Winterising your diesel
When the autumnal chill settles over the
country, it really is time to think about putting your
boat to bed. An important part of this is winterising
your engine and here are a few tips.
f you are planning to take your boat out of commission
over the winter, then it is important that you winterise
the engine, otherwise come the spring you may start to
incur problems before you launch, the key is to get the
basics right.
There are different levels of winterisation depending on the boat or the engine and different engineers will have different views on ways it should be done, obviously it should be done in line with the manufacturers recommendations as a minimum.
So here are some of the basics:
1. Fill your diesel tank (take care not to spill
any diesel, take carfeful note of the fuel gauge
to reduce the risk of overfilling and an absorbent
collar around the nozzle to catch the drips. A steady
hand and a good funnel can save a lot of red faces!
The Reason:
This is to reduce condensation in the tank over the
winter; it is important to ensure that water does not
enter the fuel tank as the interface between water and
fuel is where diesel bug thrives.
If you suspect signs of the bug then this would be a
good time to add a fuel additive to keep it under
control .
2. Check the fuel filler cap seal and using a
light (Vaseline) smear around the thread to give a
better seal
The Reason :
Simply to stop any rain water entering the tank, and to
make it easy to open in the spring.
3. Change and drain the fuel pre-filter. You
will find that a large clear plastic lemonade bottle cut
in half is idea for this job as you can drain the fuel
and in some cases catch the filter in the bottle and
because it’s clear you can examine the condition of
the fuel. The top end of the bottle you can use as a
funnel to use to pour into a container for disposal.
Once you have refitted filters you will need to
bleed the system (some fuel filters may need to be
filled with fuel from a can).
The Reason:
It is important that we find out if we have a problem
with the fuel, even if the glass bowl is clear.
The only way is to remove the filter and inspect. If you
find a problem then you can make a decision about what
to do about it well before the spring. You may
want to have the tank emptied and cleaned, or what is
becoming more popular is fuel cleaning with a filtration
system. This of course re-uses your fuel which means you
don’t have to pay for disposal.
If you suspect a problem you may decide to check the
pre-filter before topping up with fuel. There are
several companies offering this service.
We recommend that you use a drip tray or absorbent mat
to collect any drips while you are doing this. In
confined spaces we have found that flexible silicone
baking trays make excellent drip trays. They are safe
for use at very high temperatures but will change shape
if exposed to oil and fuel for a long time so they are
not a permanent solution.
4. Change the engine oil. Run the engine
up to temperature
The cleanest and easiest way to do this is to use a
vacuum pump. A vacuum pump has its own self contained
reservoir and tube that is inserted into the dipstick.
This make the whole process very clean and helps
prevents spills.
Refill the sump with clean oil and of the correct grade
for your engine
The Reason:
We change the oil to insure any corrosive acids formed
as product of combustion does not remain in the engine
over the winter.
Remember to dispose of used oil as hazardous waste, your
local club or marina should have an oil disposal
facility. Remember oily rags and tissues should also be
disposed of in this way to avoid contaminating other
waste.
5. Change the oil filter, this is the messy job
and if access is tricky you may need a lot of rags.
You will need a good filter wrench, one that doesn’t
damage the filter. To minimise mess we suggest using an
old bowl to catch the oil or the silicone trays referred
to above.
Old engine oil is full of carbon and is incredibly hard
to clean so try and use a barrier cream on your hands or
have Ecover’s hand cleaner handy
afterwards, alternatively you could wear latex gloves
but remember the filter will be very very slippery.
As before make, sure you dispose of all oily rags as hazardous waste. Using oil absorbent mats and a bilge sock will make sure that a) your bilges stay clean and minimise smell, important when a boat is closed up for prolonged periods over the winter, and b) that you will not have a nasty haze of oily water coming out of your bilges in the spring.
The Reason:
Carbon, swarf and other combustion products build up in
the filter and start to restrict the flow so changing
once a year is a minimum requirement but should be done
as per manufacturer’s recommendations of course. You
can never have enough oil changes.
6. Check the fresh water cooling level and top
up. It is also important to ensure that you have the
right ratio of water to Anti-freeze. If you have been
topping up with just water all season you might like to
drain the system and top up with the correct mixture.
Manufacturers will recommend that the system is drained
at a particular service interval.
The Reason:
Anti freeze or coolant doesn’t just protect your
engine from the cold but more importantly act as a
corrosion inhibiter that protects the internal water
ways within the engine.
Ask your marina about how they want this anti-freeze/water
mix disposed of. It should not be allowed to go into
waterways but should go down a suitable drain.
7. Remove the SW pump impeller and tie to the
side of the pump
The Reason:
If the impeller remains in one position for too long
then it might become deformed, become less effective and
fail. You should always change your impellor annually at
least. I personally don’t like the idea of using old
one as a spare as they tend to fail.
8. Relax or remove the drive belts
The Reason:
Again leaving them in one position for several months
may cause them to deform and crack
In the spring we strongly recommend that you replace
them if there are any signs of wear. Sign to look out
for is black belt dust on the engine and engine bearers
this means the belt is slipping.
9. Clean the engine and inspect it from all
angles looking for anything amiss, check all
jubilee clips for corrosion, electrical wiring for
corrosion and chafe and, of course, any water fuel or
oil leaks.
This will give you good amount of time to put things
right, also make sure the bilges are clean. Use a bilge
sock to soak up oil and fuel from the bilges before
cleaning.
There are a range of environmentally friendly cleaners
available these days, choose ones which are low in
phosphate and bleach. Clean bilges make it easier to
spot faults earlier. Finally after cleaning the engine,
coat it with duck oil or corrosion block to prevent any
corrosion, pay particular attention to the drive belt
pulleys, this must be kept free of rust another
wise when the belts are replaced they will wear down in
no time.
10. Batteries: If possible remove them and
charge them up and check the water levels. Once charged,
the condition of the battery can be checked with a
hydrometer measuring the specific gravity of each of the
cells and comparing the readings. Check and charge them
every month to keep them in order. If batteries are 4
years old or over then it might be time to think about
replacing them.
11. Exhaust and Inlet: It is a good idea to block
off the exhaust and if possible the air inlet to the
engine this can simply be done with tape or wooden bung.
This prevents moisture from getting into the engine.
Don’t forget to remove before you re-float!
12. Dispose of all used rags, empty product bottle
etc as hazardous waste.
Just before re-launching most of the servicing is done, so re-commissioning should be straightforward. However, always remember to check your manufacturers recommendations for more information about cleaning and maintaining your boat in an environmentally friendly way throughout the year.
