Catalina 310 Owner's Manual

Auxiliary Power

Original manual page 50

General Engine Information:

WARNING: Do not open engine compartment doors when engine is running. Contact with hot or moving engine parts can cause serious injury.

For a complete description of your engine, please consult the guide supplied by the engine manufacturer. This can be found in your owner's packet.

Two points are worth special attention. Firstly, marine engines work under conditions tougher than those conditions of automotive engines. Your marine engine faces constant torquing not encountered on the highway. For this reason, you must change your engine's crank oil as recommended in the engine manufacturer's guide. Secondly, before using your engine, the shaft coupling must be adjusted within a tolerance of .003 T.I.R. thousandths after launching. This is done during commissioning of the yacht. Be sure that your dealer has made this adjustment before using your engine.

Change the oil in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations. Keep spare filters and alternator belts on hand. Keep your fuel tank full whenever possible to prevent water condensation in your fuel tank.

To retard electrolysis, we recommend installing a zinc collar immediately on the propeller shaft when the boat is to be used in salt water.

Shaft Packing Box (Stuffing Box):

The packing gland is located aft of the engine. Properly adjusted shaft packing gland should drip slightly with the engine off. Too loose an adjustment will allow too much water in the bilge and engine operation will spray water from the shaft. Too tight an adjustment will rob the engine of power, and the lack of water lubrication in the packing gland can generate enough heat to damage the gland and/or score the propeller shaft.

Adjustment:

  1. Holding the packing nut with one wrench, use a second wrench to loosen the lock nut. Turn the lock nut far enough to keep it from interfering with the next adjustment (2 or 3 turns).
  2. Tighten the packing nut to obtain 1 to 2 drops per minute. Hand tightening of the packing nut is often sufficient to obtain this adjustment. If this is not the case, an additional 1/4 to 1/2 turn with the wrench should produce the desired result.
  3. Hold the packing nut in place with one wrench, and use the second wrench to bring the locking nut securely against the packing nut. Make certain that the locking nut is tight. Failure to do this could allow the packing nut to back off when the engine is operating.
  4. Operate the engine at slow speeds in forward and reverse and use a light to check for excessive water at the packing nut. Shut off the engine and recheck packing for proper drip.

Shaft Alignment:

For proper operation of the engine, the propeller shaft and engine must be aligned. Alignment is gauged at the engine and shaft coupling. Alignment procedures must be done with the boat in the water after the mast is stepped, and the rigged is tuned.

  1. Remove coupling flange bolts and check propeller shaft for clearance. Adjust stuffing box so that excessive seepage is prevented, yet the shaft is allowed to spin freely.
  2. Slide shaft away from engine and check coupling mating surfaces. These must be clean.
  3. Slide shaft forward to connect coupling surfaces. Pilot on transmission flange must align with recess in shaft coupling flange. This is an indication of correct axial alignment.
  4. With coupling flanges in contact, measure gap around edge of coupling with .003 feeler gauge. Maximum allowable gap at any point is three thousandths of an inch. Take this measurement several times, rotating shaft 1/4 turn each time. Any gap in excess of .003 must be corrected by changing engine position, especially fore/aft tilt. For example, excessive gap at the bottom of the coupling (see drawing) indicates engine is tilted too far aft (front too high). Using a 15/16 end wrench, loosen lock nuts on forward motor mount(s). Lower front of engine by clockwise rotation of motor mount nuts. Remeasure gap at coupling. A gap at the top of the coupling would require the exact reverse procedure.
  5. Pull shaft backwards as in step 2. Again slide shaft forward, rechecking axial alignment as in step 3.
  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until alignment within tolerance is achieved.
  7. Tighten motor mount lock nuts and install coupling bolts.

NOTE: Alignment should be checked yearly, or whenever any excess vibration is noticed. The alignment can also be affected by changes in rigging tension.

Fueling:

The fuel system consists of a fuel tank, fuel suction and return lines, a primary fuel filter/water separator and a secondary fuel filter on the engine and an electric fuel pump (on engine) controlled by the engine key switch, a deck fill plate, and an overboard vent through the transom.

Reliability depends on the clean fuel being supplied to the engine since the close tolerances required by the engine's fuel delivery system make it intolerant of dirt or water contamination. The engine is supplied with primary and secondary filters that prevent contaminants from reaching the engine where they could cause damage. However, a clogged filter, although providing this protection, can also stop an engine. Keeping the filters free of dirt and water is critical.

