General
Rocky,I believe that you can't go wrong with a Universal engine but they do need some TLC. I noted in some of the replies that a few sailors were experiencing black smoke on the transom after running a few hours. If the engine is more then a few years old, there are several things that will affect the operation and cause BLACK SMOKE, not to be confused with Gray or Blue Smoke. If you are seeing a lot of black smoke then first I would make sure that you are using fresh fuel and that it was a good grade. Secondly, combustion in a diesel engine accures because the fuel is mixed with lots of air, heated and compressed until it explodes, Heating is done with the glow plugs and compression by the piston. If there is a high back pressure in the exhaust or insufficient air then the fuel will not be fully burned and the result will be black smoke. Also if the valves are misadjusted or the fuel system is improperly timed, poor compression will result in unburned fuel and black smoke. Other then these, overloading the engine and the wrong sizepitch propeller can cause black smoke. Start at the point of least money output: Fuel, Exhaust, Air Intake and then engine. Salt water can do a real number on your cooling system,heat exchanger. so much salt that you could not get your finger into the pipe. Good luck to all owners of the inboard iron sail. There great when you need them so take care.Charlie