses to help boaters learn lots of things both power and sailboats and you also get to meet some nice local helpful boaters that are so willing to help with everything about your local boating needs.
My wife and I took a cruising course and will be taking some more courses to help refresh our boating skills and the amount freindly boaters is great,we have met some really nice boaters in our local area of Florida.
Nick

 

[Scott B]

Where are you located and where is your boat. I cannot imagine a marine deisel mechanic not knowing that Yanmar parts are readily available. You can get a replacement parts from Yanmar Dealers. They are teritorial so you will have to buy from your local dealer.

 

[Steve Dion]

Ed: You also have a HE on she! (Heat Exchanger) but we can start referring to them as SHE (SHeat Exchanger). What say you? :dance:

 

[jtm]

update- the book on sailboat electrics I referred to above is formally titled
Sailboat Electrics Simplified by Don Casey and is part of The International Marine Sailboat Library" Series