Spent a couple of hours cleaning out the Irwin today. Little by little I'm finding out what works and what doesn't. The shore power system works, the battery charger (old and inefficient as it is) works, the refrigerator works (good news), the stereo works and the lights work. Basically, the electrical system works; even the batteries aren't as dead as I had thought. A little distilled water and another few hours on shore power will tell if they need to be changed right away. (I will get new as soon as I can, but it would be nice if the old ones hold out till the rehab work is done.)
I tried changing the engine oil today but whew! It was a mess. The old oil is so thick it was like trying to pull tar through the pump. I got about two quarts out, then decided to put a quart of fresh oil in to see if it would dilute the crap sitting in the bottom of the oil pan.
The transmission seems OK. It will shift in and out of gear, and I can spin the prop in neutral, but not when it's in gear. I've done one oil change on the transmission, and will let that sit a while and change it again, just to be sure all the water is out.
In another week or so, I will be putting the Irwin to bed for the summer. I can't believe the way the previous owner left it. Food in the food lockers, the engine not properly stored, etc. But then, if he hadn't left it that way, I'd have never gotten it for free!
I've included a couple of "before" pictures. Just wait and see what it will be like in the "after" pics!
2 comments:
Ahhh... Free???
Talk about 'right place at the right time'!
They say luck = opportunity meeting preparation. Having built a boat (or two) I was the one person the owner's friend knew who could undertake a project like this. So, when he couldn't sell the boat due to the water damage, he GAVE it to me so the boat would have a new life.
Just plain old dumb luck.
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