injector problems I think

[tomframe]

Day from hell - one of my cylinders stopped firing, had a look at my fuel and its cloudy, now last year I had water in the tank and had my injectors serviced - £1000 later, all was well. - by the way its a 3JH4CE 40hp Yanmar.
I can deal with the fuel, drain it out and clean the tank etc..., I would love to know what made it cloudy?

I was talking to a few guys this afternoon after coming into a marina covered in a plume of white smoke.
now before I part with another sack of cash, it was suggested that I try filling my fuel filter with Injector cleaning fluid and then running the engine. Has anybody done this?
also while I am playing with this problem do you think its bad to run the engine, I might need to move the boat to get repaired, about 30 mins motor - am I looking for trouble.
besides all of this, does anybody know of any good injector guys in and around Southampton that give a good service?

thanks.

 

[Billjratt]

Get clean fuel, start the engine, "crack" (loosen) each high -pressure injector connector in turn. The one that DOESN'T alter the engine tone is faulty. Change it for the spare you carry and get the old one looked at by Lucas or whoever. If your fuel is really gungy, it may have blown he tip off the injector which you will see. Hopefully the missing bit will have been exhausted with minimal piston damage. On the other hand, it may just be a simple injector failure

 

[NickiCrutchfield]

Are you certain there is no water getting into your fuel from the return? Head gasket?
Nicki

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
Are you certain there is no water getting into your fuel from the return? Head gasket?

[/ QUOTE ] Sorry I dont understand the logic of the question. Water from a defective head gasket cannot get into the fuel retuning from the injectors.

 

[VicS]

I wonder if the cloudiness could be due to waxing. The maximum winter cloud point (the temperature at which wax begins to form) for road diesel is -5C and for red diesel it is -2C. I don't know what the figures are for fuel sold in summertime (16 Mar to 15 Nov) presumably a bit higher.

The "Cold filter plugging point", CFPP, temperatures are -15C and -12C so even if the summer time figures are higher I would not think its been cold enough for them to be a problem

It might just explain the cloudiness but if that is the cause a sample will clear again once it is warmed by a few degrees. If Nigel was still around he'd put us straight on the possibility.

Water could cause cloudiness but it usually settles and should be taken out by your water separator.

Your plume of "white smoke could simply be the combined effects of the low ambient temperature and poor cooling due to a restricted intake or worn pump impeller but i dont think you'd notice any thing abnormal from a blown head gasket.

I have no suggestions to make about one cylinder not firing. It could be due to many things. Some injector cleaner will do no harm but is impossible to say if running the engine will do harm. If it is a fuel related thing then it wont but if it is something mechanical it could (If you'd ever run an engine with a valve dropped due to a broken spring you'd know what I mean)

 

[TheBoatman]

How does that work?

How can water get into the diesel systen via a blown head gasket?

Peter.

 

[boatmike]

I would take the injectors out and have them cleaned and tested. It should not be expensive and there are a lot of fuel system specialists around that will do that. It sounds as if the water problem you had started off the fuel bug which has bred over winter. You may find you have a partial blockage in your fuel system due to this which means flushing your lines and fitting new filters after you have cleaned up the tank, but if it is only one cylinder it's probably a duff injector. Taking them out and cleaning them is far better than injecting cleaning fluid and not difficult.

 

[willie4646]

I think your right Vic, red diesel turns that pink milky colour when at low temperature.
Willie

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
I think your right Vic, red diesel turns that pink milky colour when at low temperature

[/ QUOTE ] To be honest i was expecting to be told it had not been cold enough. I'm glad someone does think that might be the explanation. I was going to another look around to see if I could find a figure, even a typical figure, for the cloud point for red diesel supplied in summertime.

 

[VicS]

I have now found a figure for the cloud point for red diesel (gas oil) supplied in summertime . It is 3C so it is quite possible for it to be cloudy in coldish winter weather.

The source for this info was Conocophillips who were also the source of the previous figures I quoted.

For them though summertime is 16th March to 30th September not the dates I quoted previously. However its pretty certain I would think that the average leisure boater will end up with "summer grade" fuel in the tanks for the winter.

 

[Billjratt]

~The original post said lost one cylinder and white smoke. I bet it smelled of unburned paraffin (been there). First find the culprit. It may be that you are persuing smelly fish over the fuel issue. The repair man will tell you what went wrong with the faulty injector and if he says fuel, that's the time to go there.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
It may be that you are persuing smelly fish over the fuel issue.

[/ QUOTE ] I think you are right about that.

However tomframe asked for an explanation of the cloudy fuel ~ possibly that is due to waxing. If a sample clears again when warmed a bit that'll more or less confirm it.

A dodgy injector is just one thing that will cause it to cut out on one cylinder but its a sensible thing to look at to begin with.

 

[FAITIRA]

I had an experience when in Portugal, miles from anywhere up the Guadiana,, started the engine and clouds of smoke, terrible clatter, thought I had blown a piston or dropped a valve, got a tow from Gasparinho, the friendly ferryman at Alcoutim, to Alcoutim, 4mls! I thought about it for a day, then sod it I'll try it again. It started no bother and has run without probs for 2yrs (fingers crossed as I write!) must have been a stuck injector. Bill.

 

[Billjratt]

Maybe it's time we all got lockable fuel caps, Two reasons: the high cost later this year will see the start of syphoners in earnest, and it would stop little boys pissing in the tanks for a laugh. (could that have happened here?)

 

[Eastermaid]

Back to your original question the best injector people on the south coast IMHO are Panda diesels at fareham very helpfull. sorted out my very old Cav injector new nozzles etc £150

 

[Stemar]

I second the vote for Panda. After past experiences with Lucas in Southampton & Portsmouth, I wouldn't touch 'em with a barge pole.