[C320-list] Engine and Reefing Questions

[Stanley Rogacevicz]

Mike,
   The few times I have clogged my strainer with seaweed the temp rose
and steam came out the exhaust. Since you found little in your strainer,
the temp dropped, and you saw no more steam my guess would be a
temporary blockage on the outside such as a plastic bag that was
dislodged at the drop in rpm. Just a guess so you should continue to
check and monitor it. If it gets too hot (? degrees) the beeper in your
pod should sound - but it won't shut itself off.
Stan
formerly "Christy Leigh"
c320 #656
Wickford/Narragansett Bay RI

>>> mike hunter <popotladreaming at yahoo.com> 5/14/2007 3:31 PM >>>
I’ll start by saying I love this boat!  I have a couple of questions
regarding engine temperature and what looked like steam coming out of
the exhaust, but I’ll get back to those in a bit.  
   
  Friday afternoon we fueled up and went for a little cruise around the
San Diego bay, running the engine at different RPMs.  We found another
‘sweet spot’ at 2800 and kept it there for roughly an hour.  The
engine stayed at its normal operating temperature of just a hair below
180 degrees.  
   
  Saturday morning we motor sailed to the mouth of the bay (~ 45 min.)
and then proceeded to have a fantastic day of sailing.  It always feels
so good to shut down the engine J.  That evening while coming in, we
started the motor and motor sailed through the bay to the no wake zone
then dropped the RPMs down to around 2000.  It was shortly after doing
this my Wife noticed the temperature had risen to just a hair above 180
and there was what looked like steam coming out of the exhaust with the
water.  She dropped the RPMs down to 1200 and I went below to check out
the strainer.  The strainer had accumulated a little bit of debris but
it was mostly clear.  When I came back up the temperature had dropped
back down to normal and the ‘steaming’ had stopped.  It almost
seemed like we sucked up something and then blew it out??? 
   
  My plan now is to clean the strainer, check the flow through the
intake hose and inspect the water pump impeller - which I replaced 2
weeks ago.  
   
  Finally, my engine questions:
   
  -         What is considered ‘hot’ for a Yanmar 3GM30F?
  -         Does the engine shut down when it reaches a certain
temperature to prevent damage?
  -         Am I on the right path or is there something else I should
look at?
   
  I also have a more important sailing question.  The wind varied from
8 – 12 knots throughout the day and the boat sailed beautifully.  At
what wind speed do most of you reef?  
   
  Thanks!
   
  Mike
  #637

       
---------------------------------
Got a little couch potato? 
Check out fun summer activities for kids.