Gutted - Not a good day on the boat

[cngarrod]

Took Friday off with the intention of finally managing to get a good day out on the boat, have had loads going on this year to date and loads more left to do (getting married etc seems to take up loads of time in organising!)

So that said, down at the boat nice and early on friday, check all is ok and start her up to get warm... crew duly arrive with bacon butties and coffee - even better, took hood off and radio up tot lock gates - no worries...

Walk her out of berth (stall haven't mastered this!) and off we go to the lock, get in roped up and all is well.... so from starting engine to getting in the lock is about 45 mins to an hour

The gates open up ready for exit and we set off again, just passing the exit gate and the engine dies... totally dead, nothing, nowt, zip... absolutely sod all...

Won't restart either, so am now drifting in the dock basin towards some lovely large metal bouys...

So hook up the fuel line to the outboard, fire that up and steer over to the waiting pontoon for a think...

Try to restart, fires and dies... mmm.. interesting..!

Open hatch, can hear the petrol going in, so not fuel related.. might be overheating, but temp guage is all clear, so must be electrical.. plugs out, chk spark, yup all fine...

OK - confused now and thinking...

So has a cuppa coffee and thinks some more - no bloody idea was the result - tried to start engine again ad yup it started, no worries, but dies after about 10 -15 mins.. so nowt for it but to use the outboard to get back into the marina for closer inspection...

Back in the berth, engine fires up no probs, idles along no probs - so do a few more checks with the dissie cap etc and all clean no probs - so the reality is i have no idea why she died!

Ok says i - we'll have a quick run about the dock and see if she dies again - idles fine, running at tickover in gear fine, nothing around, open her up - fine....

So i am left with the conclusion that it must have been dirty fuel or similar.. unless you guys can think of owt different???

So i didn't get my day out at sea - gutted was the understatement of the year so far.. grrrrrr!

Oh well - will have to wait for some more sun and take another day off work i spose!

Craig.

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[gonfishing]

i had exactly the same problems on sunday she will tick over and motor along at 2/3 knts all O.K all lines are clean etc, etc. but i now suspect a lazy fuel pump/spring /diaphram so i will investigate this, maybe you have the same problem?? i had quite an exciting time with my breakdown tho !!!!!
julian

<hr width=100% size=1>WHAT??? more petrol!!!

 

[tcm]

if it "got better" after minimal amount of time, it would seem to be fuel - that's the stuff that is different from one minute to the next. bit of water/condensation praps. Next time turn it on and give it a damn good thrash er i mean warm up at berth in neutral.

Also, if in the shit and would like to remain static, praps dump anchor? Then after suitable swearing (which evidently cured it) you are out of the lock.



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[lyc]

When was the solenoid (sp?) last changed? Had this problem on the previous boat after changing just about everything to do with fuel and spark.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BroadsandEastcoastBoating/>Broads & East Coast Boating</A>

 

[burgundyben]

I only have first hand experience of one boat with petrol engines, bout 14 years ago, a sealine, twin volvo jobbies, it was a unrelaible bastard to say the least, it took ages to warm up and even then regularly stalled when going into gear, missed, spluttered poppedand farted all the time, put me off petrol engines in a boat for good.

I love my smelly old oil burners.

<hr width=100% size=1>Sod the Healey - I think I'll buy an E-Type.

 

[eddieperkins]

Craig,
Check your vent is not blocked/semi blocked. Easy way is to take the lid off after she dies - if you get a woosh of air the vent is blocked leding to fuel starvation.
Regards,
Eddie

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[cngarrod]

Thought it was fuel myself - most likely sh1t in the line or similar...

As for Anchor - would have been ok... but for the fact that a 80 foot merchant vessel was 20 minutes behind me coming through the lock...

Good reason to move!

Cheers Matt,

Craig.

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[cngarrod]

Have no idea when that was done - will have a butchers and might well change it to be on the safe side!

Cheers Lyn,

Craig.

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[cngarrod]

Cheers Eddie - will do... hope it doesn't happen again - or at least too often!

Cheers,

Craig.

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[oldgit]

DO NOT rule out electrical probs.Spent weeks going thru fuel/electrics bits again and again on one boat.(Regal).In the end it turned out to be the poxy rotor arm.Would work OK for around 10 mins and then engine would die.Leave to cool off and then away you could go again.
Rotor arm was the last thing I suspected as there are no moving bits or pieces to go wrong.

<hr width=100% size=1>My little Princess/forums/images/icons/laugh.gifthe 33 of course.Shame its not just a bit bigger.