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To run or not run the engine...


Chris_777

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Hi, another novice question - so thanks in advance!!
The background to this is that I will only be able to get to the boat at weekends over the next 2-3 months do to work commitments and travel, so this got me wondering about taking care of the engine (a Gardner 3LW) properly over this period. So my question is would it be it advisable to:

- give it a run once a month in order to circulate oil & so keep a film of oil everywhere (internally) I was thinking of a good hour or so under load so the engine gets up to temperature?

or

- not run it until I can fit a longer trip in?


It's a Gardner LW and with parts being scarce I want to do what's best to look after the engine! 

 

Thanks

Chris

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Personally I would not run it. What can happen to the innards if you don't? its not going to rust unless something very strange happens. Having taken a few engines apart none of them were showing any visible signs of deterioration because of being left. I think I read somewhere that more wear occurs during the first few moments of starting from cold than any other time. Chuck an old rug over it and don't worry.

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Run it for a trip to the nearest pub and back! The engine gets run for a couple of hours under load and you get to go to the pub. What is not to like? ? Winter cruising is magical in its own way. Depends on weather of course. If it is chucking it down it is no fun. If the canal is iced up, then say bye-bye to your blacking.

Depending on where you are, then running the engine in gear moored up can be antisocial. If against the bankside of a shallow canal it can erode away the bank. I am moored on a jetty in the middle of a six foot deep pound, so no problem here. Even so, I'll take the boat out for a quick trip in the winter every so often.

Running it for an hour or so out of gear at idle, which a lot of people do, is the worse thing. Lots of start up wear and no load on the engine. It barely warms up and puts lots of acidic exhaust products in to a damp exhaust, without giving it a chance to dry out properly.

Owners of classic and similar cars, who don't take their pride and joy out in winter, are more of the "don't start the engine until the spring" school these days from what I've heard. Less damage than running it for a short time every so often.

 

Jen

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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May I ask how you are keeping the batteries well charged?  If the answer is that you are not them maybe it would be a good idea to give it a long run under load every two or three months.. Nothing to do with the engine but everything to do with minimising battery sulphation.

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Last year while I was having work done on my boat, the 1.8 BMC engine lay idle for over ten months.

When I started it up again I found that the sulphur-free diesel had caused the seals in the fuel pump to shrink and solidify. Diesel was leaking into the sump and as a result I had to have a re-conditioned unit.

I was told by Calcutt that this is a fairly common problem with older pumps and that one way to prevent this is to run the engine periodically.

I think newer pumps are fitted with different, non rubber seals.

 

Edited by koukouvagia
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3lw needs quite a lot of work to get it up to temp on a no flow canal. If you do run it, turn on the alt ( if it starts with alt off) - as well as charging the starter battery  have a good run up the cut and back. Pootling up the canal on tickover most likely wont get the lump up to temp. All imo.

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ps Gardners are generally bulletproof. What I do is change oil before putting it away late autumn. I may have a few trips in winter with leisure bank run down, alt on and try to run it hard when cruising.

 

My ex neighbour had a 2lw that never had an oil change for many, many years, was hardly ever used sat in the cold but ran sweet as a nut when it was called upon. 

Edited by mark99
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Thanks everyone!!!

 

I guess I'm being a bit over cautious and all the replies really help. Rather than a hour round trip to the nearest winding hole and back, which sounds like it won't do much good, I'll aim to do a longer trip every 8 -10 weeks. I reckon it will be 4 hours out on a Saturday,  moor up by pub (Jen said it's ok  :-)  to go to the pub in the evening)  and then 4 hours back on Sunday - all in the name of doing the right thing!

 

Tony, thanks for checking on the batteries! I have a shore line and an inverter charger, so what I do is give the batteries a 24 hour charge once a week. When I return the following week, they read 12.7 volts so hopefully I'm doing the right thing there.

 

Great to belong to a really helpful community!

Cheers everyone,

Chris.

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I have 10 batteries.

 

My set up for instance is hooked up to shore power which trickle feeds the leisure bank. (8 batteries @ 6 volts wired is series pairs/parallel to give effective 4 batteries @ 12 volts).

 

I have an inboard Panda diesel generator that has it's own starter battery - I have to start the genny to top up that starter battery.

 

I have a seperate starter battery to start the Gardner 2lw - to ensure that's topped up, the power comes from the alternator on the engine which of course needs to be run and alternator engaged.

 

The shore power only tops up the leisure bank.

Edited by mark99
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24 minutes ago, mark99 said:

I have 10 batteries.

 

My set up for instance is hooked up to shore power which trickle feeds the leisure bank. (8 batteries @ 6 volts wired is series pairs/parallel to give effective 4 batteries @ 12 volts).

 

I have an inboard Panda diesel generator that has it's own starter battery - I have to start the genny to top up that starter battery.

 

I have a seperate starter battery to start the Gardner 2lw - to ensure that's topped up, the power comes from the alternator on the engine which of course needs to be run and alternator engaged.

 

The shore power only tops up the leisure bank.

There’s no reason why you couldn’t parallel the starter batteries or just use one, unless it’s not practical cause of location.   I would use a voltage sensitive relay(s) to join all ya banks up when charging.

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1 hour ago, Chris_777 said:

I've just been hooking up a bog standard car battery charger across the starter batteries and giving them 24 hrs of charge at the same time, but I like the idea of a just using a jump lead!

 

Yes jump leads are amazingly useful things to have lying around in a boat*, for things like this. One of the least useful applications for a jump lead is jump starting an engine with a flat battery. 

 

 

* Well ok, neatly stowed away rather than 'lying around'...

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