Universal 5411 impeller flow

[jakez]

I have a 5411 in my Catalina 30. Runs well... temp is good when running for a while. The exhaust is mostly steam as it gets warmed up. It occasionally spurts water in the low /mid throttle range. If I throttle up, the water spurts become more frequent. All seems to be working well...
Then a friend saw me motoring by and told me I that my engine wasn't discharging enough water and I should check my intake. I will... and have recently gone through it and it all seems good.
But now I'm curious - for you 5411 drivers out there - what's a typical water discharge for that engine? Perhaps it depends on where you are - my water temps are generally about 55 - 65 degrees.

 

[Jack - La Paz Mx]

We have had out Cat 30 with the 5411 engine since 1995. What you describe is exactly how ours expells water. We have been all over S. CA and then in La Paz for 15 years. As long as your temps stay below around 140 degrees, the engine is functioning normally. We got more steam in CA cool waters than in Sea of Cortez, but that drives other sailors nuts. They are well intentioned, but the recirculated raw water in the 5411 is different that most other boats. Can't tell you how many folks have pointed that steam out. Enjoy the boat, very reliable engine.

 

[jakez]

We have had out Cat 30 with the 5411 engine since 1995. What you describe is exactly how ours expells water. We have been all over S. CA and then in La Paz for 15 years. As long as your temps stay below around 140 degrees, the engine is functioning normally. We got more steam in CA cool waters than in Sea of Cortez, but that drives other sailors nuts. They are well intentioned, but the recirculated raw water in the 5411 is different that most other boats. Can't tell you how many folks have pointed that steam out. Enjoy the boat, very reliable engine.

Thanks, Jack. That's what I thought, but it's reassuring to know that others do perform in the same way. Cheers.

 

[jrowan]

I have a 5411 in my Catalina 30. Runs well... temp is good when running for a while. The exhaust is mostly steam as it gets warmed up. It occasionally spurts water in the low /mid throttle range. If I throttle up, the water spurts become more frequent. All seems to be working well...
Then a friend saw me motoring by and told me I that my engine wasn't discharging enough water and I should check my intake. I will... and have recently gone through it and it all seems good.
But now I'm curious - for you 5411 drivers out there - what's a typical water discharge for that engine? Perhaps it depends on where you are - my water temps are generally about 55 - 65 degrees.

We have the same 5411 in our C 30. She runs exactly the same, & runs fine.
If you want to see a more rapid flow of water out the exhaust pipe from the water muffler discharge more quickly, then turn off the water valve that causes the water to recirculate through the thermostatically controlled coolant loop. The thermostat will not open up the normal discharge coolant loop until it reaches full operating temperature. This makes the engine warm up a little faster & runs at a more efficient temp quicker, but is really not necessary in the summer months, when the incoming raw water temp is in the 70 & 80's degree range anyway. The initial stem temp. output used to bother me too, but this is not the only marine engine that does this. My old Yanmar YSM8 used to do the same thing. When I first ran this engine I though it was a cracked head gasket or something, but the engine runs great & always runs at 180 degrees or less & is rock solid, & gets great fuel economy. The long run of the exhaust hose & a big water muffler causes her to hold a lot of intial water before normal discharge buildup. Perfectly normal.