Engine Advice

My boat, with a single Ford Lehman 225HP Turbo engine, has been stored on the hard since October 2015 and won't be relaunched until June 2017. I plan to "crank" the engine for a second or two, which should be enough long to change the position of the pistons.
I'd appreciate opinions regarding doing this.

What have you been doing thus far?

Cranking is fine IMO but limit running your starter motor to less than 10 seconds and wait for about two minutes between cranks.
Don't do that in the water because you will most likely flood your exhaust system and possibly your engine.

Very interested in the answers you get.

I would call American Diesel or Bomac, both have extensive Lehman knowledge and see what they recommend.

I would think long term storage procedures would be more benificial than occasional turning.

American Diesel 804 435 3107
Bomac *954-766-2625

Cranking for a few seconds will scrape off any cylinder wall rust and put a fresh coating of diesel on the walls. You want it to inject diesel to coat the cylinder walls but you don't want it to start. Tricky!!

Also put Saran wrap or something similar over the intake and the exhaust to keep out salt laden humidity, but remove it before doing the cranking thing.

On second thought something strong enough to withstand the vacuum on the intake side will be ok to leave on while cranking and won't let the engine start. Maybe a piece of plywood or preferably Starboard duct taped over the intake turbo.

David

If you have a supply of cooling water, put a 5 gallon bucket in the boat and put a hose in it. Then put the raw water pickup into the bucket. Fill the bucket and start the engine. Adjust the hose to replace the water the engine draws up and let it run as long as you want. When you are ready to shut down, run a few gallons of pink anti-freeze through the cooling system then shut the engine down.

TDunn said:

If you have a supply of cooling water, put a 5 gallon bucket in the boat and put a hose in it. Then put the raw water pickup into the bucket. Fill the bucket and start the engine. Adjust the hose to replace the water the engine draws up and let it run as long as you want. When you are ready to shut down, run a few gallons of pink anti-freeze through the cooling system then shut the engine down.

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Exactly!

I've dealt with this before when no water was available. Took the top hose off the Jabsco pump and squirted in an ounce or two of Dawn. Started engine and let it run for about 15 sec. Long enough to build oil pressure and throw some oil around. Dawn lubes the impeller and keeps it from burning up.

Bensjoy said:

My boat, with a single Ford Lehman 225HP Turbo engine, has been stored on the hard since October 2015 and won't be relaunched until June 2017. I plan to "crank" the engine for a second or two, which should be enough long to change the position of the pistons.
I'd appreciate opinions regarding doing this.

Click to expand...

How often do you plan to crank it? Weekly, monthly or?

Why don't you just pickle it properly?

"Dawn lubes the impeller and keeps it from burning up.'

The impeller will need to be replaced after almost 3 years on shore.

If the engine is to be cranked I would spray Fogging Fluid thru the intake , it will last longer on the cylinder walls than diesel.

Stop spraying if the engine shows signs of starting.

"Why don't you just pickle it properly? "

Why this was not done on the haul out is a good question.

Sealing the intake and exhaust is a good idea to slow moisture that comes in with barometric changes.

Drain the exhaust lift muffler first if installed.