More fuel woes.

julians said:
This might be a bit of a long shot, but it's an easy to try long shot, so probably worth looking at.

If your engine has any spin on fuel filters, then just check that they are correctly tightened up.

I had similar symptoms to what you describe and it turned out to be the spin on fuel filter needed an extra half a turn. It wasn't quite sealing 100% so was allowing air to be sucked in, it wasnt leaking any fuel out.
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I'll try it.

I'm not that hopeful as
1) the two spin ons are on the engine and after the racor, and there is air in the top of the racor.
2) I haven't touched the spin ons.

But I'll try anything, and this time I don't know for sure there is air in the racor as I haven't had the lid off yet.
So good idea - I hadn't thought of it and thank you!
 
How do you now know after fitting new bits that’s there’s air in the primary ?
The lids are metal and when you take them off you have to unscrew the T bar .By the time that’s done and the lid lifted ............
Starting to sound like a restriction.
Can you pull off the pipe from the tank cock ( close if 1st ) then open it with a suitable receptacle to hopefully collect a decent flow .
May as well pull the rest of the pipage off inc the geny T ( sounds ok to me btw ) and test for patentcy of better still renew if you can get some .

You now say you have “not touched the spin on s “ Can you explain that a bit more ?
How do you know they are not blocked , remnants of recent bug episode lingering ?

You can get cans of compressed air to blow back from the engine filters to the primary filters if the pipage is not for easily removal / renew .

Re tank vent has that been eliminated, otherwise the clear pipage and now new sound secondary filter will create a vacuum and stall the motor .So it then appears at a dismantled stage as if airs in when you release the vac by unscrewing stuff shortly after a stall .
 
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With classic cars and rubber pipes .
They can look immaculate from the outside, fuel brake hoses , coolant + rad hoes .
No leeks no weeps no seeps .
But symptoms of a restriction in what ever system.
Cooling over heating
Fuel - un even running - perhap just one carb of a multi carb set up effected .
Brake lines - uneven braking and yes the callipers are all refurbed .

The rubber breaks down inside and causes restriction.Its annoying and a usually the last thing replaced after a parts buying fest :)
 
Portofino said:
How do you now know after fitting new bits that’s there’s air in the primary ?
The lids are metal and when you take them off you have to unscrew the T bar .By the time that’s done and the lid lifted ............
Click to expand...

Because last time I took the lid off the fuel was a inch or more down from the top.
I haven't taken the lid off this time yet so am not sure this time, and this time is the first time since new bowl and seals in the racor itself.

Portofino said:
Starting to sound like a restriction.
Can you pull off the pipe from the tank cock ( close if 1st ) then open it with a suitable receptacle to hopefully collect a decent flow .
May as well pull the rest of the pipage off inc the geny T ( sounds ok to me btw ) and test for patentcy of better still renew if you can get some .
Click to expand...

Won't get a flow here it is higher than the tank. The tank cock is only about 6" from the racor. Then about 12ft copper pipe to the tank.
The pipework is all copper and as I cant get to the top of the tank renewing it all is impossible - I'd have to add a joint.

Portofino said:
You now say you have “not touched the spin on s “ Can you explain that a bit more ?
How do you know they are not blocked , remnants of recent bug episode lingering ?
Click to expand...

They could be. But how would that explain air in the primary?

Portofino said:
You can get cans of compressed air to blow back from the engine filters to the primary filters if the pipage is not for easily removal / renew .
Click to expand...

Yes I have a bike pump for the purpose - it clears right back to the tank and I can hear the bubbles. Uses it a few times in early bug stage.

Portofino said:
Re tank vent has that been eliminated, otherwise the clear pipage and now new sound secondary filter will create a vacuum and stall the motor .So it then appears at a dismantled stage as if airs in when you release the vac by unscrewing stuff shortly after a stall .
Click to expand...

A very good point. I'll loosen the filler cap to eliminate this possibility.

thanks!
 
Portofino said:
With classic cars and rubber pipes .
They can look immaculate from the outside, fuel brake hoses , coolant + rad hoes .
No leeks no weeps no seeps .
But symptoms of a restriction in what ever system.
Cooling over heating
Fuel - un even running - perhap just one carb of a multi carb set up effected .
Brake lines - uneven braking and yes the callipers are all refurbed .

