diesel engine won't start - any suggestions?

[chal]

About 18 months ago I had a new Beta 25 installed. It's in a sailing boat so is not heavily used: it's at about 50 hours.

Last time I was at the boat I ran it for about 45 mins: I do this once or twice a month over winter, partly to keep the batteries topped up and partly just to keep the engine moving. It ran fine for that time, nothing untoward that I noticed, until I turned the throttle back to idle prior to switching it off. At that point it died. I was a bit surprised and tried to restart it, but with no success. In the end I gave up assuming that I would flatten the battery for nothing.

The most obvious problem seemed likely to be a fuel issue. I have just cleaned out the separator and fitted a new filter (the one in the separator, not the one on the engine block between the lift pump and the high pressure pump).

I have bled the system at the 2 points shown in the handbook (filter housing and high pressure pump) and also at the separator. There seems to be plenty of fuel coming out of the pump bleed point when I operate the manual lift pump.

I haven't replaced the block filter because, of course, it is stuck on and I left my removal tool at home. it's nowhere near replacement time and if it was blocked presumably there would be no fuel reaching the last bleed point, but there is.

The battery is fine, all the usual lights come on, and I can crank the engine, but it obstinately refuses to start: not so much as a cough. I've repeated the bleeding, still no luck.

I've checked the stop solenoid and it is ok, and the air filter also looks fine.

Any suggestions?

 

[Tony Cross]

Well I'm no expert but if it's not even trying to start it has to be fuel. The only other thing it needs (apart from good compression which it should have being new) is air. It does sound like a fuel problem though. You could try loosening the fuel connection to each injector to make sure fuel comes out there when you crank it.

 

[sailorman]

Well I'm no expert but if it's not even trying to start it has to be fuel. The only other thing it needs (apart from good compression which it should have being new) is air. It does sound like a fuel problem though. You could try loosening the fuel connection to each injector to make sure fuel comes out there when you crank it.

check the heater plug connections / relay

 

[Robin]

About 18 months ago I had a new Beta 25 installed. It's in a sailing boat so is not heavily used: it's at about 50 hours.

Last time I was at the boat I ran it for about 45 mins: I do this once or twice a month over winter, partly to keep the batteries topped up and partly just to keep the engine moving. It ran fine for that time, nothing untoward that I noticed, until I turned the throttle back to idle prior to switching it off. At that point it died. I was a bit surprised and tried to restart it, but with no success. In the end I gave up assuming that I would flatten the battery for nothing.

The most obvious problem seemed likely to be a fuel issue. I have just cleaned out the separator and fitted a new filter (the one in the separator, not the one on the engine block between the lift pump and the high pressure pump).

I have bled the system at the 2 points shown in the handbook (filter housing and high pressure pump) and also at the separator. There seems to be plenty of fuel coming out of the pump bleed point when I operate the manual lift pump.

I haven't replaced the block filter because, of course, it is stuck on and I left my removal tool at home. it's nowhere near replacement time and if it was blocked presumably there would be no fuel reaching the last bleed point, but there is.

The battery is fine, all the usual lights come on, and I can crank the engine, but it obstinately refuses to start: not so much as a cough. I've repeated the bleeding, still no luck.

I've checked the stop solenoid and it is ok, and the air filter also looks fine.

Any suggestions?

I t is a longtime and several boats back but I had a similar problem with a Bukh 10. on occasion, closing the throttle to tickover position would pull the injection pump fuel rack adjuster back a smidgeon too far, effectively shutting off the engine. IT would eventually restart as long as the battery had plenty of wellie to spin the motor fast enough. On one occasion mid English Channel and with the tide carrying us fast sideways towards an oil rig exclusion area we bump started it in conjunction with the starter motor by sailing as fast as we could ( we actually had the spinnaker up) and putting the gearshift in forward whilst also using the valve lifter to help the starter get it all spinning as fast as possible then closing the valve lift quickly. it worked and spinnaker bump starting added a notch to my 'old salt status with the crew of friends who were on board. We didn't actually need the engine st that point in time but wanted to get it running again just to be able to shut it off properly so it would restart when really needed. I think I set tickover a bit higher soon after which together with avoiding the sudden pull back to tickover/neutral solved that little niggle on future outings.

 

[alant]

About 18 months ago I had a new Beta 25 installed. It's in a sailing boat so is not heavily used: it's at about 50 hours.

Last time I was at the boat I ran it for about 45 mins: I do this once or twice a month over winter, partly to keep the batteries topped up and partly just to keep the engine moving. It ran fine for that time, nothing untoward that I noticed, until I turned the throttle back to idle prior to switching it off. At that point it died. I was a bit surprised and tried to restart it, but with no success. In the end I gave up assuming that I would flatten the battery for nothing.

The most obvious problem seemed likely to be a fuel issue. I have just cleaned out the separator and fitted a new filter (the one in the separator, not the one on the engine block between the lift pump and the high pressure pump).

I have bled the system at the 2 points shown in the handbook (filter housing and high pressure pump) and also at the separator. There seems to be plenty of fuel coming out of the pump bleed point when I operate the manual lift pump.

