Part Failure:
My recently acquired, 1984 Evelyn 26 “Skylark” came with a factory installed Yanmar 1GM10 engine. The sailboat had been sitting for a few years before I acquired it and had a chance to start it for the first time. Sounded great, and got me out to my first regatta. Then a small “catastrophic” engine component failure put the season’s racing on hold just when it was beginning to get fun. The scene down below on the cabin sole after my that first race was kind of disheartening. The engine had spilled the better part of all of its oil into the bilge at some point while motoring out and in from my first race.
The Oil Spill:
Well, in retrospect I was pretty luck to have made it back to the dock – not realizing the oil level was critically low. The intensely loud oil pressure warning horn never went off – which was fortunate for me because my nerves were pretty frazzled from the race. As we tied the boat up, I looked below to see oil everywhere. Worst of all, it was on the spinnaker due to oil floating on top of the bulge water that had sloshed around the cabin sole. Getting a diesel-engine-oiled-soaked spinnaker off the boat without everything getting oily was a task.
The Diagnosis:
My first thought was a bearing seal was the culprit. On closer inspection the only place that had any oil on it was one small oil line on the lower front of the engine. That was the problem – a pinhole in a small oil line.
(see engine pic and parts list below)
Rust Through is Bad:
I found out from my internet researching that all three oil supply lines are at risk for potential rust-through leakage. The small line that I removed from my engine looked like an old rusted brake line on ’87 Ford F100. Pretty much paper thin. So, I removed the longer line in front of and above the smaller one and found it to be deeply pitted with rust also.
Where I Found Parts:
(see links oil lines Yanmar 1GM10 diesel engine Torresen parts – now Toad Marine below)
Some info on the internet is easy to find, but the 100 year-old Japanese Yanmar Co. seems shrouded in mystery. Most of the information I found came from primary sources on sailboat forums. The Brits, I noticed, seem to have outlandishly higher prices on their Yanmar replacement parts – not sure why. Here in the U.S. I had difficulty locating a supplier easily, but thanks to Good Old Boat I found it.
As an aside: Exhaust Elbow Problems Too?
While searching, I also found out that the exhaust elbow is prone to rusting out. A link to a U.S. aftermarket maker at http://www.exhaustelbow.com/ will have that fixed in stainless steel for about $120.
Quick and Dirty Temporary Fix:
I just needed to get the engine running so I could winterize it. I brazed the pinhole and will put the engine back together for a short run to get some antifreeze through it. Then during the winter I may pull the engine out of the boat and clean the whole thing to remove the pealing paint and surface rust.
All three oil lines for Yanmar 1GM10 diesel engine in red 1,6, and 11
Be sure to order new sets of copper washers to be sure they seat tightly. Note numbers 4 and 9 are the same size number 14 is smaller. Check to be sure you get four washers per oil line.
Note: These Are Direct Links to Torrensen Marine Parts:
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Yanmar advertising refers to the 1Gm10 engine a “Gem” – it is an awesome little engine: