Pump Removed This article is going to assume you have the skills to safely and easily remove your own water pump from the engine. This one is easy and uses four bolts and a gasket to mount to the timing gear case on the engine. In this photo [...]

The Stuffing Box (click any image to see a larger version) While digging around in some old boat parts boxes I found a stuffing box from an older sailboat. I though it would be a good time to rig it up in my shop and illustrate how to [...]

This Came Out of a Boat Stored Winters in Maine I got a call from a customer who felt his motor was running a little hot in the fall and thought he should address it during the off season. We decided to pop the caps off the heat [...]

An Infrared Thermometer This is an infrared thermometer and it is what I consider to be an important tool for any boat owner. As I always say "tools are free". What I mean by this is the expense of the tool, and doing the job yourself, is almost [...]

The Raw Water Pump Changing an impeller is not a daunting task and it's one that every boater should consider adding to their arsenal of DIY maintenance. Changing an impeller, on many engines, usually takes less than 20 minutes even if you are fairly slow. The most complicated [...]

Westerbeke 3" Heat Exchanger This is a typical 3" raw water heat exchanger as found on many Westerbeke an Universal diesel engines. Close Up of End Cap The end caps on these HX's are rather prone to leaking, if the gaskets are not replaced [...]

After Cutlass Bearing Removed I get lots of comments to the effect that I make these jobs look too easy. They are easy, it does not however mean they don't get frustrating. I wanted to use this post to assure readers that I face the same obstacles as [...]