Freshwater washdown of engine

[Steverhnm]

So I had a leak on the water going into the exhaust elbow and it got the elbow as well as the back portion of the engine covered in saltwater. Unfortunately, I never washed it down with freshwater and I have some corrosion on various components and the elbow is rotting away....

So I am due to replace the elbow, hope the bolts don't break off. Are these bolts or studs? does anyone know?

Also, is there any precaution if I go in there and just hose the whole thing down with freshwater? I suppose I will cover the oil dipstick with a baggie, as well as the alternator, anything else I should be concerned about? I think the PO said something about spraying the engine with WD-40, but I never have and now wish I did... Do any of you do this? I was concerned about fumes and smell, also if the engine gets hot and the WD-40 burning off. Are these concerns unwarranted? How do others keep their engine so nice and clean?

 

[Tally Ho]

Over the winter, I decided to wash down my Yanmar 2GM20F engine. I have owned the boat for 2 seasons, and the engine has been a mess since I bought her. I was chasing an antifreeze leak, and the engine was so covered with black dust it was hard to see any potential leak points.

I did not have access to a water hose (all shut off for the winter in the Chicago area), so sprayed the engine down with a can of engine cleaner/degreaser, then used a garden sprayer that I filled at home, and washed down the engine with that. I did not cover any parts of the engine, but did try to avoid too much water on the alternator. The garden sprayer does not put out too much pressure, which may be good in this case.

Once done, I sucked the crud out of the engine pan with a shop vac.

No issues starting the engine in the spring, and she sure looks a lot better.

Greg

 

[centerline]

when I got my boat it had a severe oil leak for a few years that the PO knew about but didnt worry too much about... the boat has a deep bilge sump and so he felt it was contained and he just kept a good supply of oil pillows in the bilge, and just changed them periodically....

that whole concept didnt work for me, so after making the simple repair to stopper up the oil leak, I bought a gallon of concentrated whitewall cleaner and sprayed down the entire engine, engine compartment, engine pan, bilge and surrounding area, and pressure washed it all.... I did this twice throughout, and a third time in some areas.
I didnt cover ANYTHING, except blanket the interior from any overspray that may escape thru a crack. (its amazing how red the engine is and how white the engine room and pan is, even after all these years)...

BUT.... after all the spraying and cleaning, I did NOT start the engine, but put a large box fan blowing on it for a week to dry everything out real well..... afterward it started fine, ran perfect and it looks nearly new....

yep, saltwater is the enemy, but freshwater can be used for cleaning almost everywhere as long as its NOT EVER mixed with electricity, AND it dries out quick enough so it doesnt have a chance to corrode or mildew anything.

 

[JamesG161]

Ocean salt doen't cause rapid corrosion. It takes water.
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Clean the surfaces you are going to paint, per paint manufactures instructions.
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If you want to wash you engine, try a spray mist bottle and some adsorbent rags/sponge. I get the impression you want to wash your engine like you wash your boat's deck.
Jim...

PS: My anchor chain has some of the galvanic protection gone, it doesn't corrode rapidly because I keep the water off of it in a well drained anchor locker. You can't stop corrosion, you can only slow it down to an acceptable rate.

 

[Rich Stidger]

If you wish to repaint your engine after getting it clean, and you don't ever want to do it a second time should your bad luck persist, I would recommend using POR-15. POR-15 is available at auto body shops and it is a 2-part coating that will stick to all types of metal. It should be painted if it is exposed to light. It is commonly used to paint automobile frames during restoration. I had a leaking raw water pump and knowing that I will have another leak sometime, I applied POR-15 and then the color-matched engine paint. It has been 5+ years and it looks great.

 

[HMT2]

I washed/ degreased my engine after the same thing happened. I bought a good degreaser from an auto parts store and sprayed it down with a hose. The only thing I covered was the air intake.

 

[markwbird]

This is a Yanmar 3GMF? I had the same problem. Leaky flange where the exhaust elbow bolted to the engine. Salt water. Heavy corrosion. They are bolts. When I tried removing them, one of them broke off. I had to drill it out and redrill and tap a larger hole with a new bolt. I was luck it was successful. I have power washed my engine with fresh water before. No issues. Just run the engine for a good while afterwards to dry it out.

 

[Steverhnm]

So how did you access the back of the engine? I did not think that back panel in the aft berth came out. I was planning on cutting an access panel for tbe back of the engine just for this task.

 

[markwbird]

Not easily. Just a matter of reaching back through under around via the top hatch.

 

[Steverhnm]

I'll make an access point. I hate doing stuff where there is no access. I think it will be worth it in the long run.

 

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