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monterey74
USA
51 Posts |
 Posted - 06/17/2009 : 04:14:14 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Bob On This
Hey Rock,
I have always been told to use a straight weight oil (W-30) in boat
gas engines because of the relative low running temps.
Anything under 160 Deg. F and your 15W-30 is acting like a W-15 oil?
Have you ever heard this, or am I all wet?
Bob
Diver Down
Bob and Rock,
I have also been using 15W-40 diesel motor oil in my boat. From my understanding of multigrade oils, additives are included in them to reduce the range of viscosity variation caused by temperature changes.
For example at -30°F, a 15W-40 oil only thickens up to approximately the viscosity of a -30°F sample of 15W. A straight 40W oil at -30°F would be so thick that the engine would be difficult to start and oil would be delayed reaching all components in the engine. The 15W-40 oil at 160°F will behave like a straight 40W oil would at 160°F. It would stay thick enough at this higher temperature to maintain good oil pressure and provide adequate lubrication of the engine.
Using a straight 40W oil instead of a multigrade will result in the oil being approximately the same viscosity as the 10W-40 at 160°. This 40W oil in a cold boat engine at startup (say 75°) will be thicker than the multigrade and will result in increased startup wear. At 75° the 40W has a higher viscosity than is ideal for proper lubrication of the engine. So in summary... the multigrade oil stays closer to the ideal viscosity for the engine over a wider range of temperatures.
Note that this is how I understand multigrade oils and that I am by no means an expert. If I am wrong and there is a better explanation I am all ears!
Brett
1974 2885 Monterey
1978 2896 Mariner (Stripped down to the gunwale and ready to cut) |
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Rockmeister
USA
307 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2009 : 09:38:08 AM
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74monterey is pretty much dead-on here.
The multi-grade is the way to go.
(Mainly because of the ZDDP in the Diesel Motor Oil, your flat cam & tappets need it.)
The multi-grade also has a big positive difference in lubrication at start-up.
You can actually use 0w-40 if you want, the motor will never get cold enough to get the oil down to 0 weight.
(If it does, your boat is surrounded by ice... lol)
General Info: 15w-40 is pretty much the default weight for Diesel Oil.
79 28' Mariner twin inboard V-drive.
Western Lake Erie: Maumee Bay & The Islands |
Edited by - Rockmeister on 06/17/2009 09:39:35 AM |
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Jimbo Song
226 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2009 : 09:49:27 AM
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Living in FL I use 30W Diesel Motor Oil. My older engines seem to thrive on the stuff.
I wonder though, why is it that the proper name to use when referring to a boat is "engine". But the oil is "motor" oil? Odd. 
1987 Carver Voyager 28
Jimbo Song |
Edited by - Jimbo Song on 06/17/2009 09:51:39 AM |
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Rockmeister
USA
307 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2009 : 3:30:48 PM
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With the major work finished on the engine(s) for now, it has freed me up to finally get to work on the interior.
(Safety & dependability above "Bling". lol)
Have had the materials to do this since early last year, simply did not have the time with all the engine work I did last year.
Am VERY happy to have time to do this! 
Forgive the pic quality, did not have my good camera, so used my cell phone camera.
The cell camera is also very sensitive to light levels and I took the existing fabric pics during the day & the re-covered/newly foamed pics at night, so they look quite a bit darker.
Here is the dinette interior as it was when I purchased the boat.
With the dinette set up as a sleeping bed.
The entire interior has this incredibly ugly (to me) green stripes.
Never did like this stuff and planned to change it from the beginning.
The foam was also only 2" and about wore out.
Feeling the underlying wood was very easy, just sit on it... 
lol
The old interior was neither "Comfy" or "Inviting".
This is all about to change...
Put the daughters to work pulling a gazillion staples out of the seats and removing the existing fabric & foam.
(Was able to re-use the foam from the long back piece for base foam, the rest was discarded.)
Cut the new foam using a small $15 heated Styrofoam cutter from Hobby Lobby, it worked great!
As the new foam was multi-layered had to glue between each layer.
Used spray on headliner/foam glue.
The new foam is 6" thick as opposed to the old 2".
4" of semi-firm base foam and 2" of memory foam on top.
You cannot push down and feel the underlying plywood now!
It is VERY comfy to sit or lay down on!!!
You kinda "sink" into it. Nice...
Went for a comfy overstuffed kinda look/feel.
Added "Bull-nosing" to the edges of the cushions behind your knees when you are sitting, and on the edges of the seats where they end up in the aisle.
Note the "nosing" sticking out past the base on the right edge of the cushion above.
This makes them much more comfortable and helps soften the square look of the interior.
The new material is a Peachtree Chenille fabric that is very soft & inviting, yet rates incredibly high on fabric rubtests.
(The rating was almost 5 times that of most fabrics I looked at.)
Should last for a good long time.
A friend of mine got it for me at a pretty good rate.
When finished, the fabric was treated to 2 coats of Thompson's Sport Seal. (Same guys that make the deck sealant.)
If you haven't used this stuff, try it.
