We have the raw water cooled 2-GM. Is there any way to tell how much damage the salt water has done ?
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Ron
Damage?
You need to define "damage". If you want to see corrosion caused by salt water on the in side of the cooling system, you can take a hose off the water pump and see the buildup on the inside of the metal surfaces. You could also dismantle the engine and see what is going on. When I lay my engine up I always have anti-freeze sucked into the block and muffler before I leave. At least the only time the salt water is in there, is when the engine is being used. This should give me more life from the engine. Use environmentally safe antifreeze, not the green stuff.
You need to define "damage". If you want to see corrosion caused by salt water on the in side of the cooling system, you can take a hose off the water pump and see the buildup on the inside of the metal surfaces. You could also dismantle the engine and see what is going on. When I lay my engine up I always have anti-freeze sucked into the block and muffler before I leave. At least the only time the salt water is in there, is when the engine is being used. This should give me more life from the engine. Use environmentally safe antifreeze, not the green stuff.
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Peter Clancy
Personal Experience
Love to talk about my amazing 1983 Yanmar 2GM raw-water diesel.Always in warm salt water, never flushed or cleaned cooling system. Changed oil religiously every three years, changed impellor once, in 1997,it was still in decent shape with one cracked vane. In 1999, the first time we ever changed hoses and belts. Dissassembled engine down to the block, no evidence of any salt buildup or blockage anywhere in the engine cooling passages. Sent alternator out for testing, still showed 40 amps output. Slapped it back together, it cranked right up and still doesn't smoke. Just think how long I could run with good maintenance!
Love to talk about my amazing 1983 Yanmar 2GM raw-water diesel.Always in warm salt water, never flushed or cleaned cooling system. Changed oil religiously every three years, changed impellor once, in 1997,it was still in decent shape with one cracked vane. In 1999, the first time we ever changed hoses and belts. Dissassembled engine down to the block, no evidence of any salt buildup or blockage anywhere in the engine cooling passages. Sent alternator out for testing, still showed 40 amps output. Slapped it back together, it cranked right up and still doesn't smoke. Just think how long I could run with good maintenance!
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Peter Clancy
Final Comment!
I was told by an experienced marine diesel mechanic there is not much you can do to protect a raw water cooled diesel engine used in salt water from salt buildup and corrosion. Run it till it stops and then replace it. We are going on 18 years with our 2GM!
I was told by an experienced marine diesel mechanic there is not much you can do to protect a raw water cooled diesel engine used in salt water from salt buildup and corrosion. Run it till it stops and then replace it. We are going on 18 years with our 2GM!
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Pat Spino
Raw Water Cooled Yanmar
Tony Had a 1980 2-QM15 with lots of hours on it. Used inj Barnegat Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Haven't had a problem up to the day I sold the boat. One thing I did was to install a freshwater flushing tee on the intake. But that was done relatively recently. Mack Boring said that the raw water cooled engines are built heavily and designed for use in salt water and there should not be a problem. Flushing with fresh water is one way to really increase the longevity of the engine, however. Don't worry about it. PAT
Tony Had a 1980 2-QM15 with lots of hours on it. Used inj Barnegat Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Haven't had a problem up to the day I sold the boat. One thing I did was to install a freshwater flushing tee on the intake. But that was done relatively recently. Mack Boring said that the raw water cooled engines are built heavily and designed for use in salt water and there should not be a problem. Flushing with fresh water is one way to really increase the longevity of the engine, however. Don't worry about it. PAT
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Terry G. Arnold
zinc maintenance is essential for long life
There are two sacrificial zincs in the block of this engine. Monitoring the conditions of these zincs, cleaning, and/or replacing them in accordance with the manual is about the most important thing an owner can do in protecting against corrosion.
There are two sacrificial zincs in the block of this engine. Monitoring the conditions of these zincs, cleaning, and/or replacing them in accordance with the manual is about the most important thing an owner can do in protecting against corrosion.
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Tim Schaaf
forever.....
Not really, but the Yanmar raw water cooled engines are legendary in their longevity. Make sure you check your zincs. Their cooling passages are really big, to accomodate a bit of salting-up. My 2QM 15 is 21 years old, still going strong. A top end rebuild revealed hardly any problems other than a head gasket that needed replacing. I never flush the engine, either. My engine's cylinders are sleeved, so the liners can be replaced. It is definitely NOT a "throw-away" engine! By the way, the best mechanic I ever knew (from Zimbabwe, by the way!) said that the raw water engines will last as long as the fresh water ones..and in his opinion, the only reason manufacturers started using heat exchangers and fresh water cooling was to enable Americans to heat their hot water......oh, well!
Not really, but the Yanmar raw water cooled engines are legendary in their longevity. Make sure you check your zincs. Their cooling passages are really big, to accomodate a bit of salting-up. My 2QM 15 is 21 years old, still going strong. A top end rebuild revealed hardly any problems other than a head gasket that needed replacing. I never flush the engine, either. My engine's cylinders are sleeved, so the liners can be replaced. It is definitely NOT a "throw-away" engine! By the way, the best mechanic I ever knew (from Zimbabwe, by the way!) said that the raw water engines will last as long as the fresh water ones..and in his opinion, the only reason manufacturers started using heat exchangers and fresh water cooling was to enable Americans to heat their hot water......oh, well!
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