Would you like some sugar with your Mocha Java? Or, A Bucket Full of Sludge!

After having gotten a 50 miles tow, courtesy of BoatUS, Bremer Speck is tied-up in the Windward Yacht Yard Marina in Newburyport, where we have been staying since this past Saturday. The mechanic visited the boat on Monday to take a look at our problem. And what a problem this turned out to be. The motor was almost completely flooded by water! Well, a mix of some oil and water, which created a grayish kind of sludge, as shown in the photo. Approximately 5-6 gallons of this stuff was pumped from the motor! 2 new oil coolers later, replacing the broken one on the engine, which caused this problem to begin with and the equally old but working cooler on the transmission, the oil leak has been fixed. Now, only water is pumped out through the exhaust, which will make Neptune and the fish very happy! However, With the motor having been full of this stuff, it took another 6-8 gallons of motor oil to flush the remaining sludge out of the motor. This job took several hours. Add 4-5 quarts of oil, check the dipstick, start the motor, let it run for 2-3 minutes. Then use the hand pump to pump the oil from the oil pan. Repeat this process many times.
While I am pretty good working with electronics and most electrical work, I am mechanically challenged by having 2 left hands. So I am amazed that the motor is still running after this ordeal and near-disaster. The 20 years old Ford Lehman diesel sounds good and the oil pressure appears to be back to normal. The proof will be found, when we return Bremer Speck to her slip in Maine, which will very likely include a couple of hours of motoring. Keep your fingers crossed!