Engine City Tech - For interest of Yanmar Marine Diesel engine owners and operators On February 14-16, 2000, I attended the diesel engine classes put on at Engine City Tech by Mack Boring in New Jersey. This is what I learned. Mach Boring has the distribution rights for Yanmar marine engines for the Eastern United States. They also put on classes on Yanmar maintenance through their education facility, Engine City Tech. They have a one day class ($150) that teaches diesel engine basics and a two day hands-on class ($350) that really gets into the guts of the engines. They provide each student with an engine similar to the one they own or use. Isuzu is the world's largest diesel manufacturer, Yanmar is the second. Mack Boring is the largest distributor of Yanmar engines in the US, second in the world. They have four branches in the US; Union, NJ, Wilmington,NC, Middleboro, MA and February 1st they opened a new branch in Buffalo Grove, IL. They have 200 dealers in US. The manager of the new Buffalo Grove, IL branch is Ed Miller. He was in our class for the first day introduction. Yanmar and Volvo are the only diesels specifically made for marine applications, molybdenum steel. Designed to start okay in temperatures down to 20 degrees F. The cylinders are numbered from the propeller shaft forward. Yanmars are designed for a 10,000 hour service life. The instructor, Larry Berlin, says the Ten Commandments of Diesel Engine Service are: Follow the Engine Manufacturers Operations Manual (repeat this 10 times). The top three problems that Mack Boring sees are: wrong prop (usually too big), bad fuel and water in the engine. I was surprised to learn that the engine would continue to run with the key off, you just lose all of your warning lights. He said many people are in the bad habit of turning on their key, starting the engine and then pocketing the key. Unfortunately they have no way of knowing if they have a later problem with the engine. Our test engines had oil but no cooling water at all. We ran them several times on the second day for up to five minutes without any warning lights coming on. Larry said that the "warning" lights are just that. If you turn off the engine when the warning light comes on, no damage has occurred. Just don't continue to run the engine for more than a minute of two after the warning light comes on. He went into the main systems: FUEL, OIL, COOLING, ELECTRICAL. The most important is the Lube Oil System. It reduces friction, provides cooling, sealing, cleaning, dampening, protection from oxidation and corrosion. The oil to use is API services SE, CD or higher at SAE 30W (I have been told they are recommending additional weights now). Varnish forms if the engine is not run enough. Once a month, run one to two hours at hull speed. Do not idle at the slip or mooring to charge your battery. 1400 to 1500 RPM is required. Do not use unapproved additives or synthetic oils. Use only oil filters recommended by Yanmar. There is no drain plug in a Yanmar engine. You must pump the oil out of the dip stick hole after it warms up for a half hour at high RPM. There are three lube systems: pressure (bearings), drain back (through cylinder head), and splash (cylinder walls). ALL ENGINES ARE DESIGNED TO CONSUME OIL!! Yanmar: A gallon of oil for every fifty gallons of fuel. If the engine runs away, DO NOT put the transmission into neutral. Can happen if you run the engine with the boat heeled. Black smoke is unburned fuel caused by wrong prop, prop impeded or wrong alignment. Installing oil filters: Fill full of oil and lube contact ring. Give a turn after "O" ring touches the seal. Gear Box lubrication: Drop the dip stick to read - don't screw in, steel wool the dip stick - paint with white epoxy half way up. Change the transmission fluid when changing the lube oil except on the Yanmar GL. Idle speed approximately 800 RPM will not charge battery. Use marine grade battery charger. To shut engine down: Put engine in neutral for 3 to 5 minutes. Pull Stop cable to cut fuel to engine. To lube Stop cable, use white Lithium grease. Fuel system: 3600 RPM = full load speed, 3825 RPM = no load speed, prop matching speed = 3550 to 3700, hull speed = 2500 to 3000. Transmission: Neutral under sail is okay. After long period, check for overheating. Better to put transmission in Reverse. Less drag than spinning. Cannot shift from Reverse to Neutral under sail. Must slow. Forward gear will not lock the transmission under sail. Under 1000 RPM to shift the transmission (preferable). Goose a feathering prop to engage. Three parts of the Fuel Injection System: (1) Yanmar supplies the fuel feed pump, secondary fuel pump, injection pump and injectors, (2) Hunter supplies the fuel