By Capt. Ken Kreisler. Troubleshooting tips to let you make the most of your time on the water.

 
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HOME  >  COLUMNS  >  MAINTENANCE Q&A
PMY Archives

 Maintenance Q&A Index

Bearing Failure
Causes for cutlass-bearing wear, starter troubles, and more.
Permeable Plastic
How water infiltrates a fiberglass hull, bleeding a hydraulic steering system, and more.
Bug Off
How a fuel polisher works and an explanation of the equalizing cycle during battery charging.
There is a Difference
Electrolysis vs. galvanic corrosion, how far an inverter should be from the battery, and more.
Fresh Air
Improving ventilation, solving a battery problem, and more.
Freshwater Worries
Problems with an aluminum water tank, keeping Sunbrella canvas clean and waterproof, and more.
Bearing Down
Bearing damage in a diesel engine, making better electrical connections, and more.
It's Good to Vent
A possible cause for fuel starvation, diagnosing a spark plug deposit, and more.
Rough Elbows
Why paying attention to an exhaust elbow is important, a teak cleaning tip, and more.
Running Cool
Keel coolers, removing varnish drops from a fiberglass deck, and more.
Back Me Up
Installing a second bilge pump, getting a good finish with teak oil, tips for working with gasket sealant, and more.
A Clean Machine
Keeping sea strainers dirt-free, a solution for residue in gasoline engine fuel filters, and more.
Bright & Shiny
A simple tool for corrosion-free battery terminals, keeping drill bits clean, maintaining an air compressor, and more.
It’s a Gas
Battery charging, troubleshooting a genset, fixing a leaking portlight, and more.
Location, Location, Location
Proper placement of shaft zincs, troubleshooting a sluggish windlass, engine-belt maintenance, and more.
Air Free
Eliminating air from a diesel's fuel system during filter change, and more.
Seek the Leak
Poor outboard performance, cleaning isinglass, and caring for line.
Crack Craziness
Dealing with stress lines in gelcoat, eliminating odor from a freshwater tank, and more.
Electric Health
The correct way to read a hydrometer, a cure for cavitation erosion, and more.
Avoiding Fuel Drool
Preventing fuel spills, addressing flaking bottom paint, and keeping fenders clean.
Spooling Up
Turbocharger maintenance, a cool-running diesel, and more.
Get Going
Troubleshooting starter problems, and varnishing tips, and PMY Tries...
Doing the Circuit
Series versus parallel circuits, outboard flooding, and restoring the shine to stainless steel.
Clean Air
Servicing Walker Airseps and keeping Sunbrella material clean.
Sealed Tightly
Maintaining a dripless shaft seal, flushing an outboard, and how water gets into diesel.
Straight Flush
VacuFlush, prepping fiberglass, and more.
Open Check
How to perform an open-circuit voltage test, save a submerged outboard, and bleed air from a power steering system.
Beleaguered Bellows
Changing exhaust bellows, ending fuel-bleed recirculation problems, and more
Put to the Test
Bench-testing a solenoid, fixing a misfiring engine, checking for voltage drop, and more.
Neat & Clean
How to service an oil cooler, getting rid of bugs in diesel fuel, and doing a voltage-drop test.
Cool Under Pressure
Pressure-testing a closed cooling system, rewiring an upgraded charging system, and gasket sealants.
Knock Knock
Detonation and how to avoid it, a plugged oil filter, and more.
Arresting Procedure
The proper way to clean a flame arrestor, testing a thermostat out of an engine, and more.
Cool Exchange
Heat exchanger operation, a cure for deposit buildup, outboard engine maintenance, and more.
Torquing It Over
Problems with a leaky oil pan, impeller pitting, an explanation of Total Base Number, and more.
Wandering Juice
Testing a bonded system for stray current, problems with gel cell recharging, and more.
Whirling Dervish
How a turbocharger works and how to maintain it, checking an alternator, outboard cooling system maintenance, and more.
Quiet Lift
How a lift-type muffler works, interpreting engine noise, a misfiring outboard, and more.
Seeing It Clean
Outboard fuel filter maintenance, testing the compression on a gasoline inboard, cold-weather epoxy application, and more.
Well Grounded
The importance of ground wires in an A.C. circuit, caring for isinglass, and more.

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