Switching to Lithium battery

I want to make my boat lighter, I currently have a 60 Ah lead battery (FIAMM L2 60) which weights 14 kg.

I was searching internet and found PowerBrick 40 Ah LiFePO battery and decided order one from mylithiumbattery.com The battery weights only 5.5 kg and can be used to replace lead batteries.

FIAMM L2 60 versus PowerBrick+ 40 Pro

PowerBrick conneted, all boat electronics are working nicely.

The battery was easy to install and boat electronics was working nicely, including my Selva Madeira 40 trim and also Atlas Micro Jacker hydraulic jack plate.
It was time to start the outboard. I turned the key and starter motor gave only a small click, nothing else happened. I measured the battery voltage and it was showing 2.26 V.
I was a little confused but then figured out that the BMS (battery management system) as protecting the battery, Selva Madeira starter motor was pulling too much current.
My PowerBrick+ is the Pro version so it can give 80 A. I switched back to lead battery and did current measurement test. Selva Madeira 40 starter motor draws more than 200 A so that the root cause of this problem.

I  thought 80 A is enough to crank this two cylinder 40 hp outboard but it's not! 😆

PowerBrick is not able to crank Selva Madeira 40 outboard.

Ok, this was my fault, I had bought a battery that is not suitable for my intended use, I contacted mylithiumbattery.com support and they were very helpful. They have a dedicated Li-Po battery for starting engines, it has only 16 Ah capacity but it can give 600 A!

I live in the EU area so it should be easy to mail the battery back to France and get a more suitable battery back. WRONG! I contacted thew local post office and global courier companies and when they hear word "lithium" they tell you that they are not going to ship you package regardless of the fact that LifePO batteries are very stable and considered safe. It seems that it not possible for a private person to mail lithium battery even inside the EU. There some companies that are handling dangerous items but it's very expensive and involves lots of bureaucracy.

I decided to order PowerStart 12v and then try to sell PowerBrick in Finland.

Once again mylithiumbattery.com delivered the battery very fast.

The PowerStart weights only 2.31 kg so it's 11.7 kg lighter than my lead battery!

I connected the PowerStart and tried to start Selva Madeira 40, bang, the outboard started straight away and quicker compared to lead battery.

My only concern is the 16 Ah capacity, I have automatic bilge pump that keeps rainwater out of my boat. I only charge the battery by running the outboard. So far I have not had any problems.

Installing Atlas Micro Jacker hydraulic plate

I have mounted my Selva Madeira 40 to the uppermost mounting holes but still I think it could be mounted higher.

Sometimes when the weather is bad it would be nice to run the motor lower so that the propeller does not ventilate in the waves. When the weather is good and the water is calm it would be nice to raise the propeller close to the surface, especially when using a (semi)cleaver. After some googling I found Atlas Micro Jacker hydraulic plate which is supposed to be the lightest plate on the market weighting only 23 pounds (10.4 kg).

 I decided to order the Micro Jacker from the U.S. as I was not able to find it in any European online store. My plan is to run semicleaver or cleaver propeller so it's important to be able to raise the outboard higher than the mounting holes allow. The standard package contains the hydraulic plate, two relays and a simple switch to adjust the position. The relays must be installed in a dry location. I also bought a mounting bolt set. My Selva Madeira weights 216 pounds (98 kg) so I obtained a hydraulic engine crane, that was a good idea and the installation was easy.
I also filled the upper water intake grills with epoxy so that the water pump does suck air when the outboard is raised.

The hydraulic engine crane made the installation very smooth and easy.

Selva Madeira 40 and Atlas Micro Jacker hydraulic plate.

The upper water intake was filled with epoxy,

Hydraulic plate raised to the uppermost position.

The mounting bolts were purchased from T-H Marine

The relays must be installed in a dry location.

The switch that is used to control Atlas Micro Jacker position.

I have added some fluorescent tape to indicate the hydraulic plate position.

Converting Madeira 40 to Madeira 50 (Part 3)

I still want convert my Madeira 40 to 50 and I know that the engine head is different, Selva 40 XS has the same head as Madeira 50.

