Messages

Ah yes, bungee cord, duct tape's fancy sibling.

Thank you for the suggestion.  It will at least make the autopilot useable.  Ironically, I had the ST 4000 on today for a brief period, and the clutch stayed in place.  Maybe it only works in nice weather.

Tony
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Helen C
'89 Standard/Wing #903

I have a Flex-O-Fold on Helen C, and I love it.

I actually like the prop walk (provided I'm coming alongside port-to).  I find that I can come into a pier a little steeper than I normally would.  I put a little throttle on in reverse, and the stern sidles itself right up to the dock.

Happy Independence Day!

Tony
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Helen C
'89 Standard/Wing #903

Esteemed Forumites,

The clutch on my ST 4000 disengages itself when the autopilot is rotating the wheel in one direction (and not the other--I think it's clockwise but I could have it backwards).  The lever just slowly moves itself to the out position.  Then the motor turns but not the wheel.  I could keep a roll of vinyl tape handy, and tape the lever down.  But that could be tough if I have to disengage in a hurry.  (A roll of vinyl tape and a box cutter?  There's probably some solution that involves vise grips too ;>)

There's an Allen screw at the axle of the clutch lever.  Tightening it seemed to help a little (maybe), but did not solve the problem.

Have any of you seen this? 

Thank you,

Tony

Hi All,

I called FLOJET's tech service and talked to Dave.  He told me that the short-cycling sounds like a bad check valve in the pump head.

From ABS Alaskan in Washington state I got FLOJET Part No. 21046-057, a pump rebuild kit.

I rebuilt the pumphead, though after I got started I could see that I could have more easily just swapped out the check valves.  In oldWithBadORing.jpg, you might be able to see the slight kink in the o-ring (topleft corner).  OldAndNew.jpg shows the pumphead with the new check-valve in place.  The old one is lying in front of it.

After I reassembled the pump, the short-cycling seems to have disappeared.  Also, it used to be that when I flicked on the Water Pressure switch, the pump would run for about 3 seconds.  Now it seems to hold pressure even when off.

If you rebuild your FLOJET, be sure to completely remove the pumphead from the motor before you start to disassemble it.  There is a lock screw on the shaft (allen head) which you can access through a little slot on the pump housing.  You may need to remove the mounting platform from the motor to get at the slot.  If you don't take the pumphead off the motor, you will be tempted (as I was) to force some of the parts to disengage from each other.  Turns out that they are screwed on but you can't see the screwheads until the pump is off.

Note: If you just want to swap out the check-valve, just remove just the top half of the pump.  The old one can be easily popped out.  You might even get away with just replacing the o-ring.

Enjoy,

Tony
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Helen C
'89 Standard/Wing #903

Hello All,

I just changed the zinc in my HX.  I get a standard 1/4 inch pencil (refers to the thread diameter) and cut it down to 1-3/16" length.  If I leave it any longer it will either jam and not go in or it will go in and prevent the brass plug from seating properly.

I have tried to use one of the new plugs that one can buy with a zinc, but none have ever fit properly.  Instead, I clean up the original plug best I can and re-insert it.  I snug it hand-tight, then gently take about 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn with a open end wrench.  I let the exchanger warm up before making the last little tweaks.  It is way too easy to over-tighten the plug or to foul-thread it.  I need to be sure that it is turning freely by hand before snugging it up.

Once or twice I have found that the remnants of the old zinc stayed behind when I removed the plug.  In each case, I opened the raw water valve and out popped the old zinc with a blast of seawater.

Thanks,

Tony
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Helen C
'89 Standard/Wing #903

Dear Forum Readers and Writers,

Here's an update on my pump problem (futile cycling). 

History: About every 3 minutes, the pump comes on for about 2 seconds.  The noise is annoying, sometimes even startling.

I had previously checked for leaks in the downstream tubing.  I couldn't be absolutely sure, but I couldn't find any sign of leakage or water loss/accumulation in the bilge.  I disconnected the pump outlet at the first T and blocked it off.  (So, I had a 2 foot stretch of deadended pipe attached to the pump outlet).  The pump cycled on for about a tenth of a second every few seconds.  If I squeezed the blocked hose (ie, put back pressure on the pump), the pump would switch on immediately on release of the pressure.  To me, these symptoms suggested that the pump is losing pressure backwards through itself.

Latest: I just spoke with Dave in Technical Support at ITT/Flojet.  He confirmed that the problem sounds like a broken, dirty, or jammed check valve in the pumphead (NOT the separate check valve downstream in the plumbing system).  A replacement check valve is included in the Pump Service Kit, part no. 21046-057.  Defender has never heard of this part number, and Dave warned not to try something else: The pieces may or may not fit.

