# Flushing New Engine Crankcases



## Ian J. Huckin (Sep 27, 2008)

O.K., this is going to sound weird but here goes: does anybody have photographs from Japan which involves half naked Japanese men scrambling around in the crankcase of new engines with high pressure oil hoses?

I saw it with my own eyes at the Mitsui Yard in Tamano building three geared bulkers for SSM...back in 80s

Trouble is nobody believes me so come on guys sort out the pictures you keep in the back of the closet and help me out... (Thumb)


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## AlbieR (May 18, 2007)

Ian J. Huckin said:


> O.K., this is going to sound weird but here goes: does anybody have photographs from Japan which involves half naked Japanese men scrambling around in the crankcase of new engines with high pressure oil hoses?
> 
> I saw it with my own eyes at the Mitsui Yard in Tamano building three geared bulkers for SSM...back in 80s
> 
> Trouble is nobody believes me so come on guys sort out the pictures you keep in the back of the closet and help me out... (Thumb)


Half naked Japanese GIRLS, now you could sell them photos.[=P][=P]


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## Ian J. Huckin (Sep 27, 2008)

AlbieR said:


> Half naked Japanese GIRLS, now you could sell them photos.[=P][=P]


Indeed...These fellows wore just like a diaper and round black googles and climbed around the Crank-Case with high pressure oil hoses flushing out every scrap of debris from build. It was totally weird but believe me it happened...


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Ian J. Huckin said:


> Indeed...These fellows wore just like a diaper and round black googles and climbed around the Crank-Case with high pressure oil hoses flushing out every scrap of debris from build. It was totally weird but believe me it happened...


In the back of my mind I remember that photo. I will do some digging on the www and see if I can find it.


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

On one of the Port Line Ships we stripped down and put on Burlap sacks with holes cut out for our feet and arms, and into the scavenger muck.


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## sternchallis (Nov 15, 2015)

I was at a shipyard that built 5 Sulzers that came packaged in wooden crates and large tin foil packages.
All the oil pipes (fuel and lube oil) fabricated by the yard were pickled in acid, dipped in oil and covered with steel or wood blank flanges awaiting to be assembled.

Once the engine was assembled the lube oil piping system attached, cotton pilow cases were fastened to the oil inlet in the crankcase. The oil pump started and pillow cases checked daily for debris, once clear new pilow cases were attached further into the engine.
L.O system suction & discharge strainers checked and changed as required.
But at no time did anybody spray the cc with oil hoses. It would not have been allowed in the US or by Sulzer. All machining debris would have been cleaned from all the parts before asembly in the engine builders IHI & MHI prior to painting and initial assembly. Everythig came to the shipyard covered in cosmolene or similar and had to be washed of with paraffin .


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## Ian J. Huckin (Sep 27, 2008)

sternchallis said:


> I was at a shipyard that built 5 Sulzers that came packaged in wooden crates and large tin foil packages.
> All the oil pipes (fuel and lube oil) fabricated by the yard were pickled in acid, dipped in oil and covered with steel or wood blank flanges awaiting to be assembled.
> 
> Once the engine was assembled the lube oil piping system attached, cotton pilow cases were fastened to the oil inlet in the crankcase. The oil pump started and pillow cases checked daily for debris, once clear new pilow cases were attached further into the engine.
> ...


The six ships I stood by at Boelwerft (3) and Pallion (3) were all flushed in a similar fashion as you state...but at Mitsui they just took it one step further with a pre-wash down before they ever started flushing. In fact they had a whole set of auxiliary oil filters just for the flushing process.

Interesting to note though that the first Pallion ship we had experienced a major crankshaft scouring on the first engine trial due to debris in the oil. Had a life long condition of class requiring an annual special survey before she even left the fitting out berth...

Just remembered that when the SSM twin funnel jobs were re-engined, at basin trials one of the new Stork Werkspoors suffered a crankcase explosion due to debris in the oil turning a bottom end bearing. The Graviner alarm went off but as nobody believes those damn things it was left running a little too long...had to change the whole engine out. I believe it was the old Cape Horn because when I sailed her she had two different style of Storks....


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## MikeK (Jul 3, 2007)

I sailed on a ship a couple of months old that was built in Korea. 
After being hove to in a storm in the Baltic, she threw a bearing as we increased back to sea speed. With another force 10 forecast, the engineers managed to blank that cylinder off and we limped into shelter, then on to Kiel dockyard. 
After they stripped the bearing down there was the imprint in one shell of a bolt about an inch long similar to a BA type used by leckies.
Obviously the Koreans didn't use this (slightly erotic !)high pressure troupe

Mike


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