tank, primary fuel filter (Racor) and return fuel line, (3) the owner supplies clean fuel. "Cetane" is the burn ability of the fuel. Diesel in the US has low Cetane. Diesel fuel should be clear in color with no water or particles. Algae grows in diesel. Check for "O" ring under Diesel filler. Replace every season. Careful of filling with water or gas. The primary fuel filter traps water to be drained out. Red paint on a fuel filter is 30 micron and brown paint is 2 micron. The secondary filter is 5 or 10 microns. You can hook fuel filters up in parallel but not in series. Requires too much pressure to pump fuel. He primary fuel pump only puts out one to two pounds of pressure. FPPF(tm) fuel additives are okay. The Yanmar GM models will burn low Cetane fuel but LH's and above need higher Cetane. Use FPPF(tm) 8 Cetane Improver if necessary. Don't use alcohol-based additives as they lower lubrication. FPPF(tm) Fuelpower Plus Lubricity is a preventative. FPPF(tm) Killem is for algae. Stanadyne is also approved by Yanmar and EPA approved. The Fuel Injection Pump meters, times and distributes the fuel to the proper injectors. Injectors atomize the fuel. The injector pump on the GM models create 18,000 to 20,000 pounds per square inch and the LH's 30,000. Bleeding: Keep a full tank of fuel, tighten the fittings between the fuel tank and fuel feed pump. Bleed screw on top of engine fuel filter on Yanmars is a 10 mm Phillips head. (True Value has a nice 8-way screw driver for $3.49 that fits all of the screws on the GM and most on the other Yanmars and has two nut drivers that fit the two sizes of hose clamps on most Yanmars.) There is another on top of the fuel injection pump. The engine has to stop with the lever of the pump on the lowest part of the cam to operate the external manual fuel pump. Loosen all injector lines to injectors. Crank for five seconds. Tighten the lines back. You should also paint the bleed screws for ease of location. The two and three cylinder GMs require two 17 mm open-end wrenches to breed the fuel lines at the injectors. There are no sacrificial zincs in the fresh water cooled GM or LH model Yanmar. Larry mentioned one model that has zincs but I did not note it. See your manual. (Available from Mack Boring or your dealer) You should replace the mixing elbow every five years. Wash the air silencer (filter) with soap and water. Point the air intake slightly down so it will not catch dripping water. There is a fuse in the capsule under the air silencer. I should never require replacing however if it blows, find out why before replacing it with a new one. Vibration: The most common causes are prop (bent, dinged, barnacles), the distance between the top of the prop and bottom of the boat is insufficient (should be 21/2 inches for every 10 inches of prop), the distance from the strut to the prop is too great (should be less than the diameter of the prop shaft), the stuffing box is too tight or the shaft alignment is off. Adjust the prop shaft coupling for 4 to 8 one-thousands of clearance. Anti-siphon valves should be tested every year. There is one is for cooling water to the mixing elbow and one in the toilet system. Electrical system: On the most common electrical panel supplied with the Yanmar engines (Island Packet and some others have custom engine panels), turn on key, press UP on lamp switch to test the Water Temperature Light and press DOWN to test the Tachometer Light. There is a spare light bulb behind the unmarked left-most warning light position. For proper charging, keep belts tight, press long leg of belt 1/2 to 3/4 inch of depression by thumb. Less is too tight, more is too loose. Important: Yanmar uses METRIC belts in which the angle of cross-section and width differ from the same "Length" of Standard (English) belt. If you get a belt at a service station, it will wear abnormally and fail prematurely. Buy Yanmar, they don't cost that much more. Look for "glazed" belts (replace) and glazed pulleys (steel wool). Check tension every time you open the engine compartment. At the end of the season, loosen all belts. At the Engine City Tech class that I just attended, the instructor Larry did a demonstration that was very revealing. He read the voltage flow from the positive to negative terminals of one of the batteries we were using in class. It read 13.7 volts. He then measured the voltage from the top of the battery to the positive terminal. It read 13.2 volts. The top of the battery was so dirty that it conducted electricity. We thoroughly cleaned the top of the battery and repeated the last test and it measured Zero volts. He said it made him sad that so many people were willing to invest heavily in huge alternators and battery monitoring devices