Issues while cruising: High Temp, High Oil Pressure, White Smoke

[Tkenopic]

I'm in the middle of a week long cruise, just arrived from an anchorage to a marina and having a few issues. Would like some thoughts of possible fixes while I'm here with power and an internet connection
Raw water cooled, manual fuel pump.
1) Temperature is high under power. Normal cruising temp is around 165. This trip I've hit 180 quite a bit, though usually under strong head wind and rough seas. I've checked the impeller, thinking I need to pull off the thermostat and check. Any other ideas?
2) White steam in the exhaust. Very strong smelling and nauseating some crew members. First time it's happened. Could this be related to the high temp? Thinking I need to clean carb and check fuel filter. Any other thoughts? I don't have adjustable main jet, is there a way to lean it out if necessary?
3) Oil pressure high. Hit almost 60 today in rolling swell. Normally it's at 40. Why would this be? Do I just need to adjust the lock nut?
Thanks in advance,
Trevor

[JOHN COOKSON]

1) Temperature is high under power. Normal cruising temp is around 165. This trip I've hit 180 quite a bit, though usually under strong head wind and rough seas. I've checked the impeller, thinking I need to pull off the thermostat and check. Any other ideas?
2) White steam in the exhaust. Very strong smelling and nauseating some crew members. First time it's happened. Could this be related to the high temp? Thinking I need to clean carb and check fuel filter. Any other thoughts? I don't have adjustable main jet, is there a way to lean it out if necessary?
3) Oil pressure high. Hit almost 60 today in rolling swell. Normally it's at 40. Why would this be? Do I just need to adjust the lock nut?
Thanks in advance,
Trevor

I don't what to bet the farm on this........
1) and 2) could caused blocked exhaust that also has a hole somewhere in it. What happens when you restrict the cooling water bypass?
Can't help with 3)

TRUE GRIT

[ndutton]

I suggest addressing the symptoms specifically

1. Check for blockages, specifically at the manifold exit elbow. Rooter the area with a coat hanger to dislodge possible detritus. Assuming a late model engine, run without a thermostat but with a bypass valve installed between the side plate and thermostat housing.
2. White steam indicates water, blue indicates oil, black = over rich fuel mixture. White steam does not point toward the carburetor so is there another reason you mention carb and fuel filter?
3. Oil pressure is easily adjusted by the screw below and behind the fuel pump. Sustained 60 PSI is too high, dial it down to at least 40 PSI.

[JOHN COOKSON]

2) White steam in the exhaust. Very strong smelling and nauseating some crew members. First time it's happened. Could this be related to the high temp?
Thanks in advance,
Trevor

The crew feeling ill could be due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Or maybe it is just the smell.

TRUE GRIT

[Dave Neptune]

RE the smell, were you running the exhaust fan? The smell could of been blowby and/or a tiny exhaust leak.

Well worth checking into.

Dave Neptune

[edwardc]

Steam in the exhaust and higher than normal temperature can be caused by an obstruction in the raw water intake. Seaweed, trash, growth, etc can restrict either the intake throughhull or the strainer (if you have one).

[Tkenopic]

Excellent suggestions, thank you. I will try those out promptly!

[Nanook]

Get a carbon monoxide detector. Marine rated ones are best but the home improvement store models are good enough for a year or two.

[sastanley]

Get a carbon monoxide detector. Marine rated ones are best but the home improvement store models are good enough for a year or two.

+1 on this... - I have an el-cheapo that is run with 4 AA batteries in the cabin. Piece of mind, and it was not real expensive from Wally World/Lowes/Home Depot.

[wristwister]

If you have access to muriatic acid (any home supply store), do a soak/flush. This might free up passages and bring your cooling under control. This worked wonders for my A4.

... and a big +2 to that CO detector, also available at any home supply store.

[Tkenopic]

Thank you all so much for the suggestions. I'm back home now and here is the outcome:

1) Cooling system revealed 2 pieces of old impeller stuck in the 90 bend. Pulled those out and the flow was much better. Pulled and cleaned thermostat and housing - there was some crud, but not bad. Checked thermostat as per the manual directions by boiling it in a pot of water with a thermocouple hooked up to my multimeter. Begins opening around 150, fully open at 160 and stays that way up to 180 and beyond. I did the muriatic acid flush last fall. Here's the thing, idling temp was much improved, bang on 160. Under load however, motoring into 10 knots of breeze, with 1 metre waves, the temp was still creeping up to 170 almost 180. Is this normal to run hotter under load? Or is it a sign the pump may need replacing?

2) Oil pressure lock nut was loose and therefore the 1/2 inch tightening bolt must have tightened somehow? Anyway, I loosened it off, tightened the lock nut and pressure was back down around 40.

3) White smoke was noticeably reduced but the exhaust still smells 'rich' to me. I'm going to pick up a CO detector tomorrow as suggested. Also, I'm thinking of ordering the adjustable main jet. Any other suggestions?

4) Lastly, engine ran great all the way home. Just as we were pulling into our harbour, it started hesitating. Almost like it was mis-firing or something. Strangely it only was happening while we were in gear. In neutral it sounded fine. I was worried it was going to conk out, but we managed to dock it safely. Now I need to head down to figure out what that might be. Wondering if any of you have an suggestions there?

Thanks again everyone, as always this forum is a gold mine of info!

[Tkenopic]

4) Lastly, engine ran great all the way home. Just as we were pulling into our harbour, it started hesitating. Almost like it was mis-firing or something. Strangely it only was happening while we were in gear. In neutral it sounded fine. I was worried it was going to conk out, but we managed to dock it safely. Now I need to head down to figure out what that might be. Wondering if any of you have an suggestions there?

Went down this evening, after reading a couple great reminder posts on here about troubleshooting and using it as a process, not a guessing game. So true. Went through the troubleshooting section of the manual again. Compression first, all good. Ignition: spark on plugs, 4, 3, 2, and very weak on 1. Sounded familiar - I had this problem in the spring. Went to the distributor and sure enough the points were out again. Fixed the gap and presto, it worked great.

Fool me twice and shame on me. So now I'm off to mine the forum for what exactly I need to order to install the electronic ignition...

Still wondering about the Cooling and Exhaust issues above, so if you have suggestions, I'm all ears.
Cheers,
Trevor

[JOHN COOKSON]

. Sounded familiar - I had this problem in the spring. Went to the distributor and sure enough the points were out again. Fixed the gap and presto, it worked great.
Cheers,
Trevor

Do you file the points? If you file he points the two contacting surfaces will be parallel. If the gap\adjustment seems to be not holding this may be the problem.
Also have you compared a new set of points to the ones you are using to determine rubbing block wear?
Have you ever checked the gap with a dwell meter?

TRUE GRIT

[Tkenopic]

Yes, I have filed the points, and the other set of points I have look identical. I do not have a dwell meter yet. Honestly, I don't understand dwell so I'll have to look into that and get one. Do you still need to adjust dwell with electronic ignition installed?

[Dave Neptune]

Tk, no the EI has a "fixed dwell" and nothing to adjust but the timing to set. Once the timing is set the only time you need to touch it is to check the C-adv at least annually and replacing the cap & rotor every 4~5 years IF NEEDED. IE very little maintenance compared to points.

Dave Neptune