PDQ OWNERS FORUM

Hi, Jim. This might sound negative, but here are a few thoughts – To preserve the current boat performance, the motors would have to produce the same torque and RPM needed now (propeller mods might allow for some differences/improvements). Given the inefficiency of creating electrical power from the...

Thanks for closing the loop. Misinformation can happen easily.

Kip,

I see you sent me a private message almost a month ago that I was never notified about. I just replied today and am posting here in case you do not get a proper notification of my reply.

Hi, Nick, I am very late answering your post, partly because it was not under the PDQ Powercat Forum. We have run our genset underway from time to time. Mostly at 7.5 kts or less and it works fine. Our genset water intake has no clamshell at all, just a hole in the hull. On two occasions, we even ra...

We have never experienced any tightness in the steering wheel while balancing the rudders. Something is wrong with your system. You'll have to figure a way to isolate which component(s) are a problem. Good luck!

Kip,

Our boat has a switch at the lower helm (by your right knee) to allow the windlass circuit to energize. If you have that, it could have been another quick way to cut power to the runaway windlass.

Good luck solving the problem.

Kip says he can hear a clicking sound when he tries to start, so it is not the transmission neutral safety switch, BUT it is important to know that if the neutral safety switch fails or the connections are not tight, that will prevent the relay from getting voltage to start. The switch is on the aft...

Kip, When I had the starter replaced the first time, I had an intermittent problem also. The mechanic in Maryland (during our Great Loop) suggested replacing the relay with a more robust one and mounted on the exterior hull rather than under the engine/starter. It doesn't matter where it is located ...

That is interesting info, Alan. I watched (as best I could) the two mechanics replacing the starter and do not recall hearing them talk about removing that oil drain line from the turbo, but i can see where that might be pretty important (or necessary). It goes without saying that you need a good te...

Kip, It can be a real pain to replace the starter. Taking off the alternator allows a bit more access from the front. I usually do my own work, but called for help on this one. While the engines may be the same port and starboard, the hull shapes are such that you have more/less access depending upo...

The Operating Manual and Service Manual clearly state 15W-40 for all the engines in that 4JH3 series. I am not sure where you are getting your information.

Tim, this is off the original topic, but in response to your concern about running our diesels at lower power settings... We have put over 2,000 additional hours on our 75HP engines since purchasing the boat (with 1500 hours). Most of that has been at 2200-2400 RPM, but I like to throttle up to 3200...

As far as aligning rudders, this might be obvious to all, but don't do it if you are moving through the water, even slowly. Also, if you are stationary (anchored, moored, docked) in a strong current, the rudder position will be affected during the procedure and they will not align prooperly.

Welcome to the PDQ family, Bob and Carol! #3 - We had a shoot-thru fish finder in the port hull that never worked and I just didn't care, since we had a thru-hull depth transducer in the starboard hull. Well, just recently I found the port fish finder had been epoxied in place and essentially broke ...

Thanks much, Mac. I just got done putting in new MFDs, RADAR, and network switches, so a little tired of wire pulling at the moment.