but were neglecting ordinary maintenance. Keep battery terminals spotlessly clean. Replace battery terminal bolts when they are corroded. Clean the top of the batteries so current doesn't flow. Clean battery switches. Paint with Polyurethane varnish. DO NOT USE SPRAY CAN PAINT! All spray paint is conductive. Cooling System: You need a sea strainer in water line coming from the sea cock to the water pump. A 22 caliber rifle brush will clean out the heat exchanger tubes. Use a 50:50 antifreeze/water mix such as Texaco Havoline Ethylene Glycol Extended Life Antifreeze or Mobile brand to -38ºF. The 2GM20F uses 2.9 liters. There are petcocks on either side of the engine to drain antifreeze. Engine City Tech provided a 2GM20F similar to the one in my 1987 Hunter 31 (2 cylinder 20 (sort-of) horsepower, freshwater cooled Yanmar diesel. (Says 16 hp on engine plate). I removed and replaced the Raw Water Pump, Fuel Filter, Alternator, Thermostat, Heat Exchanger, Rocker Cover, V Belts, Mixing Elbow and Torqued the Cylinder Head and Adjusted the Valves. After each exercise, we had to bleed the fuel lines and restart the engine. (I can bleed fuel lines blind-folded, now) This class has given me a great deal of confidence in my engine and my relationship with it. I have been working on our boat (Dulcinea II). I took off the raw water pump, fuel filter and heat exchanger. So far everything looks great. The web site for the Engine City Tech classes is: http://www.enginecitytech.com/yanmar.htm Here is the schedule right now. Even if you are experienced in diesel engines, I would recommend the 1 day intro class before the 2 day hands-on class. I work for a company developing a diesel engine for experimental aircraft but I knew nothing of Yanmars. Their power curve is completely different from any aircraft or automobile diesel. Maintenance and operation are correspondingly different. Enjoy. 1 Day Course Monday, October 29, 2001 Union Monday, November 05, 2001 - Union, NJ ****POWERBOAT OWNERS ONLY*** Monday, November 12, 2001 Union, NJ Monday, December 10, 2001 Union, NJ Monday, January 07, 2002 Union, NJ Monday, January 21, 2002 Union, NJ Monday, February 04, 2002 Wilmington, NC Monday, February 25, 2002 Buffalo Grove, IL Monday, March 11, 2002 Middleborough, MA Tuesday, March 12, 2002 Middleborough, MA Wednesday, March 13, 2002 Middleborough, MA Monday, March 18, 2002 Middleborough, MA Monday, April 08, 2002 Union, NJ Friday, April 26, 2002 - Union, NJ ****POWERBOAT OWNERS ONLY*** Monday, April 29, 2002 Union, NJ Monday, May 06, 2002 Union, NJ Monday, May 13, 2002 Union, NJ Monday, June 03, 2002 Middleborough, MA Monday, June 10, 2002 Middleborough, MA Monday, June 24, 2002 Union, NJ 2 Day Course Thursday, September 27, 2001 - Friday, September 28, 2001 Union, NJ Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - Wednesday, October 17, 2001 Union, NJ Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - Wednesday, October 31, 2001 Union, NJ Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - Wednesday, November 14, 2001 Union, NJ Tuesday, December 11, 2001 - Wednesday, December 12, 2001 Union, NJ Tuesday, January 08, 2002 - Wednesday, January 09, 2002 Union, NJ Tuesday, January 22, 2002 - Wednesday, January 23, 2002 Union, NJ Tuesday, February 05, 2002 - Wednesday, February 06, 2002 Wilmington, NC Thursday, February 07, 2002 - Friday, February 08, 2002 Wilmington, NC Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - Wednesday, February 27, 2002 Buffalo Grove, IL Thursday, February 28, 2002 - Friday, March 01, 2002 Buffalo Grove, IL Thursday, March 14, 2002 - Friday, March 15, 2002 Middleborough, MA Tuesday, March 19, 2002 - Wednesday, March 20, 2002 Middleborough, MA Tuesday, April 09, 2002 - Wednesday, April 10, 2002 Union, NJ Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - Wednesday, April 17, 2002 Union, NJ Tuesday, April 30, 2002 - Wednesday, May 01, 2002 Union, NJ Tuesday, May 07, 2002 - Wednesday, May 08, 2002 Union, NJ Tuesday, May 14, 2002 - Wednesday, May 15, 2002 Union, NJ Tuesday, June 04, 2002 - Wednesday, June 05, 2002 Middleborough, MA Thursday, June 06, 2002 - Friday, June 07, 2002 Middleborough, MA Tuesday, June 11, 2002 - Wednesday, June 12, 2002 Middleborough, MA Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - Wednesday, June 26, 2002 Union, NJ
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Thanks For Sharing
Rip - I had to say thank you for this posting. It may be long but I read every word with interest and I believe your message is exactly the reason HOW keeps growing. Owners unselfishly sharing their helpful knowledge with others. Does anyone know of a similar Yanmar class in Southern California? If there is one I am ready to sign up.
