Repowering a Cat 30 TR

[Dave Ullrich]

Well, my Univeral 54-11 gulped a BUNCH of saltwater when an exhaust elbow rusted trough. We've flushed it and changed the oil 3 times. This happened just before winterization so the engine hasn't been used more than an hour since the problem. So, we'll see if sh's OK over the next few weeks.If it turns out that the engine needs rebuilding, I was thinking of just repowering her to put in a slightly larger engine. Does anybody have any thoughts on what engine to go with? Remember, I'm on a poor man's budget, so pricing is a fact that must be considered. Any thought on manufacturer and model would be greatly appriciated. Thanks,Dave

 

[Dave Ullrich]

P.S.

Also, if I up the power to say around 20, any suggestions on size and pitch for a fixed 2 blad prop?

 

[Steve Dion]

Can't imagine why

Dave:I can't imagine why you would need a rebuild if the engine was running after the mishap. I think that you may want to change the oil again and run that sucker until she dies. You may want to use a very high detergent oil and run the engine for several hours (4-6 hours) and do one more oil change. This will give the engine a chance to boil all of the crap out of the engine. My understanding of what happened to you is usually fatal (to the engine and the pocketbook). Suck up seawater and sieze the engine. When this happens you usually bend and break parts. If you are on a tight budget (like most of us) the cheapest thing is to stay with what you have as far as engine size. Going to a larger engine CAN involve a lot of retro fitting.