1977 Chrysler 318 running at slow speeds for hours

[Svend]

I run my 1977 Trojan F30 Express with dual 1977 Chrysler 318 running at slow speeds for hours, around 1000 RPM...

is this bad for engines?
should I make any mods to engine or prop for this type of slow cruising?

thanks!

Svend

[prowlersfish]

No problem , just make sure there not running to cool

[Big D]

Ya, no problem running slow as long as they're reaching proper operating temps but I like them working hard once in a while so every now and then, I'll light them up for 10 minutes or so.

[Svend]

great!!
good advice!

Svend

[Paul]

I believe that running at low RPM's can have a long term negative effect on a Velvet Drive transmission though. Low RPM equals light loading on the transmission allowing the clutch plates to slip a bit resulting in long term wear. Fishermen who use their main engines for trolling are likely to experience this.

[prowlersfish]

IMO @ 1000 rpm there should be plenty of fluid pressure so slippage would not be a issue Trawlers putting around get thousands of hours on the gears with out issue .

[Big D]

I've run my '69 trannys for the most part at around 1200 rpm for the last 30 years with no issues. Fluids are always clean, no shaft creep, and they shift beautifully. And when I want to, this baby can haul a$$! The previous two owners were site seers too so she has spent most of her life in the low 1k rpm range. Marine engines are always working as they are like a car going up hill constantly but I wouldn't go below 1000 for extended trips. Look after your equipment and you'll be fine IMO.

[Svend]

Thanks Big D!!

question for you... do you have one of those Trojan emergency battery "joiners" ?
do you have a wiring diagram for it?
how do I uninstall it to make my wiring as simple as possible...

thanks!

Svend

[Big D]

.....do you have one of those Trojan emergency battery "joiners" ?
do you have a wiring diagram for it?
how do I uninstall it to make my wiring as simple as possible..

Yes I have a manual emergency start function at my helm. I don't have a diagram but it's pretty simple. There are a few different types of hardware out there that will do the same thing but a solenoid is the cheapest IMO. It's a pretty simple hook up;

- get a 12 volt solenoid, I like using the rubber coated ones from Cole Hersee as they add an additional level of protection in the engine bay environment. Here are a couple of examples:
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/cole-hers ... ecordNum=3
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MARINE-CONTI ... 0756666614

- hook up the control circuit (small terminals) to a momentary switch at the helm. Get power for that from any one of the batteries. It'll have to be a pretty dead battery for it to not be able to power up the solenoid in an emergency. One of the posts will be negative/ground, and the other will be positive which will be hooked up to the switch and on to battery power.

- on the big posts, hook up a positive cable from one bank to one of the posts and a positive cable from the other bank that you want to joint in an emergency to the other post. Use good cable and don't skimp on size.

When you push the switch at the helm, the solenoid will close and connect the two banks together. When you let the switch go, they will disconnect again.....simple no brainer operation, no worrying about turning a battery switch back to a particular position.

You can build in back up systems with this, you can hook up one of these in case your generator battery dies, etc. Don't use booster cables in your engine compartment in an emergency, they are not safe in boats.

[captainmaniac]

do you have one of those Trojan emergency battery "joiners" ?
do you have a wiring diagram for it?
how do I uninstall it to make my wiring as simple as possible...

Sorry, but why would you want to uninstall it? If it is set up right (ie hasn't been buggered up by a previous owner), the Emergency Start Crossover setup is an awesome (and ignition protected) feature to have. This is factory wiring, and it can save you countless grief. Without this, the only way you can boost one engine's battery from the other is wiring in battery switches (with appropriate pros and cons as per other posts) or use battery cables to jump it.... - a DEFINITE NO NO in an ignition protected environment!

[Big D]

Thanks Big D!!

question for you... do you have one of those Trojan emergency battery "joiners" ?
do you have a wiring diagram for it?
how do I uninstall it to make my wiring as simple as possible...

thanks!

Svend

Appologies, I didn't read the post correctly, I thought you were talking about a paralleling setup such as the one Trojan used to install with the switch at the helm. I see now that you're talking about the black box. I agree with Captainmaniac in that if this is the setup you have, it essentially does the same thing I noted above. The only difference as far as I know is that it does it automatically every time you start the engines whether you want it to or not. The issue I have with these is that in a typical setup, there are only two banks, one cranking bank and one house bank with the appropriate battery types per. So every time you start an engine, this unit parallels a cranker with a deep cycle which I think we're all in agreement that starting an engine off a deep cycle battery is not preferable.

In a two bank set up, with a little bit of work, you can add a second start battery for the other engine (keep isolated), and rewire the black box cable going to the house bank so that it goes to the other start battery instead. Now you're paralleling banks of the same battery design. For redundancy you could add a system such as I stated above from a cranker to the house bank for emergencies only. This way your deep cycles aren't always starting engines.