I tried to order Madeira 50 head via Engine Marine Part, the part number is 2020306 (Testa Madeira 50 / Head Madeira 50). The price was 174 EUR, unfortunately Selva was not able to provide the spare part although I waited for five months 😒

So how Selva 40 head is different from Selva 50 head ? I don't have the service manual so I can't say for sure but I bet the compression is different. I have measured my Selva 40 compression and it is around 130-132 PSI.

I decided to increase the compression by cutting (i.e. shaving) the Selva 40 engine head.
The guys at Screamandfly.com suggested that I should cut 0.5 millimeters (~ 20 thousand of an inch, aka thou) from the engine head and that is what I did. I took the head to GT Motor and they milled the head and the cost was 70 EUR.

I bought new head gaskets and assembled the head and did a new compression test.
The compression test now showed 150 PSI in both cylinders which is a quite good reading and still not too high for regular gasoline, I'm using always 98 octane gasoline.

The actual effect of the increased compression will be evaluated in a later post.

The compression with stock cylinder head is a little above 130 PSI.

Selva 40 engine head removed.

Selva 40 engine head opened.

Selva 40 stock head thickness is 39.72mm.

Head thickness after shaving is 39.27 mm.

Compression after engine head shaving is about 150 PSI.

Replacing the oil seals

Introduction

Although the gearbox pressure test gave good results I'm worried about the state of oil seals in my Selva Madeira 40 outboard. Last time I changed the gear oil it was grayish and the outer oil sea on the propeller axis does not look particularly healthy. I think it's time to replace the oil seals. In order to do that one needs to open the the water pump and remove also the bearing carrier from the gearbox.

I decided to order new oil seals, O-rings etc. once again from Engine Marine Part.
Since the water pump needs to be opened I decided to change the impeller, grommets and O-rings just to be on the safe side.

The parts that I'm planning to replace.
Parts  #83, #82, #8 and #7 are the oil seals.

The oils seals under the water-pump

First I removed the water pump from the lower unit. The oil seals are in the pump support, first you need to remove a metal ring which locks those. I found that the oil seals were quite stuck, I sprayed some penetrating oil and used a socket to extract them. I was extra careful not to make any scratches.

Using a socket to extract oil seals from the pump support.

The oils seals removed.
They were a little corroded and not in very good shape.

The new oils seals looks very similar but the upper one has less opening than the lower one.
It's important to put those in the correct order and so that the back sides touch each other.
I applied some O-ring lubrication and was able to push the oil seals in place without any tools.
The metal ring was a little more trickier to get in place, it's easier when you put first the section with the gap.

The new oil seals. Selva parts #3550160 and #3555020.

The new oils seals are in-place and locked.

The oil seals on the propeller shaft

I have noticed that the outer oil seal on the propeller shaft does not look healthy, a lip of the seal is visible so it might have broken internally.

In order to change the oil seal one can do it the proper way or the hack way.
I chose to do it the proper way because I don't want to damage the propeller shaft in any circumstances.

The problem is that the bearing carrier must be removed and in my Selva Madeira it has not been removed since it was assembled in the factory. I had a feeling it's quite stuck and I was correct about that!

Luckily I was able to open the screws holding the carrier. The lower screw was quite tight and I sprayed penetrating oil and turned it back and forth in order not to break it.

I bought a puller that seems to be very compatible with this Selva outboard.
I first tried pulling the carrier using a thin rope but the rope just snapped.

The first attemp to remove the bearing carrier - no luck.

On the second attempt I switched to 4 mm chain, no luck either, metal was just pending.

I realised that I need to use heat and connect the puller using stronger material, I used propane/butane gas torch to heat the gear box, I noticed that the paint took some damage but not that bad.
Still quite a lot of force was needed until the carrier started to move. After that it was quite easy to extract.

The carrier started to move.

Almost extracted.

Selva Madeira 40 bearing carrier, Selva part #2045440

The bearing carrier upside down

The gear case without bearing carrier.

Time to extract the oil seals.

I noticed that the outer oil
seal was damaged inside.

