Engine bilge

[DannyB]

I have just noticed in the engine bilge a kind of biege gunge that seems to be in various places around the prop shaft and eberspacher exhaust, any ideas what it could be?

 

There is also a black carbony looking patch that looks wet beneath the exhaust outlet for the eberspacher. Coked up exhaust perhaps? The exhaust pipe is ridiculously small.

 

Here are some pics to hopefully clarify my ramblings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bottle]

Clean it all out, degrease it and watch for it to come back. Maybe laying some absorbent matting would give a better indication where it is coming from.

[RLWP]

It's hard to really tell, the first photo looks very like diesel

 

Richard

[DannyB]

Thanks people, that's my weekend sorted then bilge cleaning time!

 

Can anyone tell me what the silver round thing in the bottom picture is in the corner of the bilge?

 

I've got a lot to learn

Edited May 15, 2014 by yarbnad

[BEngo]

Flexible drive shaft coupling? Someone will recognise exactly what it is.

 

N

[Ex- Member]

We decided to have an engine bay & bilge clean out today. After 9 months on the water I was surprised just how grimy it all got. We also had something fowling the prop. In reverse you could hear something clattering against the hull, so the weed hatch has also been opened up. There ended up being a big clump of old hemp like rope but nothing that I could detect that would cause such a clanging noise against the hull. It's possible what ever it was came off in the last lock we went through a couple of days ago as the noise suddenly stopped just before we moored up.

 

I couldn't see the propeller but had a good feel around, the prop blades all seem fine, some dints on the outer edges but I suppose to be expected.

 

We had an inch of water in the bilge immediately under the stern gland and a load of gunky grease on top, not bad for 9 months in the water I thought. So all has now been cleaned out. It got me thinking though, cleaning & maintenance of this could be made a lot simpler by putting a small bucket directly beneath the stern gland. I just happened to have an empty plastic container that fits perfectly. So now I can just remove the bucket every time it reaches half full, no mess, simples!

 

 

 

Happy it's all clean now. It will have to be an annual job I reckon to keep the engine bay and bilges in decent order.

 

Was also extremely happy to have no rust in the weed hatch or the lid although all the bitumen on the weed hatch lid had mostly disappeared, fortunately the Red primer continued to protect it. I annoyingly forgot to do the inner lid when we 2 packed the Hull. It's too much hassle to strip it down and 2 pack it now, so I'll coat it with some spray Waxoyl before replacing it as bitumen is clearly useless.

[bottle]

The object appears to be a Centaflex coupling and usually goes between the gearbox and the propeller.

 

ie. shaft from gearbox goes in one end and another shaft goes to the propeller.

[Ex- Member]

Job done

 

Replaced the gasket seals on the weed hatch and replaced the lid which I coated in Waxoyl internally. Stern greaser gadget also topped up. When all sorted we had a big clear out in the engine room area and back cabin, dwindled down tools and non essential stuff to be removed. Fitted hooks here and there to hang stuff up like axe, Machete, lump hammer, crowbar, mooring pins. Now no clutter and created loads of space.

 

My bucket under stern gland seems to make sense. It's been there 2 days, not a drop of water in it, although it might well have evaporated. Over 8 months we only had just over an inch of water, it seems to me that it must let in water when on the move. I'm assuming such a small amount over such time is neither here or there and nothing's wrong?

[DannyB]

I think my engine bilge was designed to be wet as there is a hose coming from somewhere which ends in the bilge! Didn't get round to cleaning it up yet as another problem has arisen

 

The boat I bought was originally bought as just a shell and fitted out by the previous owners (incompetent monkeys) who obviously gave little or no thought to accessing servicable parts later on. How I wish I went over budget now and got a decent fitout!!

 

Thanks guys see you ina new thread soon.

[BEngo]

Job done

 

Replaced the gasket seals on the weed hatch and replaced the lid which I coated in Waxoyl internally. Stern greaser gadget also topped up. When all sorted we had a big clear out in the engine room area and back cabin, dwindled down tools and non essential stuff to be removed. Fitted hooks here and there to hang stuff up like axe, Machete, lump hammer, crowbar, mooring pins. Now no clutter and created loads of space.

 

My bucket under stern gland seems to make sense. It's been there 2 days, not a drop of water in it, although it might well have evaporated. Over 8 months we only had just over an inch of water, it seems to me that it must let in water when on the move. I'm assuming such a small amount over such time is neither here or there and nothing's wrong?

 

Yes, a packed type of stern seal is adjusted properly if there is a small flow of water through it when the shaft is turning- a drip every 10-15 seconds is plenty and one drip a minute is about the minimum. It's good practice to give the greaser a turn at the start of a boating day and at the end. The 'evening' turn will usually provide a complete seal until the next 'morning' start-up.

 

N

[Ex- Member]

 

Yes, a packed type of stern seal is adjusted properly if there is a small flow of water through it when the shaft is turning- a drip every 10-15 seconds is plenty and one drip a minute is about the minimum. It's good practice to give the greaser a turn at the start of a boating day and at the end. The 'evening' turn will usually provide a complete seal until the next 'morning' start-up.

 

N

 

Cheere Bengo

 

Me and Lynn were discussing this and clearly we were both wrong LOL Although we always turn greaser before cruising.

 

Of course what yo say makes perfect sense

[DannyB]

My aim is to have an engine bilge as nice as Julynian's, long way to go.

 

I've discovered 2 hoses draining into the bilge, the hot water overflow and one from the engine, so put the both in a bucket and the bilge has been dry for the last few days. Apart from the diesel leak. Found the leak today, its the eberspacher fuel line dripping just after the bolt connection through the blukhead to the fuel tank, looks like the white seals are knackered.

 

How could that happen in less than 12 months? I tightened the bolt a little and it seems to have made the drip worse. Is it easy to change the seals?