Hello. I'm starting to do some maintenance on the Yanmar on my 2016 Catalina. The engine has about 60 hours on it so there probably isn't much to do. What I've already done is changed the gear oil and engine oil (and oil filter). I also replaced the anode behind the propeller. A couple questions about other engine maintenance areas:
Thanks you!
- Internal anode (pencil zinc): I bought a replacement pencil zinc mainly because it was so cheap. Anyone have any ideas how frequently it should be changed? I tried to loosen the bolt with a 32mm socket wrench but couldn't apply enough torque with the awkward position. I'm assuming it can be omitted for now but I'm quite curious about it.
- Fuel/water separator: I drained the bottom of the Racor and detected no water so I think I'm good there. Just to be safe, I will probably replace the filter anyway. I'm assuming I should turn off the fuel valve on the tank before I do this so as to avoid excessive fuel spillage? I believe there is only one shutoff valve located on the top of the tank and it needs to be turned perpendicular to the fuel line to shut it off. Also, do I need to prime the filter/separator and/or bleed the air out of the system after I replace the filter?
- Sea water strainer: During the survey, it was noted that the plastic bowl was showing some cracks and I was advised to replace it. Does anyone know the manufacturer part number for this strainer? Any tips on how to replace it? Looks straight forward.
Thanks you!