On Mar 5, 6:43*am, "Steve Lusardi" wrote:
I have no idea what tree you have been living in, but your idea makes no
sense. In the first place wet exhaust manifolds for the VW diesel are
readily available from Pathfinder Engines and others. The modern VW diesel
makes in excess of 100 HP, not 52. Dry exhausts are a real fire hazard and
an unecessary risk. Keel cooling is a very good idea and is more common in
fresh water than salt, however you will still require a 5 liter or so
expansion tank.
Steve

wrote in message

...



Hello all,
* I have just purchased an older Starcraft 18' runabout that
currently has a 120hp 4cyl Merc gas engine coupled to a series 120
Merc I/O drive. *I intend to convert this package, using the I/O, to
diesel using a 52hp 1.6L VW diesel engine in place of the merc 4 cyl.
Due to the relative unavailability (and cost) of a wet exhaust, I
intend to use a dry stack, and run the diesel with a radiator normally
found in the VW vehicles...side mounted and all tucked into a rear
engine box
that will be manufactured to allow adequate breathing and heat
dissipation. *My question is regarding the pump system in the I/
O...can I just remove the impeller, or should I direct its output into
an open circuit back into the bay? *Does the pump in the I/O have any
cooling or lubricating capacity for the unit?
This project is intended to provide for a work boat used in Coos Bay,
Oregon, for non commercial fishing and crabbing. *Reliability and
economy of use are considerations.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Well, Steve, the tree I live in is the one behind my machine shop.
The reason that I will not put a wet stack on the boat does, in part,
involve the 488 pounds that the British Company sells them for (I
don't know how much that is in real money, but suspect it is in excess
of $1000US). Secondly, I have a few of the 1.6L diesels in my
inventory, and as I will not water ski behind the boat, I think 52hp
is adequate to my task, and more reliable and fuel efficient to boot
(I've rebuilt ten of these little engines in the past 5 years)...In
fact, if I had one of the newer diesels available to me, I would
still use the 52hp model. As the boat (18' open runabout, aluminum
hull) will be both trailered and occasionally beached on sand bars,
and as I don't want to pierce the hull or transom to build a cooling
system, the close-coupled radiator system mounted on the injector pump
side of the motor looks like a viable method, and the system's entire
footprint will
be less than 32" wide....Oh, did I mention that this was to be a work
boat? What I am looking for is reliability, safety and fuel
efficiency...speed, resale value, and the approbation of the boating
community are not issues.