Day 189 Errands and repairs.

Yesterday was errands and repairs day.  

We started out with Larry of Sea Marine coming down to Zephyr and taking apart the impeller that pushes sea water through the engine.  I had tried to replace it on Sunday but it was jammed into its fitting real well.   By the time Larry had shown up, I'd removed the screws and cover so he could get at it real easy.  At $90.00 per hour, I was perfectly happy to get some of the the work done that he was going to have to do anyway.  He went in with a screw driver and wedged it in nice and tight and with some prying, got it out.  It appeared to be in good condition but since it is  a VERY important part of the engine(keeps it cool) it is best to replace it about once a year depending on how much you use your engine.  Here's a picture of what they look like.  At about $28.00 a piece, they aren't cheap but they sure are important.  I'm going to buy a couple more before we set out.  It's one of those things you always keep backups of.  We plan on buying an entire replacement pump as it is one of those things that will fail and is hard to replace when you're out cruising.

After getting it out, he cleaned up the cover plate(scratched off the old seal) and got it nice and shiny while getting some goop to hold the new gasket to the plate.  Back into the engine compartment and shoved the new one into place.  Stuck on the plate and started installing the screws.  In true "Bill" fashion, he dropped one of the screws under the engine.  Couldn't find it so went back to the shop to find another screw.  Please keep in mind that this is all at $90.00 per hour.  Came back with screws.  Even brought me some extras.  Of course, the threads didn't fit the holes.  So he started reaching under the engine to find the lost screw.  It was of course at the exact center under the engine.  In it went and job done.  I started the engine and no leaks.  

Since we had been having a small water leak, he searched around and found a small leak in the water exhaust system.  Unlike auto exhaust systems, boat diesels use water to cool themselves. It mixes with the exhaust of the engine and blows out the stern.  The impeller that we just replaced pushes the water into the engine and then it blows out the back.  Larry tightened the hose clamp and no more water.

Our Webasto diesel heater(heats the cabin)malfunctioned when we started it last weekend.  Larry had worked on the system changing out the diesel lines so he looked at it since he was here.  Tightened up some hose clamps.  I tried it later and got the same report(flame failure) on the electronic readout.  I'll be calling the Sure Marine Services today.  They sell and service Webasto.

By the time Larry was done, two hours had passed.  We'll see what he bills in at.

We took off for Sequim in the afternoon for errands.  Costco, Office Depot, Petco, and even a haircut.  We had an appointment with the dermatologist for skin checks.  We expect to be exposed to lots of bad UV rays over the next years and want to sure we are alright before we set off.  

We finally got back a bit after 6pm and set about getting Zephyr ready to set off.  The forecasts over the next few days still stinks--20 to 30 knot winds and showers, but we really want to get out of here even if it is for just a few days.  Wednesday(tomorrow) appears to be the best day so we will see what happens tomorrow.  Say a prayer to any weather Gods you know of.