water temp guage and oil pressure guage

Calypso · Mar 25, 2011

Are you sure it doesn't say 1.3 liters?? My 3gm30 only takes about 2 quarts. at least certainly not over a gallon. I think that's your problem. Go by the dipstick and just put a little in at a time until you get it in the low range on the stick. If you change the filter a little oil will go in there when you start up and make your level a bit lower.

woodster · Mar 26, 2011

i just rebuilt one about 3 months ago (2QM15)and it only took 2 qts of oil ....so i would suck all the oil out of the crancase and then put i 1 3/4 qts of oil and then ck the dip stick and if need mor just put in a pint at a time till you read in the safe zone on the stick..... and yes Masty is the yanmar people down your way

regards

woody

woodster · Mar 27, 2011

Bergovoy said:
thank you woody..... it is good to get confirmation...I would love to have an oil pressure guage instead of a light...and water/engine temperature guage...

I got the oil in and was testing it out and the throttle cable broke right at the clevis to the motor/fuel injection pump arm... i called up a few folks i know, the PO, and no one understood what i wanted/needed.. and had someone drill out the broken cable and re-tap the clevis, but at the same time i found one at west marine for about ten bucks.

mastry told me they are discontinued... which i guess yanmar doesnt make as they dont need to.. but, hey, for this virgin, i thought i was screwed. as if no one else has a throttle to engine device already... hehehe

i think what masty ment was the 2qm15 is discontinued as in its no longer made but they do have some parts ....i am up gradeing to 2gm20f for the sake of haveing a closed cooling system along with the fact that they are still making the gm series engines and you can get all the parts

i get a little excited over the basic stuff, becuase i cant or rather dont know the right name/terminolgy and see the reaction from folks like they have no clue what i am talking about, so i think i am the very first person to encounter these problems...

yes that is human natuer at its best.....we fail to qualfy on a day to day basis

it is good to hear and get feedback...sometimes this internet thing is a great thing...

so, while we are on a roll...any clues on how to install guages, along with the idiot lights?

you can use a bronze pipe tee fot the oil pressure switch ... you can add an after market pressure sinding unite along with a guage make sure they are a matched set ......as fot the temp sending unite you can add a bronze pipe tee to the water hose tha goes to the exaughst elbow again make sure it is a matched set....but i personally think you would be wise to use the cards that were delt with engine and save your money for an egine up grade in the long run...jmho as you will have anywhere from $150 to $300 in that add on

and is there a list of 'replacement parts' for yanmar or other proprietary parts?

i have a manual on all the parts for the 2qm on my puter and can send you a copy if you like

I got a v-belt today from an auto parts store that someone told me would be hard to find... (water pump belt)...

you will in time find after market parts ei oil filters,fuel filters, and belts along with the water intake pump impellers...everything else is pretty much yanmar ....theses little engines are very tough and if you learn the basics of them can serve you will.....this boating thing is quite humbleing in regards to up keep and if you just take a little time and research you will find that its not rocket sience and will be fun to tinker with it

hope this helps

regards

woody

you will find in the long run that if you just clean the exaughts manifold water passeages and the elbow and keep good zincs in the block along with a good working thermostat and good hoses that you will have no problems.....a word of caution ....if you clean the manafold and find it to be in bad shape it may be a little thin resulting in a water leak in the water jacket it may be best to have it cleaned at a radiator shop if you are not mechanicely inclined...this is based on the fact that the history of the engine is unknown to you and you had only the sellers word on the condition ....this is not to alarm you just give you a foundation to start from ....hope this helps good luck

woody

BobM · Apr 5, 2011

Suggested reading:

Marine Diesel Engines: Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair by
Nigel Calder

When I bought my 9.2A I was quite concerned about the learning curve I would encounter with my first diesel engine. I read everything I could get my hands on online and actually was pretty well prepared. However, I subsequently bought Calder's book to have on the boat as a reference and recommend it.

The 2QM15 is a relatively simple engine, but the care and feeding of a diesel can differ significantly from a gas engine. Babying a diesel is terrible for it and it needs to run at 80-90 percent of wide open throttle (WOT) to be efficient and not coke up. My max is 3200 rpm and I cruise at 2800 achieving a max of 5.5 knots. The factory prop on my boat is a 16RH9 Michigan Wheel. That is, 16 inch diameter, right hand rotation with a 9 pitch. In speaking to others their props were similar for the same combo, with some having a slightly smaller diameter. Diameter is less important than pitch in overloading the engine. A relatively small change in pitch can cause the engine to smoke badly under a load. It is important that the prop be sized to allow the engine to achieve hull speed at 80-90% of WOT so that it can run properly.

Fuel quality is important. If you don't know the age of the fuel in your tank, empty your tank, pull it, clean it out, check it for leaks and then re-install it or replace it. My Aluminum tank was leaking at the front lower seam and under the hold down straps at the bottom of the tank. There was diesel in my bilge and it was a pain to remove and clean out. My friend had loads of problems because (a) his fuel tank was full of sediment and (b) he thought that a smaller 2 micron primary fuel filter (mounted in the engine compartment, but not integral to the engine itself) was better than a 10 micron fuel filter. As a result he had a number of situations in rough seas where the sediment got suspended and got sucked into and clogged his filter. You should also check the o-ring on the fuel filler cap and replace it if it is cracked and failing. Water in diesel must be avoided and funneling it in through a bad o-ring in the cockpit floor due to a rain storm must be avoided. Watch the clear bowl of the primary filter for water. It should be designed to let your drain it out of the bottom of the bowl, if necessary.