I found that part number at ABS Alaska of Washington state and ordered it.  I had tried calling a distributor in New York state, but could not get through to anyone who could help me (kept going to hold).

I will let you all know how the rebuild goes.

Thanks,

Tony
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Helen C
#903 '89

Hello folks,

I have a tangential question:

When my water pressure switch is on, the pump cycles on for about 3 seconds every 15 minutes (without any tap open).  I don't see any sign of a leak in the water system downstream of the pump.

Have you encountered such a behavior from your pump?  Any suggestions for fixing it?  (The noise is annoying.  And I don't recall it happening the first few years I had the boat.)

Thank you,

Tony Benoit
Helen C
'89 #903

I need to do some work on my fuel system (replace the filter and a piece of hose) and assume I will need to bleed the system afterwards.

Which way is open on this knob?  All the way counterclockwise?

Thanks,

Tony
Helen C/#903
Std/Wing

More on the new blower motor:

If I unscrew the fan from the wooden plate underneath the coaming and let it hang from the vent hose, there is very little noise, just the whoosh of air.  So, it appears that most of the noise is being transmitted through the fan housing into the hull.

I put some neoprene washers under the mounting feet of the fan, and that helped, but it is still pretty noisy.  The vibration might be being transmitted through the mounting screws.  I might try isolating the screws using rubber grommets, but I would need to drill out the holes in the fan. 

What would seem necessary is an intermediate plate between the fan and the boat.  I could bolt (or wire tie) the fan to the plate and screw the plate to the boat.  I am trying to think of a material that would be hard enough to support the fan, but soft enough to damp the vibration.  Note that the fan is fairly light.

I could wire tie the fan to the heavy reinforced hose that runs from the deck plate to the fuel tank.  No doubt that would be a simple and effective short-term solution.  But I would worry about the possibility of shaking loose the fuel hose in the long run.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Tony
Helen C/#903
Std/Wing

Brian,

Thank you for the description.  It certainly helps.  Let me ask a couple of questions to be sure I understand:  On the starboard side of the forward end of the boom, there is a double-sheaved cheek block, only one sheave of which you are using?  The line goes through this block, up to the luff reefing cringle and then directly down to a block at the base of the mast?  (I'm surprised this line doesn't get pinched in the gooseneck from time to time.)  Does the line then go through the port deck organizer before heading back to the winch?  Are the cleats that would normally hold the aft reefing lines still installed on the starboard side of the boom?

About what size is the line? 

Thank you,

Tony
Helen C/#903
Std/Wing

Ed,

I'm sorry that I don't remember whether I used the Toms or the Jerrys, but I upgraded my dorades to those from Vetus after knocking the second Nico overboard.

Installation was not plug-and-play; there was a little filling and drilling.  But I finished the job in an hour or so.  And the final result is well worth the effort.  The Vetuses are much sturdier and harder to dislodge.  And they have built in bug screens and can be closed if necessary.

Thanks,

Tony

Steve - This is where we're deficient in the US. No Canadian Tire or Tim Horton's. You can take back all your geese though.

Craig

Wait a minute--We do have Tim Horton's in the US.  That chain bought up all the Bess Eaton's in the northeast when Bess Eaton went belly up.   I have one less than a mile from where I sit here in Norwich, Connecticut, US of A. 

Tony
Helen C/#903
Std/Wing

Ahoy Cap'n of the Analgesic,

Is your reefing set-up single line or double line?  Would you be willing to post a drawing or photo of how the lines run?

Thank you,

Tony
Helen C./#903
Std/Wing

Hi,

I followed Stu's advice and started with WM.  After reviewing that catalog I went to Defender and bought a Rule Model 140 that has low current draw and moves a lot of air.  After I performed some lazarette gymnastics I managed to install it. 

The fan runs great, but boy is it noisy!

Has anyone found a quieter blower motor or some way to keep this one quieter?

Thanks,

Tony

Hello,

When I got my '89 Mk I, the PO had disconnected the blower fan.  I had always assumed that it was dead.  But I am trying to reduce the oil smell aboard, so I found the old wires and jumped them to 12 volts.  The fan roared to life.

I just spent the evening rewiring the fan.  (And I did a lovely job if I do say so myself--A DPDT switch in the instrument panel lets me run it either off the ignition circuit with the key on or off the house circuit with the key off.)  I ran the fan to burn in the installation.  Both circuits worked fine.  After a momentary surge of about 5.5 Amps, the fan drew 3.7 A.  But after about 20 minutes the blower motor started making a lot of noise, as if the bearings were going.  (And current draw was creeping up--4.1 A.)  My guess now is that when the fan heats up the bearings go wonky, and that's why the PO disconnected it. 

Has anyone replaced that fan?  Any suggestions for a source?

Thanks,

Tony