bought the boat last fall, but it’s been sitting under a pile of snow in NH until basically last week
finally back at work on the engine (among other things)
history:
boat sat for 3 years without running
PO did motor around a bit in 2012
survey from June '12 said motor running well
talked to local diesel guy who did a little work on her
said she needed a starter, and the wiring was a nightmare (definitely true on both counts)
he said she was stuck from sitting, but he was able to free her up with some penetrating oil and cursing
that might have been a year ago or so
without further ado, here’s the beast, as of this AM (warning: not for the faint of heart):
first thing I did was pull off a couple of those alternators, so I could see the back of the engine:
Question #1:
how do I turn over the engine by hand? crank bolt is not accessible
there is an extended pulley on it that drove the extra alts, and that pulley does not have a central bolt (4 peripheral)
plus, it is about an inch from the bulkhead - I don’t know how he even got it on there:
I tried yanking on the top belt, which is old and dry - not much grip
I think the engine may have moved a tiny bit - maybe a 1/16" - before the belt slipped, but it could have been my imagination
so: monkey wrench on the dry belt? crank on the alternator bolt? (that bolt is better)
fresh belt/wrench combo on the crank pulley? god forbid, remove the extended pulley so I can access the main crank bolt?
I agree with Geoff. With the transmission in gear turn the prop. In the pictures I do not see any cylinder decompression levers, but it would be a good idea to open them if you have them.
Now is a good time to practice restraint. If the engine is stuck due to just time (and not major stuff like water intrusion) care should be taken not to cause damage.
I would suggest pulling the injectors. It is a simple job on this engine (I have one in a 39 Express) and they will have to be rebuilt anyway after that much time because the springs will be degraded. It will also eliminate compression in the cylinders and ease rolling the engine.
Next I would get lubricant to the piston tops so it can start working its way down the cylinder walls to the rings. My biggest concern at this point is to get it rolling over without cracking a ring or scratching the cylinder wall.
Next. Go do something else until tomorrow to let the lubricant do its job.
As for how to turn the engine my best suggestion would be a strap wrench around the crank pulley. If there is room then a significant amount of controlled torque can be applied.
that was my thought too - put it in gear and turn the prop
but I am not sure how the tranny works
seems to be a simple cable, but I can only move the lever arm about 1/2" with finger pressure (from vertical to aft maybe 5°)
right now, prop can be easily turned - clearly not in gear
(good news is, it turns nicely - fair, true, lubed
I think they did some work on the prop/shaft)
thoughts about how to get in gear?
(nothing is electrically powered right now - on the hard, all batteries flat, got to deal with that next)
as for not damaging rings/cylinder walls, that may be out of my hands
PO had a diesel mechanic free 'er up
I talked to him, seemed knowledgeable, did use some kind of penetrating lubricant, of course, but crank pulley extension clearly shows signs of pipe wrench teeth
(and that’s a big enough wrench to get around a 6"+ crank pulley)
so…
anyway, freed up one of the starter bolts
untangling the wire spaghetti
still optimistic she’s startable
thanks for all the feedback, peeps
(a guy called me ‘Cap’n’ today - not ironically)
good news
engine turned over easily with El Cheapo strap wrench from Home Depot
was not frozen at all
I just had been unable to apply any significant torque with existing belt
clearing out all extra alternators, wires, etc
new starter, alt, and battery coming
bypassing entire existing electrical system
more info from another tech who worked on the engine:
the IP is new, but it has not been timed properly
the engine was running well enough to winterize a couple seasons ago, but rough
will need to be timed
any resources on that?
Glad to hear that it’s not seized. I would suggest that you purchase the Yanmar service manual for your engine. It’s a wealth of information and will serve you well over many years, especially if you wish to perform the maintenance on your own.