It will NOT let liquids through it, works great on canvas tops also.
The flowered backs will also be removed, overstuffed with comfy foam, and re-covered with a deep blue Chenille matching fabric.
The end result will be a rich looking, very comfy Burgundy & Blue interior.
To help keep from making the interior too dark, will be trimming the valences with a super white padded vinyl and making curtains out of a white fabric with Burgundy & Blue nautical theme prints.
Majorly COMFY!!!
I like! 
79 28' Mariner twin inboard V-drive.
Western Lake Erie: Maumee Bay & The Islands |
Edited by - Rockmeister on 06/22/2009 4:30:52 PM |
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Jimbo Song
226 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2009 : 11:27:01 AM
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Rock, that baby is looking GOOD!!
Bob
1987 Carver Voyager 28
Jimbo Song |
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Rockmeister
USA
307 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2009 : 10:48:15 AM
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Thanks!
Installed new foam and re-covered the Sofa last weekend, it looks great!
Will be posting pics soon.
79 28' Mariner twin inboard V-drive.
Western Lake Erie: Maumee Bay & The Islands |
Edited by - Rockmeister on 07/08/2009 10:48:48 AM |
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Jimbo Song
226 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2009 : 10:21:15 AM
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Any time you want to come down and redo my Voyager just let me know. I'll supply all materials and plenty of cold beer. (To be consumed at the end of the working day)
Bob
1987 Carver Voyager 28
Jimbo Song |
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Rockmeister
USA
307 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2009 : 10:32:56 AM
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Hahhahaa!
Baileys... Has to be Baileys... lol
Don't even drink while doing my own, tend to drop what I'm doing and just party after a while... laffin
quote:
Originally posted by Jimbo Song
Any time you want to come down and redo my Voyager just let me know. I'll supply all materials and plenty of cold beer. (To be consumed at the end of the working day)
Bob
1987 Carver Voyager 28
Jimbo Song
79 28' Mariner twin inboard V-drive.
Western Lake Erie: Maumee Bay & The Islands |
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Rockmeister
USA
307 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2009 : 11:10:23 AM
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Last weekend the boat started to lose power while up on plane, not bad, but noticeable.
The water temp in the starboard engine was also running about 210F.
Last year it ran about 160-170 or so.
This year had been running about 200 under load.
Hadn't had a chance to check the impeller, temp wasn't too high so I hadn't worked on it yet.
I suspected 2 things could be causing the loss of power:
The ignition coil, as I had installed this coil at the same time as the port engine and the port one had gone bad this spring.
The high running temp, Chevy engines like warmer operating temps, but the Fords do not, they generally lose power at higher temps.
Had finally gotten a back-up coil from NAPA, (Why it took them 3 weeks, I do not know....), installed new coil on starboard engine.
Troubleshot the cooling issue by starting with the most likely cause(s) first;
Thermostat, pulled thermostat, it looked like a 1960s thermostat, hadn't seen one like it in years! lol
Replaced thermostat after cleaning the sealing surfaces and inspecting for issues.
This was a possible maybe...
Didn't want to start the engine and check as I didn't want to have to work on a hot engine if this wasn't it! So kept checking things.
The sea-water pump.
Dis-assembled the pump and checked the impeller.
Impeller was in good shape and nothing was in the pump.
Hmmmm... Rats, not it...
The transmission oil cooler has a strainer built into it and I have had to clean it a few times in the past, so removed the hose and checked it.
Has a few bits of grass in it, but nothing major.
Hmmmmmmm again...
Took a garden hose with great pressure and forced water back-wards through the inlet strainer, it was clear and well flowing. Ok there.
Sent water through the transmission cooler to the sea-water pump, It flowed well also.
Only thing left is the regular engine water pump and associated piping.
To re-assemble the sea-water pump you almost have to have it removed from the engine, other wise there is an O-ring that keeps falling out of it's groove and makes for a frustrating experience.
So as you know, I am pulling, tugging, cussing at the water hoses... 
As I am removing the water lines off the thermostat housing so I can remove the sea-water pump, I get the first one off, BINGO!!!
There is a rubber piece sticking out of the thermostat housing, that could not be seen from the thermostat side.
It is a piece of an old impeller.
Pull it out with needle-nose pliers.
Check for more...
Feel more in there, pull out with needle-nose pliers.
In all, I found 3 rubber impeller pieces.
They were in there for a long time and had stacked end to end allowing a reasonable amount of water through and therefore cooling, apparently for some reason this year, one had shifted and went next to another, blocking more water flow causing the temp to rise.
Although a pain, was very happy to have the rubber pieces lying on the back deck and NOT in my cooling system.
Re-assembled the sea-water pump, and all the hoses.
Double-checked all cooling connections.
Started engine and waited.
The temp climbed right to 150 and stayed there.
Took for a test cruise, temp stayed rock solid at 150. WOOHOO!!!
Power is back also, jumps right on plane and requires only about half throttle to stay on plane.
Pretty sure the Ignition coil was the major power issue and the cooling issue just didn't help any with it.
Happy to have both issues fixed!