I have posted a fair amount about alignment. I suggest you read up on it, as it really isn't straightforward and most people don't know what they are talking about. Don't worry about what you see now too much if the boat is on the hard. After my experience, my opinion is that any diagnosis of mis-alignment based on the angle of the shaft through the strut while on the hard is likely mistaken. Don't spin the shaft dry, be sure to lubricate it with water, but if it can't be moved significantly left to right or up / down then don't worry about the cutless bearing. Throw it in the water and then check the alignment after the boat has been in the water for a week to allow it to reshape to its natural form.

Warning. The 2QM15 has a known ignition bug where it will suddenly decide not to even think about starting when you turn the key. It will just be dead. There is a known fix involving upgrading the wiring and adding a capacitor, if I recall correctly. I have to add this to my to-do list as this happens at least twice a year on my boat, more typically in cold weather after it has sat for a while. I had replaced the starter button and futzed with the wiring to no avail many times (on the back of the ignition panel). What finally cured it last time was whacking the starter with a heavy object.

Also, for some reason Yanmar decided that the cable pull to shut off the engine wouldn't need to be stainless cable. They invariably freeze up and stop working. If yours is working, be diligent about lubricating the cable in the cockpit area. Mine has never worked. The PO set it up so that if you drop the throttle all the way it will stall, but it is not a recommended fix as it creates a hazard.

Adding gauges should be pretty straightforward. You will likely need to replace the sending units though.

Anyway. Got to get some sleep.

Bob

BobM · Apr 7, 2011

No problem

A couple of more items.

Don't crank the engine for more than ten seconds or so. There is a risk that you could suck raw water into the head if you don't have a siphon break in the raw water line fitted to the elbow. This was not a factory option.

You may wish to flush the engine with dilute acid to clean the water jacket. Calypso lost the head on his 2QM15 and found that Torrensen has perhaps the last new replacement head in existence but it is priced that way too (over $2K if I recall correctly). He bought a new engine instead. I saw the head and it cracked irreparably between the valves. I flushed my engine with dilute acid last spring as a precaution, figuring that an ounce of prevention...

filthy liberal scum · Apr 8, 2011

re; 2QM 15

i had an O'Day 30 with the same engine for over 20 plus years.
first the 16/10 prop is the correct one for that engine. over proping that engine will only result in overloading it. found that out the hard way when i reproped with a folder that needed to be smaller dia for clearance reasons. they speced to much pitch for the new one and it would overload the engine at upper end of rpms.
don't remember quantity of oil but go by the dip stick.
cracked heads were a common problem with this engine if they were left in the original raw water cooled set up. rust would close off the passages at the rear of the engine causing a hot spot that would crack the valve seats. i had this happen to two heads until i figured out the problem.
YOU SHOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER CONVERTING THE ENGINE TO FRESH WATER COOLING AS I DID. THE MAJOR PROBLEM IS THAT YANMAR NO LONGER SELLS THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD FOR THIS ENGINE. it has a bad habit of clogging up with rust. and blocking coolent flow. i think that i may have posted something on this site re;cleaning out the manifold and converting to fresh water cooling. check o'day 30 section.
there is a co called Sen-Dur in fla. that has the parts for the conversion.
good luck

Calypso · Apr 8, 2011

Bob, I have a 3gm30 and haven"t had head problems. Just do what you need to to get sailing safely. I found alot of helpful people at our marina. I'm always asking questions there, it works.

woodster · Apr 8, 2011

Bergovoy said:
btw, what motor would you suggest for a replacement, if and when i get there?

bill@thelittleocean.com

i would go no less than a 2gm20f...it will lighten you your boat about 150lbs or so and will fit nicely in the same spot ..also give you a little more room in the engine room ...not a lot but a little more...it is possiable to put a 3gm30f in there as well ...but the 20 should be enough and you can also run your hot water heater with it......there are other engines out there i have heard that the Bata is a good one as well and a lot cheaper when buying a new engine...hope this helps..

regards

woody

garylinger · Apr 9, 2011

Last spring I replaced my 2QM15 with a Beta-Marine 16. It is slightly smaller and lighter with a bit more horsepower. It is freshwater cooled, has an oil changing pump and glowplugs. I am VERY pleased with it and the people at Beta (Stanley) are very helpful.

BobM · Apr 9, 2011

Re-powering is a matter of choice. I think Gary made the right decision and I would have made the same. With the center cockpit the re-power was much more of a challenge. He was able to do it with the help of his son and the less expensive and lighter beta 16 allowed him to do that...and it still wasn't easy from what he told me.

A small three cylinder certainly sounds attractive, from both the added power and the added smoother running of a third cylinder, however is it worth it? It depends. If you are doing it yourself, go for it. The couple of thou you will spend for the larger engine is something you will likely recoup. But if you are primarily daysailing in good weather do you need it? Unless your area has big tidal surges, probably not.

You may have to rebuild your engine cover as well. If you see an ad for an older 9.2A with an Atomic 4 the cover protrudes much further into the cabin than typical.