A25 Cutless replacement

[Sunsetrider]

I'll be sure to have the mechanic deal with that issue. At this point he has the prop etc. off and waiting for the part.

[tribologist]

I think of it this way... Composite technology is so advanced now that it is unnecessary to need a bronze tube to support it. At least that's what I tell myself.

If it was not that this composite is over 100 years old technology......

I deal with phenolics for cages in high speed precision bearings you can find in everything from the missile gyros to fancy high speed milling machines. It is a great material. Wears like a pig's snout! Maybe I should start competing with Albin in making bearings... I'm already competing with Volvo on making air cleaner nuts and carburetor brackets for Volvo p1800....

[Sunsetrider]

Here it is, the new cutless (not cutlass) bearing installed, Manatee now launched but had to travel at idle (4.5 kts) because she would not rev without stalling out. Back today to bleed the engine etc. Cleaning up the deck mildew as well.

Cutless.jpg

The mechanic confirms that he checked and adjusted the alignment.

I had to trim that collar anode as it was too wide to fit with the new bearing in place. I order that as aluminum off the boatzincs site but the mechanic thinks it is too hard and heavy to be aluminum, and that it has not lost enough mass over the past season. So now I have anode paranoia.

[WillieC]

Better than cathode schizophrenia, but apples and oranges. If it is deteriorating, then it is protecting. Of course you have checked for good conductivity with a multimeter, say between the anode and the prop nut. If you need, or would like a little more room, I see no problem with trimming the cutleass, a bit tricky now that it is installed. You do need some room in the gap for the bearing to pass water and provide lubrication. Quarter inch minimum? I see others on the site have found thinner anodes, maybe for Benneteaus?

If she was running good before, she will run again. You are doing the right thing, checking for fuel leaks. As to the deck mildew, we use that thirty second outdoor cleaner spritzed from a spray bottle all over the place and rinsed. Careful not to get it on canvas without testing as it contains bleach. Then again, maybe with tie-dyed canvas, you'd get over your anode paranoia. Just let it all hang out!

[Sunsetrider]

Bleeding didn't save the day. I should check the injectors. If I knew how. As for the anode, well, it is what it is at this point

[WillieC]

A decent diesel shop will be able to test them. I don’t like the stories I hear of folks injecting diesel into themselves. Rearranging the fuel lines so you can see the spray pattern is nigh impossible on the MD engines.

It was running fine previously, right? DA tells the story of you dragging them around at ten plus knots. What has changed? What has been done since last run? It idles but won’t spool up? Give us some more clues.

[Sunsetrider]

Neptune got me from storage marina to docking marina at idle, but now it starts, runs for seconds, then stalls out. Last time it had fueling problems it was a free-floating baffle in the fuel tank, but we fixed that. The mechanic's last text message to me on Friday:

"possibly slight air leak in line from fuel tank to main injection pump . . . or plugged injector pump, or injector pump rack stuck on slow and won't rev past that point ' ' ' anything after injection pump would just show up as a fuel leak and wouldn't affect running."
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So I'll dig out the Owner and Shop manuals and see if I can figure out where those items are located.

[WillieC]

I also had a free floating baffle in my tank so I installed an access cover, which also allows me to thoroughly clean the tank. It had all kinds of crud in it, but the filters were effectively handling it. I assume you have a similar set up now, access cover and all.

There isn't a lot to check from the tank to the injector pump, but a handful of joints that can leak. They are easily checked, use a paper towel, I prefer bare finger, but I also know my trouble spots, usually the banjo bolts on either side of the lift pump. I just change the VP filter in the cannister, available in most auto parts stores, I can get the number, but unless you order the original from VP, you don't get the square cut gasket that seals the cannister to the top casting. Those gaskets are available separately, and I have a couple coming from VP.

Stuck rack? I have had that problem too, but not on a running boat. It was a spare injection pump that sat for many years. Took me forever to free it up, and if it is that bad, you should haul the injection pump to your injector shop along with your injectors.
DO NOT DROP THE CYLINDRICAL LINK INSIDE THE HOUSING when you remove the injector pump. Stxray is having similar issues. Hope this helps.

[Sunsetrider]

Fixed. I had a brainstorm overnight and went down to the river this morning to check on my idea. Should have been my first thing to check but my analysis was misdirected by the fact that I was able to sustain idle to get her home.
The guys who launched her had left the engine box out of position and I only had time to drop it into place before being hustled out of the storage marina. And indeed, the engine cover had somehow trapped the engine stop cable out of position. I corrected that and whamo! All better now!
Note to self: always check the simple things first.

[Sunsetrider]

Thank goodness, because I do not know what the rack is (on a boat, anyway), nor where the injectors are, etc. Willie C, if you ever come up (We the North!) this way be sure to come by and give me an anatomy lesson on the MD17C!

Now - knock on teak - the only flaw on Manatee (aside from a bunch of new weird slits in the gelcoat about 1/4 in. long around the solar panel) is that the engine temp gauge doesn't register. Nor has it since I bought the boat. So I bought a temp gun.

[WillieC]

MOST EXCELLENT! You gotta check the dumb stuff first. So glad it was that simple. It just didn't sound right since it ran so good before.

Oh, I can give you a lesson on the MD17C, but I assure you that you will be bored to tears before I get the engine cover off.

I highly recommend a heat sensor on the exhaust elbow. It includes a little panel with a screaming piezo alarm that senses overheat on the elbow, which is indicative of failed raw water pump. Mine works like a champ. Last year at first launch, I was busy rinsing down the trailer while the Starfleet Commander was cutting cookies in our little cove. The alarm went off and she did exactly what she was taught at the Academy. Shut it down. Trouble was, she could have pointed the boat back to me and goosed it good before shutting it down. Apparently, the raw water didn't pick up quick enough and/or the impeller was Old Old Stock. Simple fix but I had some serious rowing to get there.

And you need to figure out the gauge situation anyway. I may have to get a heat sensing ray gun. It's a bit tricky using through the engine cover.