Rip - I had to say thank you for this posting. It may be long but I read every word with interest and I believe your message is exactly the reason HOW keeps growing. Owners unselfishly sharing their helpful knowledge with others. Does anyone know of a similar Yanmar class in Southern California? If there is one I am ready to sign up.
Thanks
Hello Rip: Wow, lot's of good info for us DIYr. Thanks for taking the time to post this, and welcome to the world of self suffiency. Good luck red
Hello Rip: Wow, lot's of good info for us DIYr. Thanks for taking the time to post this, and welcome to the world of self suffiency. Good luck red
Run Away Engine
What did they say to do for a run away engine? I heard that it can happen if you add too much oil over the recommended amount. Went to the one day class last year and plan on going to the two day this year. Well worth the time and money. Bob S/V Never Say Never
What did they say to do for a run away engine? I heard that it can happen if you add too much oil over the recommended amount. Went to the one day class last year and plan on going to the two day this year. Well worth the time and money. Bob S/V Never Say Never
Runaway engine
Bishop, the instructor recommended a couple of solutions to runaway engine. I did not take good notes about this problem but I think this is what he said. Any mistakes are mine, not Bishop's. It can happen due to running the engine when you have a great heel, so first put the boat on an even keel. Second, if the fuel shutoff on the tank is convenient, shut it off. If you are burning oil, this won't do any good for a while, so third (or maybe first if easier), put something flat and stiff, like a thick magazine, across the air intake and hold tightly until the engine starves. **Don't stuff a rag into the air inlet unless you have an air filter because it will get sucked through the engine.** Any runaway condition other than heeling is a symptom of serious engine problems, stuck or broken rings, leaking injector pump or cracked block. Immediately after solution, check for coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant. Check cylinder compression. Don't motorsail while consistently heeling more than 15 degrees. Good luck.
Bishop, the instructor recommended a couple of solutions to runaway engine. I did not take good notes about this problem but I think this is what he said. Any mistakes are mine, not Bishop's. It can happen due to running the engine when you have a great heel, so first put the boat on an even keel. Second, if the fuel shutoff on the tank is convenient, shut it off. If you are burning oil, this won't do any good for a while, so third (or maybe first if easier), put something flat and stiff, like a thick magazine, across the air intake and hold tightly until the engine starves. **Don't stuff a rag into the air inlet unless you have an air filter because it will get sucked through the engine.** Any runaway condition other than heeling is a symptom of serious engine problems, stuck or broken rings, leaking injector pump or cracked block. Immediately after solution, check for coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant. Check cylinder compression. Don't motorsail while consistently heeling more than 15 degrees. Good luck.
1 gal oil consumption per 50 gal diesel?
