M25 Diesel question

Oct 29, 2014
38
catalina 30 MKII DCYC
Hi Guys,

what is this lever for on the back of the valve cover. Feels like it is pressing on something, the valves perhaps?


Regards,
Nels
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,103
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
It's the decompression lever. Don't bother with it. For some bizarre reason, the C30 guys have been using this as an excuse or "cover" for a poorly performing electrical system for the past three decades. I have not idea why, but Max Munger kept doing it in Mainsheet magazine.

You might be interested in this:

Engines 101 - The BIGGEST & BEST collection of M25 Series Universal Engine Information on the Internet, plus some M35, too :)

http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Diesel_Engine
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,103
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Morty, if he clocked on the link I gave him, the investment would be 0. :)

Great offer, he shouldn't refuse. :)
 
Jan 7, 2011
5,761
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
You need to reattach that spring to it.
My Yanmar 2GM20F does not have any springs attached to the compression levers....should it?

To the OP, the levers (there should be 1 per cylinder) release the compression in the cylinder. If your battery was weak, you could flip the levers, start the engine turning over, then close the levers. I have seen single-cylinder diesels hand cranked, with the lever open to get the engine turning over, then closing the lever to start the engine.

I never mess with mine.

Greg
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,103
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
My Yanmar 2GM20F does not have any springs attached to the compression levers....should it?
Greg,

I dunno. I have an M25 and it has the spring attached. You have a different engine, so there's usually no comparison. RTFM? :)
 
Mar 10, 2015
62
Catalina 30 Moss Landing, CA
mine don't and i have not seen any that do
IMO every diesel out to have it, as it's a godsend if you have inadvertently depleted the batteries, or the toy wiring of the older Cats. have neutered them.
It saved our bacon once on our little 5411soon after we bought the '82 30 last year.
Pete
 
Oct 9, 2008
1,742
Bristol 29.9 Dana Point
The universals have the spring. Different design than the Yanmar. I mean, it's a completely different engine line :-|
The spring is hanging off its bracket in the op's picture.
The spring keeps the lever from rattling against the valve gear.
 

mortyd

.
Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
stu, when i first got the boat i had terrible trouble starting my M25. after all kinds of useless advice i bought an engine manual, sat down and read it, and have not had any starting trouble since. at least 20 seconds of glo plug - right there in the manual.
 
Sep 15, 2009
6,243
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
IMO every diesel out to have it, as it's a godsend if you have inadvertently depleted the batteries, or the toy wiring of the older Cats. have neutered them.
It saved our bacon once on our little 5411soon after we bought the '82 30 last year.
Pete
so you will know i was referring to yanmars not m25s...... yannies have compression releases but no springs only levers with detents
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,103
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
stu, when i first got the boat i had terrible trouble starting my M25. after all kinds of useless advice i bought an engine manual, sat down and read it, and have not had any starting trouble since. at least 20 seconds of glo plug - right there in the manual.
Very good advice.

My point was he doesn't have to BUY a manual, we have it posted right on our C34 website in the link I provided. Wouldn't hurt to print it out. :)
 

mortyd

.
Dec 11, 2004
952
Catalina 30 easy living
thanks stu, but some of us still like things like paper books and sail boats.
 
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