79 28' Mariner twin inboard V-drive.
Western Lake Erie: Maumee Bay & The Islands |
Edited by - Rockmeister on 07/15/2009 11:17:42 AM |
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Jimbo Song
226 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2009 : 2:52:51 PM
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Rock, I just addressed a over heating problem with my starboard engine as well. Turned out to be a clogged heat exchanger (fwc engines) Took both off, had them boiled out, problem solved.
Going to replace ignition components this week end; coil, distributor, plug wires. Going to replace all belts as well.
One thing for sure, if you're going to have a boat you'd better love working on them.
Bob
1987 Carver Voyager 28
"Jimbo Song"
Palm Coast, FL |
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Rockmeister
USA
307 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2009 : 7:26:08 PM
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Lol, totally understand.
Good thing I DO enjoy working on it.
Great thing is, the boat is tough!
Was in 3-6 foot seas last weekend, something that is not pleasurable in too light a boat.
Personally, Had a great day, water spray flying over the boat etc.
79 28' Mariner twin inboard V-drive.
Western Lake Erie: Maumee Bay & The Islands |
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Jimbo Song
226 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2009 : 08:16:56 AM
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These boats are VERY tough. I installed a new transducer this spring. I didn't think the drill would ever get through the hull. Has to be at least 1-1/2 thick solid glass. Worked my butt off on that.
One thing for sure, the boat will take much more pounding than my 62 y/o body will.
You know, I've heard people say the 28's don't handle rough seas very well. I beg to differ with them. I've been in 6' seas several times. Not by design mind you. But the boat handled very well.
Bob
1987 Carver Voyager 28
"Jimbo Song"
Palm Coast, FL |
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Rockmeister
USA
307 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2009 : 11:03:38 AM
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A few weeks ago the shower pump quit functioning (while taking a shower of course! lol).
Had to remove the hose feeding into the pump and dump the water into the bilge to drain the shower.
The old pump was pretty noisy, no-one inside or outside the boat could miss that it was running.
However, it worked & I wasn't about to spend money on it, if it worked. lol
So now I had to find a pump, found a pretty good deal on a flo-jet quad shower pump.
After much work in a cramped space to install, the pump works great!
It makes just enough sound that it will remind you to turn it off, but is quiet enough that you almost don't notice it. Perfect!
Can highly recommend this pump so far.
This last weekend, woke up to the water pressure pump cycling.
Knew that there was a leak somewhere, just had to find and fix it...
Small task, I'm thinking...
So... check the pump itself & associated piping, all is good.
Check all exposed and easy to get to piping inside the boat.
Not a drop of water...
Hmmmmm...
Pull carpet up and start removing floor panels.
Check all piping under floor. All is good.
Rats...
Re-install floor panels and carpet.
Friends stop by and enjoy some time with them.
(Figure what the heck, the leak will probably get worse & show up eventually, lol.)
While we are sitting there, someone says "Whats the water dripping from the side of your boat?".
Hmmmmmmmmmmm...
Appears to be the water leak I spent hours hunting for...
It was hiding in plain sight...
It's dripping from the city water service connection on the side of the boat.
Leak found! Hahhahhaa...
I looked all over INSIDE the boat, hadn't occurred to me to look outside!
There is a check valve on the service line that is apparently leaking through it.
At this point decide to simply turn the power off to the pressure water pump & just turn it on as needed.
Next morning, turn the power to the pressure pump on...
NO CYCLING!
Leak fixed itself...
Had to laugh, that NEVER happens!
Figure it must have had a piece of something in the check valve & it was dislodged while under way.
Happy not to have to mess with it... lol
79 28' Mariner twin inboard V-drive.
Western Lake Erie: Maumee Bay & The Islands |
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Rockmeister
USA
307 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2009 : 09:39:46 AM
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Sorry haven't posted for a while, have been very busy!
Shower pump is working awesome.
Replaced a couple speakers I had ahem... "abused"
While "abusing" the fore mentioned speakers, also killed one amp.
Replaced that one with a larger one.
Hmmmmm... Kinda cool though, made a great excuse for making the amp larger! Grinz.
Added a large 4 6x9 speaker box stuffed with Kicker 6x9s.
This thing rocks!
Can't wait to get a second one... lol
Last weekend the water pump for the air conditioner died.
Grrrrr.
It froze, is drawing current, but no spin.
Pretty sure the two recent pump failures were related to a near sinking a few years ago.
They were under water and I believe simply finally failed.
Ordered a new pump like the shower pump.
It is nice & quiet with great suction, and will pump enough water for the air conditioner.
Haven't done any big projects on the boat lately, have simply been enjoying her.
Like a friend of mine said last weekend, "NO-ONE has fun like we do!!!"
Rock
79 28' Mariner twin inboard V-drive.
Western Lake Erie: Maumee Bay & The Islands |
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Bob On This
USA
167 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2009 : 7:38:52 PM
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Welcome back!
Glad to hear you have had a least enough time to blow out a couple speakers....
AC/DC?????
Bob
Diver Down |
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2008 & 2009 Season!
