To all members
Recently while crossing the Tehuantepec Bay a distance of 230 miles
we had as anticipated light winds and lots of motoring. All fluids
and filters were checked and topped off.
20 miles South of Acapulco motoring at 2300RPM at 0200hrs the engine
surged a couple of times and stopped.
During long runs like that we regularly check the engine room
temperatures with a laser thermometer and nothing had previously
seemed amiss. The transmission unit now was 84C it is normally
around 50 to 55C and the ATF fluid was gone and replaced with
emulsified sea water, a grey colour from what little oil or grease
there was left in the bearings etc.
The transmission had seized and after sailing for four hours to allow
everything to cool down, to it's credit the transmission engaged
enough ahead to allow us to motor into Acapulco gently at 1500RPM
against the headwinds. It would not engage astern as the clutch was
seized.
The transmission is destroyed due to a pin hole leak in the oil
cooler, we had the cooler professionally cleaned in August last year
and I checked it myself when I returned to the boat in October to
ensure the Bowman rubber end caps and clips were in good condition.
It is a painful lesson, the engine has 3000 hours and runs like a
dream, clearly that cooler now has to regularly inspected and or
changed as part of my maintenance program.
I hope this email will save someone else the costs and hassle we are
now incurring.
Fair winds,
Trevor Lusty

Seafever of Cuan
Super Maramu no 425
Acapulco
Mexico