Confessions of an Overtemp...

[msavold]

So, it's been a logn winter,with a major health isues that I'm confident is clearing up and that concern has had me lurking more htan posting. Now with a light at the end of the tunnel, the temperature going up, and the boat scheduled to come out of storage next week end (YAY!) I've been thinking about my screw up as I put it away last fall...

Had the boat in the driveway, getting it ready by taking everything that wasn't nailed down out for storage in the house. Getting dark by now and I still need to get the oil hot for a change - plug will wait to spring. Per the usual procedure start the starboard engine, turn the water on, sit back and relax, fat dumb and happy, listening to some tunes cranked up...

And the coiled garden hose falls off the side of the boat - something I didn't realize until I'm jarred back into reality by the alarm going off. As it fell, the hose kinked in two or three places (cheap shit that is going in the trash!) just enough to compromise the flow. A fair bit of "smoke" around the engine but I realize soon it's steam not smoke.

So, shut water, shut down starboard engine, switch to port engine while other one cools a bit and repeat procedure - keeping an eye on the hose the whole time this time. Warm up. Oil change and fogging goes without a hitch. Go back to starboard engine and try again. Started right away and felt I, um, didn't need to spend TOO much time warming it up. Changed oil, no burned smell in the old stuff, no water, just a lot dirtier than I thought it would be after about 45 hours last season.

So what's been nagging me - other than the carelessness? Should I have done something else after the fact? Different sequence? Should I change the oil again this spring? Can I finally get the YES to work (Comm error is the best I get...) and delete the evidence of my screw up?

 

[Bruce]

I think you are fine. Our engines make steam when the water supply dries up. I experienced it in the water after sucking up a lot of debris.

 

[buckbuck]

No problem for the MR-1 motor. I would assume the 1.8 motors are just as robust. Have fun with your family on the boat.

 

[Matt Phillips]

I'd think if the overheat alarm went off and you shut it down, no worries....As that's what the alarm is for. I'd say start her on the hose again and let it run 10-15 minutes, check the oil and see. In all likelihood, you're fine.

Year before last when I put my MR-1s to bed, I noticed a little fuel smell in the engine bay. I'd never smelled that before and thought it odd. Then when we get to the lake last summer, I run the blower, back it of off the trailer and go maybe 40 feet over to the courtesy dock as I'm waiting for the crew to get on board and my friend to return from the truck. I get her tied up and WHOA Was there the smell of gas. I then opened the engine compartment and there's at least 2 cups of gas in the bilge between the engines....

So I start searching for the culprit. Starting at where the fuel lines come into the engine compartment. Luckily with two engines, it's easy to compare differences. Turns out the factory hose clamp on the port-side fuel line where it goes into the engine came off and that's where the fuel was spilling- the starboard had a hose clamp the port didn't. I had my buddy fire up the port side just to be sure and sure enough that's where the fuel was gushing from. The cure was to head down to the local NAPA dealer and buy four hose clamps...Not being sure exactly which size fit so bought two, and then bought spares for the starboard side should that one do the same. Went back, put the new clamp on an dit ran like a champ all season.

So my advice...Check those fuel clamps going into the engine occasionally.

 

[itsdgm]

@msavold thanks for posting. There's always a potential for that situation to happen, so it's good to post that info so that we all can eleminate the potential for a similar situation.

As far as resetting the code with the YDS, my boat has an overtemp alarm code stored in the memory (occurred before I bought it) that I've tried unsuccessfully to reset. Somehow it keeps coming back. But seeing as how you've got a newer boat, different engines and possibly different version of YDS, your results could be different too.

As far as the "comm error". I sometimes have that problem too. For me it was "easily" resolved once I figured out how change the com port on my computer. I believe that I went to device manager, locate the device, right click, settings, click on some kind of advanced setting, then I would change the comm port to 1. Fixed it every time for me. Keep in mind that I'm going off memory on the above steps, so I might not have it 100% correct. However, I'm sure there's a YouTube video out there that would clear it up if needed.

Good luck, and again thanks for posting. This is how we learn on this site.

 

[Ilmmct]

@msavold the 1st step is admitting and accepting this ;-) ... I've done something similar twice myself and have never had burnt oil or any problems after my foibles. You are officially absolved after your confession!

 

[Bennie]

the hose kinked in two or three places

To avoid this happening to me I purchased one of those pockets hoses (see link below) and keep it on the boat. These hoses have a very soft exterior that wont scratch the boat nor will they kink. This also lets me flush my engines/wash down the boat anywhere I can get to a water spicket.
just a helpful tip

https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Impro...F8&qid=1492286623&sr=8-3&keywords=pocket+hose
(not saying this one specifically - just this design)

 

[buckbuck]

That is a great idea @Bennie

 

[Hana]

I use a pocket hose as well. Never kinks and works flawlessly. I added a shut off valve to the end of the hose so I can easily turn the water on and off from inside the boat. I got the one with the brass ends and it seems pretty robust.

 

[msavold]

Thanks for the absolution, folks!

I guess one thing I was wondering was timing: whether to let the engine cool a bit first (10'-15')and then turn it on with water (what I ended up doing) or to turn it back on (just after fixing hose) but with water this time - thinking about trying to avoid "baking" the oil on... Yeah, I'm WAY over-thinking this!

Also *really* surprised about those pocket hoses - I would have bet that they would kink WAY more than a regular hose. I was planning to replace the POS I have now with a stiffer one. Problem with those is that they're heavy and unweildy. Going to have to try one like Bennie's.

 

[Bennie]

@msavold - in my mechanical head I don't think you went wrong. Let it cool for a bit then go ahead with the water. I've had the same problem (overheating) over in FL one time after sucking up a copious amount of dead/floating seagrass.

I cleared the grass, let it sit for about 5 min and reattempted - all was well. As I believe you are too. Especially since you changed your oil directly after the incident.
Good call sir!