I haven't replaced the block filter because, of course, it is stuck on and I left my removal tool at home. it's nowhere near replacement time and if it was blocked presumably there would be no fuel reaching the last bleed point, but there is.

The battery is fine, all the usual lights come on, and I can crank the engine, but it obstinately refuses to start: not so much as a cough. I've repeated the bleeding, still no luck.

I've checked the stop solenoid and it is ok, and the air filter also looks fine.

Any suggestions?

Disconnect the pipes at the injectors, turn the engine over until all the pipes are squirting fuel not air, connect back up & try to start.

 

[NickRobinson]

Is the Beta a manual pull engine stop? (ie crude enough not to be electric stop)

My Yanmar 2QM IIRC, only stops to the manual pull on idle, ie if its off idle the pull stop is ineffective.

Your motor stopped when you came down to the idle position on the Morse which (if my series of hypotheses holds good) may be because the engine sees the stop lever as operated.

Not likely but worth checking?

(however, as you've been furtlin' about with the fuel system- that's probably the smoking gun...)

Nick

 

[chal]

Thanks for all the suggestions - I have disconnected the lines to the injectors and, indeed, no fuel coming out (doh, why didn't I think of that??? - only excuse is it's very cold here).

[edit]

did the cranking till fuel coming out at injectors, started almost immediately.

Many thanks again for the support, much appreciated.

 

[30boat]

Thanks for all the suggestions - I have disconnected the lines to the injectors and, indeed, no fuel coming out (doh, why didn't I think of that??? - only excuse is it's very cold here).

[edit]

did the cranking till fuel coming out at injectors, started almost immediately.


Many thanks again for the support, much appreciated.

When bleeding the system the last bit(cracking the injector nuts and turn the engine with the starter) is very important as you found out.Good thing you got it going again.

 

[prv]

check the heater plug connections / relay

It was already nice and hot from being run for 45 minutes.

Pete

 

[sailorman]

It was already nice and hot from being run for 45 minutes.

Pete

swmbo`s car went dead for no reason, i thought it cant be heater plugs as it worked before. I had a starter / charger on it as the battery was low ( 6 month old battery ) the engine spun over fast but not a
sign of firing.
i fiddled with the relay off it went, damn thing made me jump back in surprise.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

Glad it's sorted; it's worth saying now that your frequent running of the engine for short periods will do it no end of harm. It doesn't need turning over and there are much kinder ways of charging the batteries.

 

[jac]

Glad it's sorted; it's worth saying now that your frequent running of the engine for short periods will do it no end of harm. It doesn't need turning over and there are much kinder ways of charging the batteries.

Are you sure.

Volvo state that if the boat is left afloat over the winter, the engine should be run approx every 2 weeks and run up to operating temperature to ensure that oil is circulated throughout. Obviously run under load but they are very clear.

 

[30boat]

Glad it's sorted; it's worth saying now that your frequent running of the engine for short periods will do it no end of harm. It doesn't need turning over and there are much kinder ways of charging the batteries.

I have a Beta 20 and no solar panels(yet) so I try to regularly run the engine for an hour or so.As long as it reaches operating temperature so that the water resultant from the combustion process doesn't condense and contaminate the oil there's no harm.One forumite once told a story of diesel engines left running whole nights because the batteries for starting them would be stolen if left on the site,I think it was somewhere in Africa.It helps to use a good quality oil of course.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

Are you sure.

Volvo state that if the boat is left afloat over the winter, the engine should be run approx every 2 weeks and run up to operating temperature to ensure that oil is circulated throughout. Obviously run under load but they are very clear.

What is going to happen to it in 2 weeks of no use that requires it to be run??? And why afloat and not on the hard? If it's afloat it's at a fairly stable temperature because of the seawater. It seems a bizarre idea to start and run an engine for 30 minutes or so just because it's not been started for 2 weeks. I get why they are saying that once you've started it you should run it under load up to full temperature - but why do that at all? Most wear on an engine is in the first 5 or 10 minutes of use and running it for a short period every two weeks seems like poor use. And if it needs to be run every two weeks, why only in the winter?

 

[alant]

Thanks for all the suggestions - I have disconnected the lines to the injectors and, indeed, no fuel coming out (doh, why didn't I think of that??? - only excuse is it's very cold here).

[edit]

did the cranking till fuel coming out at injectors, started almost immediately.

Many thanks again for the support, much appreciated.

Used this, when a HR ran dry in Mahon & that was the only way to prime the fuel system, since the lift pump will only take it so far.

PS, keep your eyes (+ hands) away from the injectors, when cranking, cos the pressure can inject fuel into your skin/body parts.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Thanks for all the suggestions - I have disconnected the lines to the injectors and, indeed, no fuel coming out (doh, why didn't I think of that??? - only excuse is it's very cold here).


did the cranking till fuel coming out at injectors, started almost immediately.

Many thanks again for the support, much appreciated.

I do love a happy ending. Were there doves and balloons as well?

 

[alant]

I do love a happy ending. Were there doves and balloons as well?

Awaiting a proposal, could be a civil wedding.