Before Fueling:

  1. Extinguishing all smoking materials and check around the fueling area for other sources of spark or flame. Remove if found.
  2. Shut off the engine, and any electrical accessories or devices.
  3. De-energize all electrical equipment by turning the selector switch to the off position.
  4. Close all hatches and ports.
  5. Ensure that a fire extinguisher is readily available.
  6. Ensure that the proper (diesel, not gasoline) hose is about to be used.

WARNING: Do not fuel during an electrical storm. Besides the obvious hazard of lightning, the possibility of static discharge is greatly increased at this time.

Fueling Procedure:

  1. Remove fill pipe cover using a proper tool.
  2. Place nozzle of fuel hose in the fill pipe. Keep the nozzle in contact with the deck plate rim during fueling to avoid the possibility of a static spark.
  3. Fill slowly. Do not overfill. If it is not possible to see the meter on the fuel pump, the attendant or a crew member should call out the gallonage from the fuel dock. Filling the tank to only 95% of capacity will avoid overflow problems on a hot day.
  4. Replace cover, clean up any spilled fuel. If any rags, etc., were used for this purpose, dispose of them ashore.
  5. Check below decks for presence of fumes or fuel leakage. Check bilge, engine space, and main cabin. If fumes or evidence of leakage are found, determine the cause, correct it, and clean up any spillage before proceeding.
  6. The engine should be started only when it is certain that no potentially hazardous conditions exist.

Fuel Sanitation:

Bacterial Contamination:

Bacterial contamination of the diesel fuel can cause problems. The bacterium need both water and fuel to exist, and thrive at the fuel/water interface in a fuel tank. As they multiply, they form more water and a filter choking brown slime. Their presence will not be known until rough weather churns up the fuel tank causing clogged filters at the worst possible time.

Keeping water out of the fuel will prevent the problem entirely. However, a certain amount of water, due to normal condensation in the tank, is to be expected.

Fuel Additives:

Fuel additives or fungicides provide another means of combating contamination. Additives break the water down to a molecular level, dispersing it throughout the fuel and allowing it to pass harmlessly through the fuel system. Several brands of this product are available at marine stores.

Exhaust System Maintenance:

In-board engine installations on sailboats differ from engine installations on powerboats. The primary difference is that the engine is usually installed below the waterline of the vessel. The benefits of these locations are that the weight of the engine is where it will not adversely effect trim, and that the shaft is at an efficient angle for powering and minimum drag when sailing.

Engine installations below the waterline require special attention to the design of the exhaust system. The discharged cooling water must be exhausted above the waterline to avoid excessive back pressure on the engine and prevent sea water from traveling up the exhaust line and entering the engine.

To exhaust the engine above the waterline, the discharged cooling water and require special attention to the design of the exhaust gas must be "lifted" to a level above the through hull fitting on the transom. The exhaust cooling water and exhaust gas are lifted above the waterline by an "aqua-lift" type muffler. The aqua-muffler performs three jobs:

  1. It mixes engine gas and water to cool the gas and lower exhaust line temperature.
  2. It baffles and deadens engine exhaust noise.
  3. It creates pressure required to lift and expel cooling water.

As shown in the illustration, the inlet tube into the aqua-lift is short and the outlet tube is long near the bottom of the tank. As water accumulates in the bottom of the tank, exhaust gas pressure builds in the top of the tank. This forces the cooling water up the exit tube and through the exhaust line overboard. The system required exhaust pressure in the tank to function.

When the starter motor is turning over, before the engines fires, water is being pumped through the cooling system by the belt driven cooling water pump. It is very important not to operate the starter motor for more than 30 seconds if the engine does not fire. Should it be necessary to operate the starter motor more than 30 seconds, water must be drained from the aqua-lift by opening the drain at the base of the aqua-lift. The drain valve may be opened until the engine fires, if desired.

All Catalina are equipped with anti-siphon valves as an additional precaution to prevent cooling water from entering the engine. The function of the anti-siphon valve is to prevent cooling water from being siphoned through the through hull valve, through the engine cooling system and into the aqua-lift muffler when the engine is not operating. If the muffler were to fill completely with water, water would travel up to inlet tube and enter the engine block.

The Catalina exhaust system is basically simple and will provide trouble free service if you perform regular maintenance and inspection. The important points to remember are:

  1. Close the engine cooling water through hull valve when you are not operating the engine.
  2. Do not operate the starter motor for more than 30 seconds without draining the aqua-lift muffler.
  3. Periodically disassemble the anti-siphon valve. Be sure the valve is not fouled with salt deposits and that it opens freely under the cap.
  4. Check the operation by removing the valve:
    1. Put a finger over one large hole and blow through the other. Air should not escape through the cap.
    2. If you suck through one large hole with a finger over the other, air enter the valve through the cap.