Engine swap

[Seaweed2]

I have done my best to nurse my 1975 Faryman single cylinder along. Parts are difficult, if not impossible to find. Last spring as I was preparing to take the boat to get launched I decided to give the engine a start. It ran fine before winterization two years prior. There was no compression to speak of. Valves were all functioning and compression release was not a factor. I added some cylinder lubricant and some 90 weight oil. This greatly improved compression over time but not enough to provide ignition.

I have researched and read and cogitated for some time as to reasonably solving this issue and am now contemplating swapping the Faryman A30 for a early 1980's 3GMD Yanmar that was removed (in running condition) from a scrapped Cheoy Lee.

3 cylinders vs one, a bit more weight, it will fit but the mounts will need to be redone, I will run it before installing, parts are still available, hoping to do all the work myself. The price of the Yanmar is less than 2 thousand.

Any comments on this approach before I assent to purchasing the Yanmar?

[sgbernd]

I wouldn't. Repowering is painful and expensive. The cost of the install (new mounts, beds, prop, shaft, controls, cables, exhaust, etc.) is about the same for a brand new engine as a 40yr old Yanmar. If you were repowering with a running version of the same engine, it would be a different situation, because everything would remain the same so the install is straight forward. But you neither have nor want a Farryman.

The Yanmar is 40yrs old. It runs fine and they build good engines, but time, salt, and humidity take their toll. Rubber hardens, seals leak oil or fuel, corrosion attacks metals, cooling passeges get clogged with rust, etc. Can they be rebuilt and repaired? Sure. But eventually the effort, cost, difficulty in obtaining spares, etc. becomes increasingly problematic. After 40 odd years, the Yanmar is nearing (at?) the end of life.

Finally, the Yanmar 3GMD is a salt water engine. I don't know if the one you hope to buy had a heat exchanger conversion, but if not, corrosion is an issue if the engine was in salt water.

I recommend trying to find a running take out (RTO) which is current generation, ideally, not more than 10yrs old. It will cost more than the Yanmar, but will prove more satisfactory in the long run.

Steve

[gonesail]

I would also think twice about a 40 year old engine .. but if it runs good then that is a motivator. beware if it was raw water cooled. good luck with your repower project.

[SVFayaway]

I did this job, and it was worth it. Hardest part was rebuilding the engine beds. I went from the original Volvo MD2B to a Yanmar 2GM20F. I would wait and try to find a 2 cylinder motor, either a Yanmar or a Universal (one of the ones that uses a Kubota block) instead of going for the 3 cylinder. You're on freshwater it looks like so the raw water cooling isn't as much of an issue but it's still not ideal.

[Seaweed2]

Some good food for thought. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in a big idea and be completely oblivious to the obvious!

A 40 year old engine at a cheap price may not buy enough time to warrant the time and money to install it.

A two cylinder might be better from an age, weight, and maintenance perspective. My Faryman used to be able to be started by hand, if necessary. I liked the simplicity in that.

I have decided to forego the old Yanmar. Thanks for the advice. I am also considering the idea of temporarily mounting an outboard on the stern so I can get back in the water while working through my "issues"! An outboard is less than ideal and not at all acceptable for anything long distance or long term. Over time I intend to broaden my sailing territory, but for now constraints would limit me to local 3 or 4 day sails from my home port.