Tech advise needed -- strange engine happenings

[Ted Pounds]

No, Tach has no effect on governor which is only mechanical.  Engine will run fine without the tach or even the alternator working.

[Ron Hill]

Jay : I'm sure that any of your previous work on the alternator or voltage regulator had NOTHING to do with your engine problem.  The throttle, governor and injector pump are all mechanical and have no electrical tie in.

When you say "that the throttle backed off and couldn't be forced forward" says that something is jamming that linkage or the injector pump is doing strange things!! 
I still think that you need someone to look at it!       

[Tom Glennon]

Check the "bleed screw" on the Racor.  I had a loss of power the first day I took official posession, moving her from Westport up to Onset, on Buzzards Bay. All was well, until I got to the trickiest part of the journey (of course) just as I hit the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal, I lost power, and only could limp along at 1,000 rpm. As long as temp and oil was ok, I continued at a snail's pace til the mooring. I thought it was a fuel/fuel pump issue, but after having an expert go through the whole system, starting from the fuel tank (fuel analysis, suction, etc) it was discovered that the nylon bleeder screw was loose, and allowing air.  Good luck.

[wind dancer]

Tom,

Your symptoms sound just like mine.  I did bleed the system when out there, but it's possible that with the knocking about the boat was taking air was getting into the system. 

[wind dancer]

Update:

So far I've replaced both fuel filters (they were dirty, but both passing fuel fine), engine oil, tranny oil, and I've pulled the fuel pickup line.  The pickup line had no rubber hose or screen on the end.  Not a problem, unless I run the tank low on fuel.  I also took a fuel sample from the bottom of the tank -- clean.

I've not been able to duplicate the engine problem I had.  I'm leaning towards air in the line as being the culprit.  I haven't checked all of the fuel line connections yet.  I'll do that next time I'm at the boat.

I also restuffed my packing box today with Gore flax.  A strangly satisfying job. . .  It's nice to have a dry bilge. 

[wind dancer]

BTW, I was shocked at how nasty the engine oil was.  And the tranny oil was very low.  The PO (third owner) was a liveaboard, and I'm guessing never changed the oil.  I'll be changing it again in month or two to clean out the rest of the old sludge.

[Ted Pounds]

Take a look at the length of your pick-up tube.  Without the hose on the end it will start sucking air around 3/8 of a tank, maybe sooner in sloppy seas.  Also that hose may be floating around in your tank waiting to cause mishchief.  You need to make sure the pick-up line is all the way to the bottom of the tank and find out what happened to the hose.

[Stu Jackson]

Engine oil is almost always very black, even right after you change it.  The nature of diesels.

[wind dancer]

Take a look at the length of your pick-up tube.  Without the hose on the end it will start sucking air around 3/8 of a tank, maybe sooner in sloppy seas.  Also that hose may be floating around in your tank waiting to cause mishchief.  You need to make sure the pick-up line is all the way to the bottom of the tank and find out what happened to the hose.

I'm not worried about the hose causing mischief.  It's been in the fuel tank for 19 years, a few more months won't kill it.  But, you're right about the low-fuel problem.  I don't let the fuel level get below 3/4, but I'll have to spend a weekend draining, pulling, and cleaning the tank in the near future.

[wind dancer]

I decided to pull the tank today.  The rubber hose was on the bottom of the tank.  The screen on it was not horribly gunked up, but I cut it off anyway and reinstalled the hose onto the pickup tube.  The inside of the tank was serviceable, but I got a cup or so of goop out of it.  Glad I did it, and now I shouldn't have to mess with it for years to come.

[wind dancer]

Update --  still no recurrence of the problem.  All seems well with the engine.  However, I was reading through the FAQ page today and saw the post on fuel pumps, which got me thinking.  My fuel pump is constantly clicking away at a couple of beats per second when the key is turned on.  It never slows.  Sounds like I could have an air leak or a faulty pump. . .  I guess I have more searching/checking to do.

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Forgive me if this sounds insulting but the most obvious thing to check if your fuel pump is running continuously is the bleed screw at the injection pump where the fuel return line is. Some people leave this open 1/2 turn to act as a self bleeder. Make sure it's closed and if you don't see any obvious leaks then I would suspect the fuel pump.

Mike

[wind dancer]

Not at all, Mike.  It's on my list of things to check (I've not checked that before).

Still on my first year with Wind Dancer.  Learning more about her every day.

[Stu Jackson]

Jay, Just in case you need this reference to flix of the new Napa fuelpump replacement:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=2515.0

[dprvashon]

This sounds very familiar.... I had the same experience off the south end of Vashon at Pt Defiance....20-25 mi wind, choppy seas, lots of boats and "hic" the engine slowed to a stop and wouldn't start. It must have sucked some air in the line.  I found the bleed valve, after a lot of head scratching, and rid the line of air (having not previously done that while underway). Seemed to solve the problem as all ran fine after that.

I wonder if this is caused by some strange vortex on Puget Sound???


Dave