That cannot be true for my Yanmar. Could it be 1 quart of oil per 50 gallons of diesel, perhaps? Even that is more than I would have guessed. But considering that the engine oil tends to get diluted a bit with unburned diesel fuel , that consumption rate might be true. Otherwise, a great article. Thanks! Flying Dutchman
That cannot be true for my Yanmar. Could it be 1 quart of oil per 50 gallons of diesel, perhaps? Even that is more than I would have guessed. But considering that the engine oil tends to get diluted a bit with unburned diesel fuel , that consumption rate might be true. Otherwise, a great article. Thanks! Flying Dutchman
Question for Rip
First, thanks for the time you spent writing the article. My question in regarding the bleeding of the engine. You indicated bleeding the filter and then loosening the injectors and cranking and then tightening and you were finished. Is that correct? I have watched people do it different ways that are more complicated. Again thanks
First, thanks for the time you spent writing the article. My question in regarding the bleeding of the engine. You indicated bleeding the filter and then loosening the injectors and cranking and then tightening and you were finished. Is that correct? I have watched people do it different ways that are more complicated. Again thanks
More Runaway Engine Stuff
At one point I knew several other causes for a runaway engine besides those mentioned previously, but here are a couple more for engines that have a return fuel line: 1. Pinched return fuel line 2. Scum buildup inside the return line like the stuff in the bottom of an old fuel tank. My preference would be to put a shoe, sole side of course, over the end of the air cleaner as soon as possible to starve the engine of air. The reason for my preference for air starvation is because the fuel shutoff valve is usually too hard to get at and all the fuel in the line has to get burned up before it will stop. A shoe or tong is usually readily available. When a runaway happens it'll look like the stern of the boat is on fire and lots of black smoke will be belching out. A real easy time to panic! I used to remember a couple more reasons for a runaway but can't think of them at the moment.
At one point I knew several other causes for a runaway engine besides those mentioned previously, but here are a couple more for engines that have a return fuel line: 1. Pinched return fuel line 2. Scum buildup inside the return line like the stuff in the bottom of an old fuel tank. My preference would be to put a shoe, sole side of course, over the end of the air cleaner as soon as possible to starve the engine of air. The reason for my preference for air starvation is because the fuel shutoff valve is usually too hard to get at and all the fuel in the line has to get burned up before it will stop. A shoe or tong is usually readily available. When a runaway happens it'll look like the stern of the boat is on fire and lots of black smoke will be belching out. A real easy time to panic! I used to remember a couple more reasons for a runaway but can't think of them at the moment.
Compression release for runaway engine
As a runaway engine is a emergency situation, why not flip the compression release levers on all cylindars. This does not appear to conflict with the owners manual.
As a runaway engine is a emergency situation, why not flip the compression release levers on all cylindars. This does not appear to conflict with the owners manual.
Answers to additional questions
Sorry for any confusion. That 1 gal of oil per 50 of fuel sounds wrong to me too, but that is what I had in my notes. Maybe I heard it wrong or wrote it wrong. I was scribbling furiously, trying to preserve every word that Bishop said. Someone should attend the class and bring back updated notes. No one in the class mentioned compression release for a runaway. Don't know how that would work. Sounds good. On bleeding, as long as my article was, I left out a lot more than I included. The fuel system has three lines, (1)low pressure (being PULLED from the fuel tank and through the fuel filter by the cam-driven rocker pump), (2)high pressure (being PUSHED by the high-pressure pumps to the injectors) and the (3)return line to the fuel tank. You HAVE to bleed BOTH the Low and High pressure systems if you drain fuel from the fuel lines. You manually operate the rocker (external manual)pump to bleed the Low pressure lines. Loosen the bleed screw on the High pressure pump until air stops coming out while you operate the rocker pump. (I installed a RACOR filter that has a plunger pump on it that is a lot easier to get to than the rocker pump. Does the same work and you don't have to play with cam lobe position to get it to work. Then you loosen the lines at the injectors and turn the engine starter to force the air out of the High pressure lines. One of the beauties of the class, was you had to bleed the engine so many times, it became second nature. My wife and I can bleed the lines in about a minute. I open the starboard lazaret while my wife bolts for the companionway. I unlock the plunger pump on the RACOR while Marybeth grabs the Phillips head screwdriver clipped under the engine cover(With the wrench for the nuts on the High Pressure lines). I pump the plunger while she unscrews the bleed screw. After she yells from getting a face full of fuel, I stop pumping and lock the plunger. She tightens the bleed screw. She cracks the nuts on the two injector lines (three for you 3GM30s). I turn the key at her signal for about three seconds. She tightens the nuts and signals for me to start the engine. We just miss the bridge. Whee!
