I got a late start this year and am finally in the water. However, not after a significant problem that could have ended badly.
About a week ago, I finally had the boat ready to go so a good friend mine, my Dad and I got the boat setup with no problems. I was a little annoyed that the place that winterized the diesel motor apparently spilled some antifreeze in the engine compartment. I should have cleaned it up right away when I noticed it while the boat was still in the driveway, but I was rushing to get the boat in the water since it was now July 1st, and we had to have it ready for the 3rd of July fireworks at the lakefront. In any case, the bilge was essentially dry except for a small pool of antifreeze (or so I thought) pooled up under the engine.
We launched, got the motor started and given that it was getting pretty hot around 11:00 AM, decided to motor around the harbor. Not much wind but at least we had the motor. We motored for about half an hour, when the engine abruptly stopped. So we rolled out the jib and worked our way back to the mooring. We figured it was probably a clogged fuel filter created from sediment getting stirred up by trailering the boat or air in the line. By now it was mid-afternoon and so we got packed up and headed home since we had a previous engagement that day. My Dad and would come back the next day, drain some fuel out, replace the filter and work to get the engine working.
We got out to the boat the next day and I looked at the bilge, and it has a lot of red liquid in it. Now I realize that the liquid is not antifreeze, but diesel fuel.
After some quick evaluation, we found the source of the leak, a leaky fuel hose that was steadily dripping all night long. We cut the hose, got the leak stopped and I worked for an hour to get the fuel mopped up. I bought a proper diesel container and found out that there was 2.5 gal. of diesel that had leaked into the bilge. We replaced the hose, bled the fuel lines and after some work got the engine started again. While I know that diesel has a lower flashpoint than gasoline, there are way too many ways that this could have gone very badly. I still shudder to think what could have happened.
Needless to say, I've learned quite a few things in the last several days. First, don't assume the liquid in the bottom of your engine compartment is antifreeze from the previous season. That's one of two things it could have been, and I didn't even consider the alternative. I would have known this was diesel had I just cleaned it up while the boat was sitting in my driveway. Second, although the mechanic who did the engine last fall indicated the motor was in great shape, I should have had him check all the hoses. This is my second year with the boat and while the motor has very few hours on it (225 total), it is still old. As it turned out, the fuel lines were original equipment (1983 boat). I'm now in the process of doing that more thoroughly now that it's in the water. Finally, it's great to have a father who is a retired engineer. He helped me interpret the schematics in the Yanmar manual (which is pretty good I must say), make the repairs and get the engine going again.
Whether it's my lucky stars, a guardian angel or just dumb luck this turned out about as good as it could have given the circumstances. I'm a very lucky person on a lot of fronts.
Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25
About a week ago, I finally had the boat ready to go so a good friend mine, my Dad and I got the boat setup with no problems. I was a little annoyed that the place that winterized the diesel motor apparently spilled some antifreeze in the engine compartment. I should have cleaned it up right away when I noticed it while the boat was still in the driveway, but I was rushing to get the boat in the water since it was now July 1st, and we had to have it ready for the 3rd of July fireworks at the lakefront. In any case, the bilge was essentially dry except for a small pool of antifreeze (or so I thought) pooled up under the engine.
We launched, got the motor started and given that it was getting pretty hot around 11:00 AM, decided to motor around the harbor. Not much wind but at least we had the motor. We motored for about half an hour, when the engine abruptly stopped. So we rolled out the jib and worked our way back to the mooring. We figured it was probably a clogged fuel filter created from sediment getting stirred up by trailering the boat or air in the line. By now it was mid-afternoon and so we got packed up and headed home since we had a previous engagement that day. My Dad and would come back the next day, drain some fuel out, replace the filter and work to get the engine working.
We got out to the boat the next day and I looked at the bilge, and it has a lot of red liquid in it. Now I realize that the liquid is not antifreeze, but diesel fuel.
After some quick evaluation, we found the source of the leak, a leaky fuel hose that was steadily dripping all night long. We cut the hose, got the leak stopped and I worked for an hour to get the fuel mopped up. I bought a proper diesel container and found out that there was 2.5 gal. of diesel that had leaked into the bilge. We replaced the hose, bled the fuel lines and after some work got the engine started again. While I know that diesel has a lower flashpoint than gasoline, there are way too many ways that this could have gone very badly. I still shudder to think what could have happened. Needless to say, I've learned quite a few things in the last several days. First, don't assume the liquid in the bottom of your engine compartment is antifreeze from the previous season. That's one of two things it could have been, and I didn't even consider the alternative. I would have known this was diesel had I just cleaned it up while the boat was sitting in my driveway. Second, although the mechanic who did the engine last fall indicated the motor was in great shape, I should have had him check all the hoses. This is my second year with the boat and while the motor has very few hours on it (225 total), it is still old. As it turned out, the fuel lines were original equipment (1983 boat). I'm now in the process of doing that more thoroughly now that it's in the water. Finally, it's great to have a father who is a retired engineer. He helped me interpret the schematics in the Yanmar manual (which is pretty good I must say), make the repairs and get the engine going again.
Whether it's my lucky stars, a guardian angel or just dumb luck this turned out about as good as it could have given the circumstances. I'm a very lucky person on a lot of fronts.
Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25
