Universal 5411 Walk Through Part 2b - Water Cooling & Exhaust

Mechanic explains the water cooling system. He discovered that I do not have a water strainer on the engine. The mechanic recommended that I add one. He explains where to add it. He also explains great details about the exhaust system and why things are laid out the way they are. He explains why you should not continuously crank your engine if it won't start. When you do that you allow sea water to enter the engine and you run the risk of filling up your muffler with sea water. If the muffler overfills and water starts running back into the engine then the engine will not start. It hydro-locks. A way to avoid this is to turn the sea cock off and do not allow any more water into the engine until you resolve the issue. He also explains the thermostat and how it works. The thermostat regulates the temperature in the engine and how much water should flow through to maintain the desired temperature. There is a raw water bypass that goes from the sea cock to the muffler. This water bypass allows for water to go into the muffler when the thermostat is holding water back to regulate the engine temperature. He points out the two temperature sending units and their purpose. Transmission fluid needs to be replaced about every 300 engine hours. You sometimes get particles in there from the wear and tear of the clutch system. Putting the transmission in gear. People intuitively want to ease the shifter into gear. He says that is not how they work. You want to sharply engage it. They clunk a little bit but that is by design. They are designed to be in or out (no maybes). Push until it clicks. Pushing even further will have no effect on it. You do not want to shift it if engine is above 850 rpm.