The time has come. My Universal 12 HP 2 cyl dumped all its oil in the sump yesterday. While I hope this is just a drain plug,... because it ran like a swiss watch,,,, I am prepared to replace it. She is old, 4000 hrs and not FWC. What diesel engine fits in the space below the ladder? It should have FWC this time. Where does one find a rebuilt engine? Thanks
Universal 5410 Replacement E28+
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To me the "gold standard" for this would be a modern Kubota-based Betamarine two cylinder (or three...) diesel.
The used market is a whole 'nother mater -- no experience have I.
Loren
The used market is a whole 'nother mater -- no experience have I.
Loren
Alan Gomes
Sustaining Partner
Let's hope that this is an easy fix--as it well might be. Not sure what the engine compartment is like on a 28+ but can you get a look at the underside of the oil pan with an inspection mirror to get at least a preliminary idea of what you could be facing repair-wise?
I've heard of more than one case of the oil pan rusting out. That's not a difficult fix once the engine is out. In fact, pulling the engine would be a great time to paint the engine compartment, change out motor mounts if they need it, and give the engine a nice paint job. True, removing the engine is a bit of a pain but if you repower you're going to do that and a whole lot more. And the nice thing about the Kubota is that if it is something like an oil pan you can buy that part from a non-marine Kubota parts dealer and save some serious bucks.
Assuming you shut down the engine immediately after it dumped its oil, my guess is that this will prove very fixable. Good luck with it and please report back on your findings!
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Pat O'Connell
Member III
E 28+ Engine Replacement 28+ b
Very sorry to hear about your leak. I agree with Alan. Discovery needs to be done on the oil leak. Our 5411 has a good bit of rust on the pan even tho it has been FWC since 1982. I sure dread finding the oil bilge filled with oil.
Might be smart to visit a dollar store and buy a couple of mirrors that will fit in the bilge. They won't last very long on a boat and you will have to be careful about the mirrors breaking. We found a $1 mirror that has normal reflection on one side and magnification on the other. We use one mirror to reflect light and the other to do the inspection. Works pretty good around the house too. We do not store them on the boat but nice to have in the basement. Regular inspection mirrors are normally pretty small.
Hope that you can save that engine and maybe fwc it with a Sendure Unit. Let us know.
Pat O'Connell
1981 E28+ Chips
Very sorry to hear about your leak. I agree with Alan. Discovery needs to be done on the oil leak. Our 5411 has a good bit of rust on the pan even tho it has been FWC since 1982. I sure dread finding the oil bilge filled with oil.
Might be smart to visit a dollar store and buy a couple of mirrors that will fit in the bilge. They won't last very long on a boat and you will have to be careful about the mirrors breaking. We found a $1 mirror that has normal reflection on one side and magnification on the other. We use one mirror to reflect light and the other to do the inspection. Works pretty good around the house too. We do not store them on the boat but nice to have in the basement. Regular inspection mirrors are normally pretty small.
Hope that you can save that engine and maybe fwc it with a Sendure Unit. Let us know.
Pat O'Connell
1981 E28+ Chips
Update on 5411 oil seep
OK, you guys were right. The Oil leak did come out of the plug that is screwed into the block for the thermostat gauge. A very small one inch diameter plug with a plastic piece that can break inside the engine when it is over tightened. It managed to dump all my oil, presumably while at rest but hard to know.
My highly experienced mechanic says it is running fine now, BUT, beware. He says it is probably on borrowed time because it is not FWC even though the cooling is fine. I love the boat, would love to afford the repowering, but the experts are saying don't fix whatever is not broken. Ah, the joy.
OK, you guys were right. The Oil leak did come out of the plug that is screwed into the block for the thermostat gauge. A very small one inch diameter plug with a plastic piece that can break inside the engine when it is over tightened. It managed to dump all my oil, presumably while at rest but hard to know.
My highly experienced mechanic says it is running fine now, BUT, beware. He says it is probably on borrowed time because it is not FWC even though the cooling is fine. I love the boat, would love to afford the repowering, but the experts are saying don't fix whatever is not broken. Ah, the joy.
Alan Gomes
Sustaining Partner
There is no way for your mechanic to know whether the cooling on that engine is "on borrowed time" without actually tearing it apart. It's entirely possible that your engine may outlive you.
One thing you can do is to plumb your engine for a fresh water flush. This is simple and inexpensive to do. When you are back at the dock you set the valve to draw the cooling water from a bucket. You can then rinse the innards with fresh water, or fresh water with Salt Away added to it (http://www.westmarine.com/buy/salt-away--salt-away-concentrate-refills--P006_186_005_504). Obviously this will not reverse any past corrosion but it will help to hold the future corrosion at bay and keep the passages open.
Your best option is to just keep running the engine as it is and don't worry about it. If it actually dies beyond repair then you can face the issue of repowering at that time. But there is every possibility that your engine will be good for as long as you own that boat.
Alan Gomes
Sustaining Partner
What or who is "YI"? (I didn't notice that abbreviation earlier.)
Regardless, I do agree that it should not be under pressure. I have not needed to have the bucket located higher than the pump input. I just set the bucket on the cabin sole, right in front of the engine. This makes for a bit of a rise up and over the lip of the bucket and then down into the valve and into the engine. I use a clear hose so I can see easily that the pump is sucking water from the bucket. Of course, you could also set the bucket in the cockpit and run the hose down if you felt that you wanted some gravity assist. But even on the teeny little pump on my Yanmar 1GM there is plenty of suction to pull the water right up from the bucket. (I set the engine to about 2000 rpm initially for solid suction and then throttle it back a bit once it is fully primed, which takes about half a second.)
Included below are some pictures of what my setup looks like. The water in the first photo is blue because it contains Salt Away.
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E26--Fresh Water Flush 1.jpg -
E26--Fresh Water Flush 2.jpg
Pat O'Connell
Member III
5411 Engine Flush
Hi Respected Sailors
My flush kit is just a little diferent. Installed a prestone flushing tee between the thru hull and the salt water strainer. Take the cap off the tee and attach a clear temporary hose with hose connections. Clear hose runs up to the bucket in the cockpit. We open the engine thru hull to make sure that the system is full of water. Then close the thru hull and the engine is running on fw. We use the system twice a year to add antifreeze in the back yard in the fall and run the engine for awhile in the Spring to make sure launch will go well. Keep the cap on the tee when you are not using it. Please don't use pressure fw. It will cost you a new engine.
Pat O'Connel
1981 E28+
Hi Respected Sailors
My flush kit is just a little diferent. Installed a prestone flushing tee between the thru hull and the salt water strainer. Take the cap off the tee and attach a clear temporary hose with hose connections. Clear hose runs up to the bucket in the cockpit. We open the engine thru hull to make sure that the system is full of water. Then close the thru hull and the engine is running on fw. We use the system twice a year to add antifreeze in the back yard in the fall and run the engine for awhile in the Spring to make sure launch will go well. Keep the cap on the tee when you are not using it. Please don't use pressure fw. It will cost you a new engine.
Pat O'Connel
1981 E28+