Starting engine after two years on the hard

[waterman46]

Good ideas here, and I'm thinking about what I'll do when I return to my boat, in another country, not operated for almost two years!

I wonder if a few slow manual turns will start distributing oil to any part of the engine. It takes two or three seconds for my engine to develop oil pressure, even on a normal start. Of course it's still a good idea to do two full turns in the "stop" position so you can check there is no binding of anything before you crank it.
That's hard to do on an engine like mine with no compression release, but I don't like to crack open the injectors if I don't need to.

After that I'd replace the impeller, check the oil and coolant, shut off the raw water and and with the run/start control set to stop position give it about 10 seconds of fast cranking (be sure you have a good charge on the battery) while spraying light lubricant/penetrating oil into the air intake. That fast cranking should be enough to actually move oil to the bearings and valve guides. Then open raw water valve and start it.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by waterman46

..................

After that I'd replace the impeller, check the oil and coolant, shut off the raw water and and with the run/start control set to stop position give it about 10 seconds of fast cranking (be sure you have a good charge on the battery) while spraying light lubricant/penetrating oil into the air intake. That fast cranking should be enough to actually move oil to the bearings and valve guides. Then open raw water valve and start it.

Just be aware the light lubricant/penetrating oil is likely to cause the engine to fire and sort of run roughly (very roughly).

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by waterman46

I wonder if a few slow manual turns will start distributing oil to any part of the engine.

Yes. It should.

Originally Posted by waterman46

I'd replace the impeller, check the oil and coolant, shut off the raw water and and with the run/start control set to stop position give it about 10 seconds of fast cranking

If you close off the water you're running the water pump dry. Not a good idea and a good way to ruin the new impeller. Either leave the water on, or remove the belt so the impeller doesn't turn. (I'd leave the water on.)

You could spray a light oil but it shouldn't be necessary and might cause the engine to start, which you don't want. If you don't have a decompression valve ( I do. On the valve cover port, aft.) Just go ahead and start it.

One other thing: what condition was the air 'filter' in? (It's actually called a 'silencer'.) The foam cover on mine was almost completely gone, melted (I presume) my the PCV fumes coming from the engine. All the 'goo' was in my intake. If your's is the same way, spraying a light oil is probably going to dislodge the 'goo' and flush it into the engine.

[nortonscove]

Originally Posted by EngineerRetired

I've re-fired diesel engines that have sat a decade or more. Change filters, check coolant, bleed any air from fuel lines, maybe turn it one full revolution by hand and then normal starting procedures. Don't make it any more complicated than need be.

My approach as well. Sold a boat last season that had been on the hard for eight years and nothing more than you've instructed. Too many people like to complicate matters when wholly unnecessary.

[and4ew]

Thanks one and all. I took all the advice and came up with a plan. So far so good. The boat is on the hard and I can't easily get water to the raw water intake so I'm going to wait until it's in and finish off. I have more questions but to keep things simple I'm going to start another thread.