I used a flat head screw driver to extract the oil seals, I was extra careful not to scratch the inner wall of the carrier. I used a socket to push the new oil seals in place. I used once again heat when I put the bearing carrier back but not too much to destroy the new O-rings that I have also changed.

The new oils seals are now in place.

After reassembling the water pump I did a new pressure test and the lower unit was able to maintain steady 10 PSI pressure for three minutes at least (I did not continue the test longer).

Pressure test with 10 PSI pressure for 3 minutes,
no drop in the pressure was detected.

Milky gear oil and pressure testing the gearbox

I was changing the gear oil for my Selva Madeira outboard and noticed that the color of old oil was somewhat milky which indicates some presence of water. The color of the oil was not white but gray.

Milky gear oil.

I have noticed that the outer oil seal on the propeller shaft does not look particularly healthy, the lip of seal is pushed outwards, maybe the water is going in there ? I have changed the oil already once during the summer, I did not use new O-rings in the plugs, I know that is not a good practice.

The outer oil seal does not look healthy.

I wanted to do a pressure test for the gearbox, Dangar Marine has posted a nice video how to do it. I used very inexpensive parts to assemble a simple pressure test rig.

Parts list:

- gear oil pump (Biltema)

- fuel system pressure gauge (Biltema)

- one T-connector 

- bike hand pump

- hose clamps

I did a check for the test rig by raising the pressure to 10 PSI and put the connectors under water to see if there were any leaks, everything looked good and the rig was able hold constant pressure for several minutes.

A simple gearbox pressure test rig.

Selva Madeira has three oil drain holes, the yellow connector fits only to one of them.

I don't have Selva service manual so I decided to do similar test that was done in Dangar Marine video for Yamaha 50 gearbox. I increased the pressure to 10 PSI and there was not drop in the pressure after 30 seconds, not even after 60 seconds so I think that the seals are working quite well (at least when the motor is not running).

The only oil drain hole which accepts the yellow connector.

The gearbox was able to hold 10 PSI over 60 seconds.

I'm not sure why there was water mixed in the gear oil if the pressure test gives good results.

I plan to replace at least the oil plug O-rings and consider replacing the lower unit oil seals which is a harder task.

Solas Amita 3 losing paint

The winter is coming so it was time to take my boat from the water.
After inspecting the motor I noticed that the Solas Amita 3 (11"x17") aluminium propeller has lost some paint from two blades. The areas were in the same section of the blade and of similar size.
The low pressure side of the propeller looked good as new.
I'm wondering what has caused this, last season I used Solas Amita 3 11"x16" and it survived the whole season without any paint issues.

I have raised the engine three holes so the propeller operates closer to the water surface, sometimes the motor sucks air and hits higher RPMs and then suddenly the grip returns.
So I guess the ventilation can be the root cause, I suppose cavitation should cause problems on the other side of the propeller or at least closer to the tip of the blade.

Paint (or coating) is missing from two
blades on the high pressure side.

Everything looks good on the low pressure side.

Selva Madeira power trim problem

I was at sea and suddenly noticed that Selva Madeira 40 power trim was going up but not down.
I tried also the tilt switch on the motor but it didn't work either. I was able to get to the harbor slowly but surely.

When I pressed the down switch there was a clicking noise coming from the relay but the trim motor was not spinning at all. I did some study on Youtube, once again thanks to Dangar Marine, there is a nice video about outboard trim-tilt relays.

You can see Selva Madeira trim-tilt relays in this diagram (number 55). The Selva part number is 8515070 and the relay is manufactured by Hella and the product code is  4RD 931 680-01.

I opened the engine cover and checked the relays visually, nothing special spotted my attention.
The plan was to take relays off and switch them in order to see if one of them was faulty.
I used a small flat screwdriver to detach the relays and put them back in different positions.
For my surprise the trim started to work fully, I was able to trim it up and down.
I removed the relays again and tried to clean the connectors but they were in quite good condition. I sprayed some WD-40 to the relay base also.

Hard to say what was the root problem, maybe some conductivity problem.
This was a cheap fix! 😁

Selva trim-tilt relay part #8515070 (5-way relay 40A)

Trim-tilt relays connectors

Relay base