Sorry for any confusion. That 1 gal of oil per 50 of fuel sounds wrong to me too, but that is what I had in my notes. Maybe I heard it wrong or wrote it wrong. I was scribbling furiously, trying to preserve every word that Bishop said. Someone should attend the class and bring back updated notes. No one in the class mentioned compression release for a runaway. Don't know how that would work. Sounds good. On bleeding, as long as my article was, I left out a lot more than I included. The fuel system has three lines, (1)low pressure (being PULLED from the fuel tank and through the fuel filter by the cam-driven rocker pump), (2)high pressure (being PUSHED by the high-pressure pumps to the injectors) and the (3)return line to the fuel tank. You HAVE to bleed BOTH the Low and High pressure systems if you drain fuel from the fuel lines. You manually operate the rocker (external manual)pump to bleed the Low pressure lines. Loosen the bleed screw on the High pressure pump until air stops coming out while you operate the rocker pump. (I installed a RACOR filter that has a plunger pump on it that is a lot easier to get to than the rocker pump. Does the same work and you don't have to play with cam lobe position to get it to work. Then you loosen the lines at the injectors and turn the engine starter to force the air out of the High pressure lines. One of the beauties of the class, was you had to bleed the engine so many times, it became second nature. My wife and I can bleed the lines in about a minute. I open the starboard lazaret while my wife bolts for the companionway. I unlock the plunger pump on the RACOR while Marybeth grabs the Phillips head screwdriver clipped under the engine cover(With the wrench for the nuts on the High Pressure lines). I pump the plunger while she unscrews the bleed screw. After she yells from getting a face full of fuel, I stop pumping and lock the plunger. She tightens the bleed screw. She cracks the nuts on the two injector lines (three for you 3GM30s). I turn the key at her signal for about three seconds. She tightens the nuts and signals for me to start the engine. We just miss the bridge. Whee!
Air starvation would be the best......
method to kill a run away engine. I guess you could just have another one of the tapered plugs in the engine compartment and shove it up the air intake snorkle. If plugging the air intake is not an option then then the only other thing that is really going to work is decompressing the engine. Using the fuel shut off is going to be the first thing that you would do to kill the engine. If it kills the engine then this is really not an issue. The fuel shut off is really not a viable option in this case because we are probably burning crank case oil, so the engine is going to continue to run at extremely high RPMs until all of the crack case is burned up. Consequently you engine is probably going to be fried.
method to kill a run away engine. I guess you could just have another one of the tapered plugs in the engine compartment and shove it up the air intake snorkle. If plugging the air intake is not an option then then the only other thing that is really going to work is decompressing the engine. Using the fuel shut off is going to be the first thing that you would do to kill the engine. If it kills the engine then this is really not an issue. The fuel shut off is really not a viable option in this case because we are probably burning crank case oil, so the engine is going to continue to run at extremely high RPMs until all of the crack case is burned up. Consequently you engine is probably going to be fried.
Runaway engine
Hello All: As to a runaway engine being fed by crankcase oil, I had the very thing happen to me, due to a blown headgasket.I was finally able to stop the engine by air starvation, but had to pull the air cleaner off to do it(blocked air cleaner wouldn't do it) I thought after the fact, how is the crank oil getting to the combustion chamber. Then I realized the only way it could is thru the crancase vent tube, which runs between the crankcase and intake manifold. So if it happens to you, just disconnect this tube. Good luck red
Hello All: As to a runaway engine being fed by crankcase oil, I had the very thing happen to me, due to a blown headgasket.I was finally able to stop the engine by air starvation, but had to pull the air cleaner off to do it(blocked air cleaner wouldn't do it) I thought after the fact, how is the crank oil getting to the combustion chamber. Then I realized the only way it could is thru the crancase vent tube, which runs between the crankcase and intake manifold. So if it happens to you, just disconnect this tube. Good luck red
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