Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Sea water strainer for IOs

J

jon_allen

Regular Contributor
"HI All,
I've never seen

"HI All,
I've never seen a seawater strainer on an I/O, then again I haven't seen as much as some of you have. My question is would there be any sense in installing one esp. on a boat that is used in salt water?


Thanks, Jon Allen"
 
"It depends... per thostorey&#

"It depends... per thostorey's post, which engine?
If the engine has an oil cooler or is fresh water cooled, its probably a good idea. Then again...not all salt water is the same. Where I live and boat, there is a fair amount of "eel grass" at times. Eel grass is a fine, long strand seaweed that...well... looks like grass. It has a proclivity for getting sucked up in engine cooling systems. Strainers are their own maintenance problem. Where I boat, they are checked daily before starting the engine. A full handfull of the stuff is not unknown. You also have to be very careful reinstalling the top of the strainer to make sure it seals, or you end up with an air leak and an overheated engine. Carrying a spare seal can be a day saver."
 
"HI Thostorey,
The engine is

"HI Thostorey,
The engine is a 5.7 Gi/DP290 which is raw water cooled. I have the engine out for an oil pan replacement and thought this would be a good time to add one but I wonder if it's necc. The boat is used on the ocean and sits on a mooring in Mass. for 6 mos.

Thank You"
 
"The decision whether or not t

"The decision whether or not to install a strainer probably depends upon the threat, the difficulty and the cost. If the last two are not prohibitive, then I would go for the installation for peace of mind. Keep in mind tho, you will have added, as R. Fierro points out, another maintenance item that if not performed could could cause you a serious problem."
 
Back
Top