The last two times I have been out driving the boat (both of those times has been with the next door (boat) neighbor, Richard) I have run into a distressing problem where the engine has run very hot. On the first voyage there was an alarm and I had to drop the RPMs very quickly to keep the heat from seriously damaging the engine. After I did, it came back to normal and I was able to get home (however slowly to keep the heat down.)
The second time out we just had gone to the fuel dock "across the street" but I decided to test the cooling system and drove around the lake for a few minutes. Needless to say, It ran toward overheating fairly soon and we turned back early for home.
In talking with Richard, a life long sailor, he suggested that there were a few issues that would lead to this problem. The leading possibility was that the impeller for the sea water pump was faulty. Well, he was RIGHT!
The photo above is what was left of the impeller when I got the pump housing open. Nasty! It so happened that there were several replacements aboard that the previous owner had graciously left for me. I was able to replace the faulty one with a new version and the engine is running smooth as you could ever ask for.
THis is my first foray into small engine repair. As I see it this is a total success and I feel empowered to take on other projects. So far the whole boat ownership and liveaboard thing has been a fun bunch of challenges. I have felt that I could deal with most if not all of them. I feel like I am becoming a sailor in small steps. It is a good feeling.
Cool Runnings...
