BobnLesley
Well-Known Member
Close but no cigar:
Beyond searching for parts I actually had a couple of days off, I now realise that there's a limit to how long I can wallow in diesel.
Pumped the tank dry once again and replenished with fresh diesel, ftted new primary and secondary filters and stripped/cleaned/rebuilt the filter housings - both fuel and filters looked perfect/clean, but the diesel in there had recieved a BIG dose of biocide, is it feasible that this massive over-dosage might have caused a filter blockage?
Stripped, cleaned, rebuilt and refitted what appears to be the better/stronger of our two mechanical lift pumps - could adding more diesel to the tank now make a significant difference to its performance? The tank was perhaps 15% filled, it's now at 25-30% filled.
Renewed all the flexible fuel hose and the primer-bulb, removed, blew through and refitted all the rest of the pipework, fitted new copper washers at every connection. The only unaltered connections are to the main tank and the cav filter, it seems the penetrating male unions with copper olives aren't available in Panama; but I did coat the treads on all three with a bit of Hylomar.
All back together, primed/bled the engine and it started and ran faultlessly for three hours, have started and run four or five times subsequently probably another 3+ hours. The only 'problem' that seemingly remains is when I start it first thing in the morning after it's sat idle for 12-15 hours: The engine starts fine but after perhaps 8-10 seconds we can hear the engine misfires a couple of times and the revs drop a bit (never enough to stop it) for 15-20 seconds, after which it clears and runs fine. We're thinking there's perhaps a tiny air-leak somewhere still? But having finally got it running, we're reluctant to disturb things again and go backwards.
Today/tomorrow's task is building and installing an emergency day tank; we really don't want to make it a permanent installation, but now have a 25 litre fuel can securely fixed in the cockpit locker with a gravity-feed pipe leading down to the engine, all to be cable tied in place ready for a promt switch-over if needs be.
Beyond searching for parts I actually had a couple of days off, I now realise that there's a limit to how long I can wallow in diesel.
Pumped the tank dry once again and replenished with fresh diesel, ftted new primary and secondary filters and stripped/cleaned/rebuilt the filter housings - both fuel and filters looked perfect/clean, but the diesel in there had recieved a BIG dose of biocide, is it feasible that this massive over-dosage might have caused a filter blockage?
Stripped, cleaned, rebuilt and refitted what appears to be the better/stronger of our two mechanical lift pumps - could adding more diesel to the tank now make a significant difference to its performance? The tank was perhaps 15% filled, it's now at 25-30% filled.
Renewed all the flexible fuel hose and the primer-bulb, removed, blew through and refitted all the rest of the pipework, fitted new copper washers at every connection. The only unaltered connections are to the main tank and the cav filter, it seems the penetrating male unions with copper olives aren't available in Panama; but I did coat the treads on all three with a bit of Hylomar.
All back together, primed/bled the engine and it started and ran faultlessly for three hours, have started and run four or five times subsequently probably another 3+ hours. The only 'problem' that seemingly remains is when I start it first thing in the morning after it's sat idle for 12-15 hours: The engine starts fine but after perhaps 8-10 seconds we can hear the engine misfires a couple of times and the revs drop a bit (never enough to stop it) for 15-20 seconds, after which it clears and runs fine. We're thinking there's perhaps a tiny air-leak somewhere still? But having finally got it running, we're reluctant to disturb things again and go backwards.
Today/tomorrow's task is building and installing an emergency day tank; we really don't want to make it a permanent installation, but now have a 25 litre fuel can securely fixed in the cockpit locker with a gravity-feed pipe leading down to the engine, all to be cable tied in place ready for a promt switch-over if needs be.
