PDQ OWNERS FORUM

Recently I took the Mack Boring diesel maintenance classes and Larry Berlin emphasized the importance of periodicially checking and cleaning out the strainers on the raw water/fresh water side of the Yanmar 2GM20s. When I got back to my PDQ 36 LRC, Miss Kate II, however, the yard told me that there weren't any strainers/filters on the raw water intake because the grooves on the saildrives accomplished the same thing.
Is that right? No freshwater/raw water intake strainers on boats with saildrives?
If not, where are the strainers/filters on the raw/fresh water intake hoses for the LRCs with 2GM20 engines and saildrives?

There are no strainers. It MIGHT(?) be possible to place some inline after the shutoff valve at the top of the drive, but placement would be difficult and they would be very hard to service. That said, we never had a problem with the raw water feed in ours during the 8 years that we owned her.

Thanks for info related to fresh water strainers on PDQ 36 with Yanmars, or the lack thereof.
The Mack Boring guy put fear of God in everyone at his maintenance seminar recently by saying clogged strainer on freshwater intake was among top 2 reasons for engine overheating and failure.
The other big one? Damaged impellers....

I replaced impellers every year on Second Wind and now on our present boat. They are easy to replace and very cheap compared to a warped head.

I keep meaning to put in proper filters but being lazy, put it off every year. However, I pick up enough eel grass to partially clog the heat exchangers and have to clean them out every 4 years or so. I know its time when the engine temp gets up to about 180; after cleaning I can run flat out at 165-170. Its not a hard job - drain the anti-freeze, remove the end cap, even if it looks clean at this point you've done all the work so you might as well pull out the core, blast it, replace, replace gaskets, put cap back on, add anti-freeze.