The rubber breaks down inside and causes restriction.Its annoying and a usually the last thing replaced after a parts buying fest :)
Click to expand...

Only rubber is the very last section to the engine. Can’t cause the air.
 
Jury rig a supply ( gravity from a 5 L spares tank ) to the” In “ on the racor .Bypass the tank and it’s plumbing .
Run it at the dock until it’s almost empty use a see through pipe to connect and leave the tank on deck .
If it empties with fuel still left the in the see through pipe a good sign ,THEN open the racor lid to see where the level should be ?

But this system ^^^ is gravity fed .

Yours relies ( by the sound of things ) on the lift pump drawing it through the high up racor primary which intern has to draw it up from a lower level as it’s mounted higher than the potential fuel level ?If I have understood your set up correctly??

So is your lift pump strong enough now ?
Maybe Is was ?

If the primary racor is higher than the fuel level what’s stops it draining back a inch when the lids being taken off ?

Mine are located deep in the hull below the fuel level .So changing the filter cartridge is easy .
Turn the tank cock off .
Open the lid - the thing is brimming
Change cartridge.
Place the lid and T bar loosely.
Then as start to tighten the lid down , open the tank cock , fuel runs DOWN and fills up, brimming the canister when it starts to overflow I finally nip up the T bar .
There’s no where for the fuel to run to when the lids off .

There’s a couple of 10 mm air vents on the two engine spin ons and a manual lift pump .But they are for changing out the spin on secondaries.
I don’t need to bleed changing the primaries racor s as I can flood them before nipping up the T .

If there was a leak of air to be a show stopper then air will be in the injector pump - right ? As the injectors pump zero fuel .
So air in the spin ons secondary’s - right ?
So open the 10 mm ( or what ever )bleed screws to see .

To stop the motors air has to replace fuel in the cylinders

Which engines are they ?
 
have you taken the fuel valve assembly apart (the supply and return valve arrangement)- what ever was in the pick up pipe could well have travelled up to the valve area and got stuck as the internal diameters are slightly smaller.
 
Had a nice day out yesterday the engine stopped so we spent the day all one tank all at D speed.
Was hoping the juggling would mix the super gunk in the tank.

Ran it again this morning and the engine stopped.

I bit the bullet and cut the furniture to get to the pick up pipes in the top of the tank.

The tank has threaded holes. No inspection plate. The hole isn’t big enough for the fuel polishing man’s 1/2” hose.

I took out the pick up tube and it was jammed solid with what looked like a jellyfish.

The outside of the tube had hard, black deposits like the soot in an eber.

Putting it back together now. Even with my new hole that is proving difficult.

I’m going to run it again. If it stops again I’m going to build my own polishing system with an old water pump.

I’ve also bought a straight through connector to take the gennie out of circuit and eliminate that from the air intake conundrum.

This bug is really getting me down.
 
jcwads said:
Hope you get it sorted Mark
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Nope.
Ran it yesterday and all was good.
Went to take it to the pub last night and it wouldn’t start again.
Pipe clear this time.

Then.....

I realised pipe is 3/8” not 10mm.

I have 10mm fittings which fit but are a tiny bit too big.

Just walked out of ASAP with 3/8” fittings in my hand.
 
rafiki_ said:
Hope this works. What about all the gunge?
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the magic elixir seems to be breaking it down. If it can end up in the filter all is good. The jellyfish like thing just refused to go round the bend at the top of the tank.

As I now have a joint there and an access panel I can get to this if it reoccurs.

The 10mm olives were visibly compressed but still loose on the copper tube. An olive should compress the copper such that it can never come off without cutting, but it came off with a bit of jiggling. I really hope it's nailed now I have the right connector.

To cap it all I had caned the batteries and one of them failed, pulling the bank down. Another one was weak. 4 decent batteries now in that side.

All running again now as of this morning. I ran it at 1000rpm in gear for 5 mins or so and all was good. Also stopped and restarted a few times.

Will go down and take her for a spin tonight and see what happens. I've loads of friends coming at the weekend I don't need the stress of unreliability,

Just have to put the boat back together!
 
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