De Winterising Your Diesel Engine 

Diesel engines are generally fairly reliable beasts, treat them well and they will serve you faithfully for many years, however the start of the season can often be a time when things go wrong.
 
One man who knows plenty about what can go wrong after de-winterising your diesel is Nick Eales, director of Sea Start based on the River Hamble.

Sea Start has been providing breakdown cover for sailors for the past fifteen years and in terms of breakdowns, Nick has seen it all.

"We get numerous call outs from people in the early season, who have headed out for their first sail only to find that they have forgotten something fundamental to do with their engine.
 
"The classic is simply not opening the seacocks, this can have disastrous consequences, the obvious one being overheating.

"On many yachts this can be made even more alarming because the heat will melt the exhaust, so the first thing you will know about it is smoke billowing into the cabin which is no fun at all.

"One of the big problems is that many boaters get an engineer to winterise their engine, but de-winterise it themselves, so they don t know what he has done.

"Follow these simple steps and you will go a long way to ensuring that you enjoy another season of trouble free motoring".

 

Before You Launch

• Bearing in mind that once your boat is launched you will probably have to use the motor straight away, it is worth getting you engine in order before you hit the water.
• Make sure that the exhaust is unblocked, as this may have been plugged over for the winter and will be a nasty job to unblock once on the water.
• Check fluid levels; water, oil and not forgetting gearbox oil.
• Check and grease the back of the throttle control mechanism especially if it is fitted to a compass binnacle as these can get very corroded.
• Re-fit the impellor and replace as necessary.
• Clean the bilges this will help you spot any leaks find any bits should they fall off.
• Very importantly check for any badly corroded hose clips and replace.
• Re- tighten all belts. The general rule of thumb for your v-belt is around 12mm of play on the belt if you apply reasonable pressure. For flat belts, you should be able to twist it through 90 degrees.
• Check and grease the stern gland if applicable.
• Check the sea cocks are open and the fuel system is configured correctly i.e supply and return valves are open.

Batteries

• Seastart receive more callouts for flat batteries than almost anything else, so it is absolutely vital to get it right.
• Nick said: Personally I would recommend replacing your battery every four or five years.
• If possible batteries should be removed and charged every month and the fluid levels checked. If you keep them on the boat with a shore power charger on then you must check the fluid levels regularly.
• Once your engine is up and running again, make sure that the alternator is working properly Battery voltage should remain at between 13.5 and 14v on a 12v system. If it is reading higher than 15, then you have a problem.

On The Water

• Once you have launched, just take the time to ensure that all is well, check around the stern gland for any signs of leaking.
• Following this, carry out a thorough visual inspection of the engine, paying particular attention to jubilee clips or parts which have been repaired or replaced over the winter and could potentially be loose.
• All being well you can now fire up the motor and carry out another inspection of the engine compartment, obviously taking care to avoid any moving parts.
• Ensuring that your boat is tied up properly, put the engine into gear, this will bring the engine up to temperature.
• Check the exhaust to ensure that there is an adequate amount of water coming out, if it s steam that is a very bad sign!

Get Motoring

• Follow these simple steps and you have gone a long way to ensuring a trouble free season of boating.
• When you bear in mind that the RNLI get more rescue call outs from recreational craft with engine problems than anything else, it is well worth investing a little time to ensure that everything is running smoothly.

Further Information

To learn more about the basics of diesel engines maintenance, you can sign up to the RYA s one day diesel engine maintenance course, call the RYA for more information on a course near you.

Alternatively you can buy the RYA s Diesel Maintenance Handbook,
For more information, contact the RYA on: 02380 604241.