Hi all. Newbie 1987 Catalina 30 MK II owner here, looking for some advice. The Oberdorfer raw water pump on my Universal M-25 diesel had a bad seal and was weeping salt water all down the engine. I’ve taken care of that part (with some key advice from forum folks, many thanks!), replacement pump is in place, all tight, engine purring.
But to finish the job, I still have to deal with the mess caused by all that salt water on the engine block. Basically the underside of the engine is all covered now in a bloom of rust; looks like that weep was discovered a bit late...
I’ve been researching my options here and I wondered what folks think about the approach I’ve penciled out for myself. First, wire brush and sandpaper to get as much of that stuff off as possible, especially any loose flakes. Acetone rubdown to clean up dust and any oil. Then a treatment with a phosphoric-acid-based product I found at the marine store, that reacts chemically with the rust and bonds to the metal as a different substance. Finally, liberal application (and regular reapplication) of the water-displacing rust inhibitor BoeShield.
Thoughts? Gotchas? Alternative approaches? The main challenge, of course, will be doing all this with the engine in place... very difficult to get at everything, especially underneath, with such a tight fit. If I use that phosphoric acid stuff, do I need to protect the bilge fiberglass? Any tricks/tools to help me reach underneath and behind the engine? I really want to get this right the first time... Thanks In advance for any guidance!
But to finish the job, I still have to deal with the mess caused by all that salt water on the engine block. Basically the underside of the engine is all covered now in a bloom of rust; looks like that weep was discovered a bit late...
I’ve been researching my options here and I wondered what folks think about the approach I’ve penciled out for myself. First, wire brush and sandpaper to get as much of that stuff off as possible, especially any loose flakes. Acetone rubdown to clean up dust and any oil. Then a treatment with a phosphoric-acid-based product I found at the marine store, that reacts chemically with the rust and bonds to the metal as a different substance. Finally, liberal application (and regular reapplication) of the water-displacing rust inhibitor BoeShield.
Thoughts? Gotchas? Alternative approaches? The main challenge, of course, will be doing all this with the engine in place... very difficult to get at everything, especially underneath, with such a tight fit. If I use that phosphoric acid stuff, do I need to protect the bilge fiberglass? Any tricks/tools to help me reach underneath and behind the engine? I really want to get this right the first time... Thanks In advance for any guidance!