Your vents are a different type than mine. Where yours are flush to the hull, mine stand proud of the hull. Good luck.
Bilge blower hose replacement
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As you can see in the rest of my post, Don, I pointed out that Diesels don't require the blower, but maybe," Catalina in an abundance of caution" etc. I brought this question to Captain Ron, and his answer was "Nobody knows!"
That's funny. Reminds me of Capt. Ron duct taping bricks to the boys feet so he can retrieve the anchor. (Okay, no more Capt. Ron references).I've found that using little kids in boats is absolutely vital in many cases. Why child labour was ever outlawed, I'll never know.
Years ago, I had managed to drop a screw in the rear compartment of the boat and it managed to roll under the plastic fuel tank. Now that shouldn't cause any problems
That was about fifteen years ago. If that happened today, you'd see my face on the front of the Daily News with the cops hauling me off for child endangerment. Fifteen years ago, the kid earned more money than he's ever seen before in one place, was over the moon having earned the money, and was just starting to see potentially dangerous situations which would serve him well later in life rather than walking in front of a bus while looking at his iPhone.
Thanks Tom. More I consider it, I think a rigid 3” PVC pipe with a 90 degree elbow glued at the back will work. I can add a small guide to hold it up. I love the transom space as mechanical room but it’s really tight to work in.
A holdover from the Atomic four engine in the Catalina 30, nobody thought to remove it from the specs.
Mine on our 2001 #155 are metal also and to the best of my knowledge LOOK GREAT!, but do not serve any REAL function!
I know it isn't either required or necessary but wasn’t sure you knew that and given the difficulty you have repairing it, my point was only to consider whether it’s worth the trouble. In all the decades we’ve owned (diesel powered) boats, I’ve never had an engine room blower. Personally, I wouldn’t bother but that’s me.
The one on the starboard side provides fresh air to your engine compartment. The one on the port side is connected to a blower to pull air out of the engine compartment. If they’d not have hoses on them then you have the same problem I have: cheap plastic hoses deteriorated. The blower has a toggle switch on the bottom of the instrument panel.
I can’t get to the inside of the aft vents to replace the hoses. So today, I got a 4” to 3” plastic adapter and used Gorilla Glue clear to glue it and the new aluminum hose to it. Good to go now.
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Slightly different boat, but could this mystery switch on the back of my 309 instrument panel be the blower toggle? If so, probably need to add Replace Blower Motor alongside Replace Shredded Blower Hoses on my project list, since this switch doesn't seem to do anything.
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I’d say yes it’s for the blower. My instrument pod has two switches. One is for the blower that works and I think the other is for the electric fuel/bleed pump mounted on the engine in between the Racor and the secondary filter. That one doesn’t work on my boat. There are a couple of dead end wires tied off by my engine I’ve yet to trace out. Mud daubers can get in the vent hoses and build their nests in the blower. It might be OK if it’s cleaned out. In any event to answer your question, if you want your boat’s systems to work as designed then a repair is on your To Do list Won’t probably make the top though.
You shouldn't have a switch for the lift pump. It must be on at all times the engine is running. If you lift the engine cover, and hold the key switch on all the way, you should hear the clicking of the lift pump. Perhaps you are seeing the circuit breaker next to the blower toggle switch, and not a switch. Hopefully the lift pump is working. If not, you will have problems when the fuel tank gets below half full. Those dead ended wires would have me concerned about what a previous owner had done.
No problems on my end. The electric pump is not running and my tank is at 1/4. I must have a mechanical pump as well. I know the hour meter is one of them and I suspect the fuel pump is another. Alternator was disconnected but I’ve got that connected and charging well. I’m at a lake so not too concerned
Which engine do you have? I have never heard of a mechanical pump on the Universal M25XPB. I suspect the previous owner rewired the lift pump on your boat. It would appear you have a maze of unknown circuitry to work your way through. Have you thought about rewiring your boat to the original configuration?
I have an MX 25. It has both the electric and mechanical fuel pumps. Just checked the manual. I know for certain my electric pump is not activated when the key is on as I tried to use it to empty my tank. I by passed the key and went straight to batteries and it worked fine. Flow was too low though so I ended up pumping out the tank from a second standpipe I installed for my heater.
the second switch on the bottom of my instrument pod appears to be for the glow plugs according to the manual. I’ve not needed them I guess as I start right up every time. Maybe the electric pump is running some other time but it’s not on start up.
I am still planning on tracing the dead end wires but the tank level, volt meter and tach all work. Hour meter does not. Hope this clarifies at least my situation.
this motor runs once started without any electrical power to it as I can turn the key off and she’s running fine. I was hit by lightning once and it’s reassuring to have a non ECU engine.
Amazing the differences in our production boats. On my C310, the glow plugs come on when I turn the key switch on all the way. At the same time, the lift pump is energized. Once the engine is running, the lift pump stays on, since it is tied into the oil pressure switch. In theory, the engine should die if the oil pressure drops. I am assuming you don't have this protection on your boat.
Is your hull number perhaps an early one?
In reading the Mx 25 manual, the switch might also be for the glow plugs. Run a meter to them when it’s on and see. My other switch must be for the glow plugs. Manual says the electric fuel pump is wired to ACC on the switch.
2004. Hull 281. Unclear on how the sensors work or if they are connected. PO may have had a problem and randomly started disconnecting wires. I’d like a low pressure and over temperature alarm but don’t want them shutting down the engine. I’d rather make that call myself.
He reminds me of a coworker I had back when I maintained the streetcars back in Boston. One day he succeeded in bypassing all the safety circuits, and, when he closed the doors of the streetcar, it took off with no one in it. The streetcar crashed through the steel doors of the carhouse, crossed the yard, and went out onto Commonwealth Ave. before derailing. Luckily, no one got hurt.
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