Stunning ignorance.

[TorronaPwr]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your previous help which allowed a newb like me to replace risers, manifolds and impellers.

Now that is done I'd like to clean out the cramped engine compartment once haul out comes.

Here's the stunning ignorance part - With batteries off and bilge plug out, can I take a garden hose with attached spray set on "Jet" and try to remove the worst of the dirt? Would that damage anything, upset anything, or is there a better way other than hiring an athletic monkey to clamber over the top of the two Mercruiser 5L engines?

 

[rgano]

If there is a lot of garbage down there, I hope your bilge drain is big! Where will any oily waste end up? Have you figured out a way to hose down the wetted areas of your engines with WD40 afterward?

 

[Bill V]

In my twin 383's engine room I often use a 2500 psi power washer to clean the bilges out after it's been hauled and on my 3 axle trailer at season end. I store my boat in a heated shop that has a drain for all the water that comes out the bilge drain. I usually wash the engine thoroughly although on reduced pressure, all electrical terminal strips to remove salt residue, all bulkheads, hoses and fitting. Then I blow it down well with air to remove moisture and finally spray it well with WD40, especially on terminal strips. After all this is complete I run the engines using fresh water thru the raw water intakes to flush salt water out. The last minute or so I spray a fogging oil into the carbs until the engines quit running. This has worked well for me the past 20 years.

 

[wkearney99]

Now that you've wrenched on the engine you're more aware of how everything is connected. You want to avoid blasting water at any kind of pressure at fittings or connectors.

For the sake of not polluting, don't just let your bilge pumps dump the run off overboard. Use a few oil absorbing mats to collect the mess. If you're going to be on the boat you might want to raise the bilge pumps from their mounts to avoid them sucking out the water before it's had a chance to be absorbed by the mats. I wouldn't disconnect the wires to anything, as stuff sometimes doesn't get reconnected.

 

[rsn48]

Stunning Ignorance

My bad, I thought this was a post about me!

 

[Simi 60]

You'll need some of those inflatable midgets to go with the athletic monkeys
Ever toolbox should have a supply.

 

[High Wire]

Pretty sure he said he’s going to do this AFTER haul out. So a bucket under the drain with oil sorbent sheets will catch any oil. Wipe down by hand is slow but you can be thorough and no splatter. Pick up a heavy used blanket at a thrift store to lay onto the engine top. It definitely hurts less.

 

[rgano]

While I guess the chosen method is OK, I prefer not using anything that would result in water misting around engine metal. It is a bit difficult to access under my engine, but one of those long-reach grabbers height-challenged people use for getting things off high shelves combined with a handful of paper towels soaked in something like Greased Lightning or even mineral spirits gets the oily or greasy stuff from the bilge surfaces without having to mess with the results from spraying the area down with water. Just sayin'...

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Stay away from the engine electrical like cap and spark plug wires. Then spray some Super Clean in the bilge, use a brush and then let it drain. Any large junk and left over water take a wet vac.

 

[TorronaPwr]

Thanks for all the information! Lots of good ideas. I'm going to take my time rereading through the posts again and make a plan of action.

 

[South of Heaven]

OP: You've replaced your own risers, manifolds and impellers and you call yourself a newb?!

You sound very competent to me!

Great job on your DIY spirit

 

[Blissboat]

Stunning Ignorance

My bad, I thought this was a post about me!

Thought the same thing, except that it would be about me. Whew!

 

[Oeanda]

Before I repainted our motor I scrubbed what I could reach with that purple stuff above, then pressure washed it mercilessly. Avoided electrical connections and the air intake.

 

[jleonard]

Simple green is also a good cleaner/degreaser. If you want to limit the amount of rinse water you can use a garden sprayer.
Have fun!

 

[ranger58sb]

Sometimes a small steam cleaner can help... at least in a few places. It's not magic, though...

-Chris

 

[Blissboat]

Simple green is also a good cleaner/degreaser. If you want to limit the amount of rinse water you can use a garden sprayer.
Have fun!

Second the motion for Simple Green - not a miracle cleaner, but pretty darn good for oil and grease. The pump sprayer is also good for rinsing engines.

The guys who detail my cars once a year use something in the engine compartment that really does seem miraculous. It foams up as it's applied, sits for a few minutes and then hoses-off. I probably don't want to know about the environmental consequences, but will try to find out what it is.

 

[TorronaPwr]

So many good ideas

Thanks again for all the input. It looks like when the boat is on the hard, it will be Super Clean and Simple Green for the shell of the compartment and perhaps Gunk FEB1 foamy engine cleaner for the two engines, carefully washed out by hose spray, collected from the bilge by shop vac, and then WD40 or similar applied to the engine.

Last problem to solve is where to dump the dirty waste, but I'll talk to the harbormaster about that.

Cheers!

 

[Deckape]

Use a yard blower after washing the engines to remove extra water , you can all most get it water free. Run engines to farther dry them .Then spray with WD-40

 

[TorronaPwr]

Inventive!

Another good idea - thx for that

 

[FF]

If water sloshes in the bilge , a cup of simple green every month or so will keep major crud deposits from happening.

 

[ben2go]

In my twin 383's engine room I often use a 2500 psi power washer to clean the bilges out after it's been hauled and on my 3 axle trailer at season end. I store my boat in a heated shop that has a drain for all the water that comes out the bilge drain. I usually wash the engine thoroughly although on reduced pressure, all electrical terminal strips to remove salt residue, all bulkheads, hoses and fitting. Then I blow it down well with air to remove moisture and finally spray it well with WD40, especially on terminal strips. After all this is complete I run the engines using fresh water thru the raw water intakes to flush salt water out. The last minute or so I spray a fogging oil into the carbs until the engines quit running. This has worked well for me the past 20 years.

This is almost exactly what we did to boats back in my fish-n-ski days.