Firefly625
Well-known member
Mothers Day... SWMBO wanted to go to Yarmouth... Nice.
Booked Yarmouth walk ashore, booked on On the Rocks Saturday night.
Nervously kept an eye on the weather...Could not have been better.. sunny, 16 degrees , and still only March.
What could possibly go wrong?
Engine battery flat... fine 2 weeks ago when launched, but now won't turn over the engine.. bugger. Anyway, got jump leads, jumped from one of the 2 domestic batteries and all OK. Suns still out, we are all still smiling.
Cast off, following Lisilou down the Hamble, got out past Hamble spit and throttled up, 1600rpm...and nothing more. Heart sank, throttled back, have I caught a rope? put it in astern, back to forward, throttled up... only 1600rpm, the more throttle I applied the more smoky we got. Turned back. Daughter suggested stop at visitors pontoon just outside HPM & I have a quick look and see if I can spot the problem, and can fix and we can get back on our way.. what a good idea.
Moored up, cut the engine and checked fuel filters and anything I could, but all looked fine. Engine battery still flat, so jump leads on domestic battery,... turned over slowly... would not start... bugger. Connected to second domestic battery... turned over slowly, would not start.... Remembered that we had boat turned round on pontoon last week and not plugged into shorepower while everything on and had drained them too much.. (it had started last time because we were still connected to shorepower). Then fortunately harbour Master towed a broken down rib up to visitors pontoon next to us, borrowed his jump pack... engine turned over slowly.. would not start, jump pack connected and jump leads to domestic battery and started! thank god!
Back out to see if anything I had fiddled with had made the slightest bit of difference... course it hadn't. Back to Mercury.
New Battery purchased and fitted, (ouch).
Changed engine fuel filter, primed engine, cracked open each injector made sure no air in system, went out again to test... same problem.
back in, took off air filter off turbo inlet, tried to turn turbo vein... solid...........what a bother. :nonchalance:
just a thank you to Colin (sorry, cant remember your forum title...Col...) he very kindly kept coming to check on me, give advice, even got his mechanic friend of his on the phone to chat to me as he thought it was turbo related.. ... TBH, I was in such a bloody mood I was pretty unfriendly and now certainly owe him a beer... thanks Colin for your concern, I did appreciate it...even though it may not have seemed so at the time!.
Booked Yarmouth walk ashore, booked on On the Rocks Saturday night.
Nervously kept an eye on the weather...Could not have been better.. sunny, 16 degrees , and still only March.
What could possibly go wrong?
Engine battery flat... fine 2 weeks ago when launched, but now won't turn over the engine.. bugger. Anyway, got jump leads, jumped from one of the 2 domestic batteries and all OK. Suns still out, we are all still smiling.
Cast off, following Lisilou down the Hamble, got out past Hamble spit and throttled up, 1600rpm...and nothing more. Heart sank, throttled back, have I caught a rope? put it in astern, back to forward, throttled up... only 1600rpm, the more throttle I applied the more smoky we got. Turned back. Daughter suggested stop at visitors pontoon just outside HPM & I have a quick look and see if I can spot the problem, and can fix and we can get back on our way.. what a good idea.
Moored up, cut the engine and checked fuel filters and anything I could, but all looked fine. Engine battery still flat, so jump leads on domestic battery,... turned over slowly... would not start... bugger. Connected to second domestic battery... turned over slowly, would not start.... Remembered that we had boat turned round on pontoon last week and not plugged into shorepower while everything on and had drained them too much.. (it had started last time because we were still connected to shorepower). Then fortunately harbour Master towed a broken down rib up to visitors pontoon next to us, borrowed his jump pack... engine turned over slowly.. would not start, jump pack connected and jump leads to domestic battery and started! thank god!
Back out to see if anything I had fiddled with had made the slightest bit of difference... course it hadn't. Back to Mercury.
New Battery purchased and fitted, (ouch).
Changed engine fuel filter, primed engine, cracked open each injector made sure no air in system, went out again to test... same problem.
back in, took off air filter off turbo inlet, tried to turn turbo vein... solid...........what a bother. :nonchalance:
just a thank you to Colin (sorry, cant remember your forum title...Col...) he very kindly kept coming to check on me, give advice, even got his mechanic friend of his on the phone to chat to me as he thought it was turbo related.. ... TBH, I was in such a bloody mood I was pretty unfriendly and now certainly owe him a beer... thanks Colin for your concern, I did appreciate it...even though it may not have seemed so at the time!.
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