I have a Catalina 30 with a universal m-25. It is fresh water cooled with sea water to cool the coolant. Has anyone come up with the way to run the engine when she is on dry land? I would guess it would in tail rigging up some sort of hose to such water in through the sea cock into the engine?
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How to Run Engine out of water
Use this procedure to flush your engine at the end of the season and to winterize the sea water cooling system. Remove the sea water hose from the through hull and place it in a 5 gallon bucket. Have a fresh water hose at the ready and also your winter antifreeze "pink stuff" open and ready to pure. This job is easier with a helper. Fill the 5 gal. bucket with clean water. Have your helper start the engine. Let the engine draw the water out of the bucket at its own rate. Do not force water into the cooling system with the hose. Continue to fill the bucket as needed until you have flushed the engine sea water system with clean water. Now wait for the engine to draw the water in the bucket to near the bottom quickly at the "pink stuff" antifreeze until your helper sees pink stuff exiting the engine exhaust pipe, stop the engine shortly after seeing the pink stuff coming out. One or two jugs should be enough to winterize your M25.
Use this procedure to flush your engine at the end of the season and to winterize the sea water cooling system. Remove the sea water hose from the through hull and place it in a 5 gallon bucket. Have a fresh water hose at the ready and also your winter antifreeze "pink stuff" open and ready to pure. This job is easier with a helper. Fill the 5 gal. bucket with clean water. Have your helper start the engine. Let the engine draw the water out of the bucket at its own rate. Do not force water into the cooling system with the hose. Continue to fill the bucket as needed until you have flushed the engine sea water system with clean water. Now wait for the engine to draw the water in the bucket to near the bottom quickly at the "pink stuff" antifreeze until your helper sees pink stuff exiting the engine exhaust pipe, stop the engine shortly after seeing the pink stuff coming out. One or two jugs should be enough to winterize your M25.
Must have atmospheric break
Use a garden hose to fill the bucket. Let the bucket overflow into the bilge while the garden hose runs. The Oberdorfer vane pump can pull what it needs. If you hook the garden hose up to the water inlet without an atmospheric break, the city water pressure can ovverun the vane pump. This will back up cooling water at the exhaust elbow and you will get water into the cylinders. This was you can run the engine for as long as needed.
Use a garden hose to fill the bucket. Let the bucket overflow into the bilge while the garden hose runs. The Oberdorfer vane pump can pull what it needs. If you hook the garden hose up to the water inlet without an atmospheric break, the city water pressure can ovverun the vane pump. This will back up cooling water at the exhaust elbow and you will get water into the cylinders. This was you can run the engine for as long as needed.
other concerns
Any one no of any concerns about starting the engine on land besides the saltwater cooled?
Any one no of any concerns about starting the engine on land besides the saltwater cooled?
Additional thoughts
Ideally, you should run the engine long enough to warm it up so that the thermostat opens - that way you are sure to get antifreeze to all parts of the engine block. Alternately, you could remove the thermostat before you winterize. You can also open the coolant drain plugs on the sides of the engine block (if you have them) and drain whatever is still in the cooling passages. Secondly, I would make sure that my boat was properly blocked with extra jackstands and chains. Those small diesels can really shake the whole boat and could cause it to fall over.
Ideally, you should run the engine long enough to warm it up so that the thermostat opens - that way you are sure to get antifreeze to all parts of the engine block. Alternately, you could remove the thermostat before you winterize. You can also open the coolant drain plugs on the sides of the engine block (if you have them) and drain whatever is still in the cooling passages. Secondly, I would make sure that my boat was properly blocked with extra jackstands and chains. Those small diesels can really shake the whole boat and could cause it to fall over.
No need to open thermostat
I could be wrong but I don't see any reason to run the engine until the thermostat opens. You are winterizing the seawater side of the engine not the fresh water loop. As soon as you start up the engine your pumping sea water thu the entire seawater loop. Again, no reason to heat the engine up until the thernostat opens.
I could be wrong but I don't see any reason to run the engine until the thermostat opens. You are winterizing the seawater side of the engine not the fresh water loop. As soon as you start up the engine your pumping sea water thu the entire seawater loop. Again, no reason to heat the engine up until the thernostat opens.
Fresh water cooled
You are correct, fresh water cooled engines do not usually have a thermostat on the raw water side. It should be OK to flush antifreeze through the raw water side without warming the engine.
You are correct, fresh water cooled engines do not usually have a thermostat on the raw water side. It should be OK to flush antifreeze through the raw water side without warming the engine.
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