I downloaded a copy last year (pretty sure it’s the manual - 10 chapters)
been very valuable so far
but sometimes it’s a little too deep
i.e. lots of info on how to tear down and rebuild the IP, but no simple instruction for how to time it
hoping to find someone with personal experience
thanks
I have set the timing as an underway repair, it can be done, but I had it done properly upon getting access to a Yanmar tech. This is one of those areas (in my opinion) that paying the expert is worth the money. He should also check and set the govener at this point. I would have him check the accuracy of the installed tack as the sender sometimes gets a little erratic as it gets older.
hi Geoff
I do have the 4JH service manual (all 10 chapters), and have been consulting it heavily
but sometimes procedures are too ‘pro’ (i.e. procure a $4000 testing machine), or too vague (‘after adjusting timing, reattach injection pump’)(?!?)
and sometimes inaccurate (diagram says #32 is a clip ring, when it’s clearly a camshaft)
I like to hear from the ‘horse’s mouth’, whenever possible
the manual can provide good info, and correct bad info
but it’s not the same as real advice from someone who’s gotten their hands dirty
thanks!
Rolf in MA
V4D battery 975CCA - older, but charged up and tests good
with fuel lines disconnected, starter cranks the engine over fine
(although I had to wire a discrete ground to starter - was not grounding adequately through the chassis)
but I was hoping to bleed fuel through the lines - I don’t see any fuel coming through, despite several longs cranks
questions:
when I disconnected the fuel lines from injectors, did that allow fuel to siphon back to tank, so now I have air? if so, how do I prime pump and bleed lines without destroying new starter? is there some way to spin IP independently (of course not) - but can I use a vacuums pump to draw it through? or a brake bleeder to push it?
also, re: starter not getting a good ground: is that b/c not enough surface area mating, as on the original Hitachi? is it normal to have to ground aftermarket starter via wire?? definitely a different fit from the Hitachi
The 4JHE fuel pump is on the lower right side of the engine, the priming lever is on the back left of the pump. This is a good place to divide the fuel system for problem solving.
Is there fuel to the pump? If not then start tracing line back to the tank checking filters (probably a RACOR 500), shut-off valves, the alignment on any three-way valves and the tank pickup. Include an inspection of the return lines and valves. Once found three extra shut-off valves while tying to figure out what a prior owner had done. I have used the vacuum pump I use to change oil to draw fuel through the lines while trouble shooting this part of the system.
If you have fuel to the pump then the procedure is right out of the manual. Use the primer lever on the back of the fuel pump to fill on engine filter using the bleed screw on to to let the air out of the system. This can take a lot of pumping on that little lever. It helps a lot to fill the filter with fuel before you install. With the filter full then you can crack the nuts at the injectors to let the air out as you crank the engine. Tighten each nut as fuel starts to sputter.
If you do not get fuel to the nut at the injector then check the engine shut down levers position on the fuel injector pump if it is a manual system or the selonoid and wiring if you have the electric shut down type.
consulting the manual, discovered the manual priming lever, on the IP lift pump - bang!
pumped that a few times, turned over the engine via starter, and saw fuel coming through lines
reconnected lines, snugged down finger-tight (still ´cracked´), turned over, saw fuel to all 4 injector unions
so we are at least adequately primed to fire
fuel is clean and clear
onward!
thanks jdpandlp! what a great response
unfortunately, didn’t see it till now (spotty internet in this marina)
the fuel is indeed to the unions, and I will be tightening down and going through other checklist items to prepare to fire up today
(do you have your own post-winterization first-fire checklist you’d be willing to share? first time for me on a maine diesel, although I have rebuilt several diesel engines, and done my own car work for 30 yrs)
thanks again,
Rolf in MA
one more Q:
is there any way to shut off fuel supply at the IP in case of a runaway?
that is my chief concern about first start - a stuck rack or something causing the engine to cycle up uncontrollably
there are 2 control levers - the primary one seems to be the governor, and a smaller on on the back of the IP seems to be the shut down
I can’t really move either with just finger pressure
thoughts? thanks
(my throttle control in the cockpit seems sticky - may need new cables - don’t want to rely on it for first start, including emergency shut-down - of course it will have to be dealt with before getting in the water)
hmmm - well, I´ve cranked her a few times - she wanted to kick (I had to re-bleed the injector unions), but hasn´t yet - actually sounds pretty good trying to start (bear in mind, it´s been years)
gonna let the battery recover and the starter get cold again and re-try after breakfast
I’m looking for the fuel bleeding system instructions. There’s 2 steps on the 3GM series, likely true for the 4J as well. Bleed both the fuel filter, and to the injector pump. Mine had air between the filter and the injector pump, and that was my problem. Will try to find and post, but hopefully this helps
