Startin your Diesel when out of the water

[SoWhat]

Disconnect the sea water intake from its thru hull and stick it in a pail of water.
Keep the pail overflowing , any extra water will collect in the bilge , where it can be pumped overboard or run out thru the garboard drain.

This was my technique until I bought a Groco Filter adapter that accepts a garden hose. I don't have to disconnect anything, simply change the top. To winterize I fill the pail with anti-freeze.

 

[rgano]

This is not a good idea. City water pressure is usually much higher than what your raw water pump puts out. You are lucky that excess water volume under higher pressure didn't back up into your exhaust manifold and through your valves into the cylinders.

If you do this you should only turn on the water faucet so a small stream of water comes out the exhaust, not the full blast. Any small amount will provide adequate cooling.

I would agree with this post where the user is closing off the seacock. However, leaving it open allows the city water pressure a relief valve as it flows both ways from the rinse input site between the seacock and the pump. Been doing so for five years after every run, full blast "city" water pressure.

 

[ak-guy]

My boat is in my yard for the winter. I start the engine a couple times a month and warm it up to operating temp. With keel cooling there is no problem, just watch the temp gauge.

 

[floater]

Great info and replies. I was asking because I have only had outboard motors and I am able to work on them in the driveway. Planning for a future with a project boat. Not too much of a project I hope.

 

[Iggy]

This was my technique until I bought a Groco Filter adapter that accepts a garden hose. I don't have to disconnect anything, simply change the top. To winterize I fill the pail with anti-freeze.

Please, two things.

Is the garden hose big enough, flow rate wise for a 350hp motor?

Also, the muffler must hold at lest 6 gals of water. Yes? So be the time it flows out and over board you must be using 10 to 12 gals of AF. Yes?

 

[jgwinks]

The yard I'm in uses a system I've never seen before. Might be common, but I've never seen it. They have an open top wood box with a garden hose connection and a rubber seal around the top. They jack this up to the hull around the water intake and hook up the hose to an AF tank. Tank has a pump inside and they place it under the exhaust outlet so it catches and recycles the AF. They then just start the engine and run till straight AF comes out the exhaust. Way quicker and easier than hooking anything up inside the boat and it uses much less AF due to the recycling. Doesn't over pressurize the system with AF as it's just a bilge pump and doesn't make much pressure. Pretty slick, it only took a few minutes to pickle each engine. The AF they use comes in concentrate form and they just add a little as it gets diluted from the sea water in the exhausts. This is in fresh water so no problem with salt. It would work in salt too, but maybe you wouldn't want to capture and reuse the AF.