MD11c Fuel Problemo

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thesaintlyone

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Our MD11c in our Westerly Longbow 31 seems to have a fuelling problem (or it could be something else) It has been cutting out for a while and we have changed the injectors, filters & cleaned the lift pump we had it running for a good ha
10 mins and then cut out now can't get it started. Had a mechanic come over today from the yard and he couldn't get it started and says he thought not enough fuel pressure is getting to the injectors.
I've seen a couple of refurb volvos an MD11c and a MD2020 both around £1200 plus cranage yard fees etc to swap out is an option to have something more reliable but ideally we would like to fix if it's not totally terminal. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated
 
I have the same boat and engine as you and hope the following may be of use.

I bought the boat in 2010 and checked that the engine started and ran OK so was happy
to keep the engine. On the advice of the local Volvo Penta mechanic I had a CAV filter/water
separator fitted.

In 2012 I decided to sail to Sweden from Plymouth ( my daughter lives in Sweden so could spend part of the summer there and sail back ). The engine ran well until I got to the Netherlands. As I was crossing the mouth of the Maas ( where it is strongly advised to proceed under power ) the engine stopped dead and wouldn't restart. To cut a long story short, on investigation by a Dutch mechanic, it was found that the injector pump was full of fine particles and seized up. He took the pump away and cleaned it and had it tested to make sure that it was now working. Sure enough the engine now ran perfectly. Obviously I immediately changed all the filters.

Having sailed to the next harbour on, and having had thoughts, as one does, I decided to check the fuel
tank to see what was in there apart from diesel. I assume that you still have the original fuel tank so you will find that peering down the filler cap is unhelpful. Since the tank is under the cockpit floor I had to
cut out a section of floor to gain access to the top of the tank. I then cut out a section of the top of the tank
which allowed me to inspect the interior.

On this tank the fuel cock fits into the the end of a small box which projects below the base of the tank. It
is a natural trap for any debris that may find its way into the tank. Sure enough , it was full of rubbish which I cleared out. Obviously I now had to make good the top of the tank and the cockpit floor but that's another story.

I would suggest that getting the injector pump checked would be a good idea but it won't be a cheap exercise. Before doing that, it might be an idea to get a compression test done on the cylinders and take off the rocker covers to check the condition of the valve gear. If there is any rust or emulsified oil there, it may be a sign that the water pump has leaked or is leaking which means that it may need checking out. The valve gear might be suspect through rust damage.

If the inspection of the valve gear and the compression test prove favourable, and when the engine was running, you had a goodly stream of water from the exhaust and the engine temperature was OK, they would be signs that you had an engine that might be worth spending some money on.

If you decide to go for a secondhand engine, you run the risk of finding out why it's secondhand!
 
perhaps you may have a problem with the tank air vent blocking.
checking and replacing washers on the fuel system is often worthwhile especially if you have dismantled the system
with regards to used engine it might be worth buying for spares if you have some where to keep it and switching suspect parts is then an option
 
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