Sabb 10 diesel not starting

[Falmouthgypsy1970]

Hi all,

I’ve recently picked up my first boat! A 24ft Falmouth gypsy which is beautiful!

Now, it has a Sabb diesel engine, I’ve put in new battery and it turns over, but it’s just not firing?

I’ve sprayed some easy start in the air inlet , I’ve put oil in the Top, I’ve checked everything I can do as an unexperienced marine engineer

I think the boats in neutral, I’m not sure if there’s a simple fuel valve to turn on - but diesle is getting to the injector

Ill
Try ti
Manually crank it tomorrow - it must just be something soo
Simple I’m missing

Any help please would be appreciated!

 

[KevinV]

I don't know about sabb's but I have an old digger that will only fire if spun hard enough - it's a fraction of a difference and a dodgy earth strap had me take the engine half apart before I spotted it.

The other obvious thing - is the "stop" knob/button/whatever in the "go" position?

 

[NealB]

It's decades since I had a single cylinder Sabb, but, as KevinV suggests, it's got a decompression lever to facilitate hand cranking, hasn't it?

Apologies if this is too basic, but it obviously won't start if that lever is in the 'decompress' position.

Good luck: a lovely, proper marine diesel, but consider using ear-plugs when starting: it don't 'arf vibrate and make a noise (yes, I'm serious).

 

[Blueboatman]

It's decades since I had a single cylinder Sabb, but, as KevinV suggests, it's got a decompression lever to facilitate hand cranking, hasn't it?

Apologies if this is too basic, but it obviously won't start if that lever is in the 'decompress' position.

Good luck: a lovely, proper marine diesel, but consider using ear-plugs when starting: it don't 'arf vibrate and make a noise (yes, I'm serious).

Yup me too, but start on the handle they do. The compression lever rotates horizontally in or out of a notch iirc. Turning the motor slowly by hand you will know ( feel) the compression resistance when it is not set to the decompress position,

And if you place a hand on the injector tube going from the pump to the injector you should be able to feel it ping ping vibrate each time the pump squirts a shot of diesel, as you crank on the starting handle.
Just give it full throttle and then wind it up as fast as you can whilst decompressed, turn the decompressor lever back to compress, and KEEP WINDING on the start handle, if the engine is in good health it will fire..
Worth turning off the WATER INLET until it does start, as repeated attempts will inexorably be pumping seawater in to the exhaust mixer and you do not want to back fill the cylinder with seawater inadvertently.

Apologies is this is basic stuff you already know, they’re good little engines and the only real trouble owners experience is sitting over winter the exhaust mixer can rust internally restricting the engines ability to let the exhaust gas get away.
That would indeed prevent starting!
And the test is to carefully slacken the exhaust mixer bolts a bit where it is bolted to the cylinder head, pull it away a bit to create a bit of a gap. If the engine now fires right up and bangs exhaust gas out through the gap then there you are, it needs the mixer removing and cleaning out.
Best of luck, they’re great if elderly little engines

 

[rotrax]

It's decades since I had a single cylinder Sabb, but, as KevinV suggests, it's got a decompression lever to facilitate hand cranking, hasn't it?

Apologies if this is too basic, but it obviously won't start if that lever is in the 'decompress' position.

Good luck: a lovely, proper marine diesel, but consider using ear-plugs when starting: it don't 'arf vibrate and make a noise (yes, I'm serious).

Correct. They sound like a gas stove being dragged along a cobbled street.

 

[NealB]

I'm sixty-nine and a half, now, and can't help thinking that the Sabb could well share, at least some of, the responsibility for my need for hearing aids.

 

[Falmouthgypsy1970]

I don't know about sabb's but I have an old digger that will only fire if spun hard enough - it's a fraction of a difference and a dodgy earth strap had me take the engine half apart before I spotted it.

The other obvious thing - is the "stop" knob/button/whatever in the "go" position?

That’s what I was thinking but there’s no obvious stop / on etc…

 

[Falmouthgypsy1970]

Yup me too, but start on the handle they do. The compression lever rotates horizontally in or out of a notch iirc. Turning the motor slowly by hand you will know ( feel) the compression resistance when it is not set to the decompress position,

And if you place a hand on the injector tube going from the pump to the injector you should be able to feel it ping ping vibrate each time the pump squirts a shot of diesel, as you crank on the starting handle.
Just give it full throttle and then wind it up as fast as you can whilst decompressed, turn the decompressor lever back to compress, and KEEP WINDING on the start handle, if the engine is in good health it will fire..
Worth turning off the WATER INLET until it does start, as repeated attempts will inexorably be pumping seawater in to the exhaust mixer and you do not want to back fill the cylinder with seawater inadvertently.

Apologies is this is basic stuff you already know, they’re good little engines and the only real trouble owners experience is sitting over winter the exhaust mixer can rust internally restricting the engines ability to let the exhaust gas get away.
That would indeed prevent starting!
And the test is to carefully slacken the exhaust mixer bolts a bit where it is bolted to the cylinder head, pull it away a bit to create a bit of a gap. If the engine now fires right up and bangs exhaust gas out through the gap then there you are, it needs the mixer removing and cleaning out.
Best of luck, they’re great if elderly little engines

I’m going to sound completely new now - which I am and what a challenging engine to have!

There is no water inlet as it’s currently on hard standing - bilge has drained what it can from the back of the boat as it’s stored at an angle and has some water in it
Still! I’ll have a look for water inlet to switch it off!

Is it in decompress mode when it’s hard to turn or easy to turn?

I imagine I have to full throttle it from the side of the engine… I have tried to use the choke but with no joy! If you have an image of the exhaust mixture bolts on the cylinder head would be useful… my
Mechanical knowledge is non existent but I’m learning bloody quick!

 

[Falmouthgypsy1970]

Correct. They sound like a gas stove being dragged along a cobbled street.

Unfortunately I’ve not heard her yet / fingers crossed I can to get her to sea!

 

[Tranona]

Do you have a copy of the handbook? Are you using a starter cartridge? in normal weather (not too cold) you should be able to start it by turning over with the decompression lever open and then closing it If the engine has not been used for some time it is likely that compression will be low because oil drains from the cylinder walls. Squirt oil into the lube cup before starting. In cold weather you will almost certainly need to use a warming cartridge - like a fag that goes in a tube at the front of the engine which you light and it warms the combustion chamber. Here is a link to the instruction and parts book bakkerprotech.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sabb-G-instruction-book.pdf

 

[Blueboatman]

Best thing would be to get a friend along to talk you through what’s what at this next stage I suggest?
Once learnt never forgotten

You don’t need to worry about turning off the water with the boat on the hard

But there might just be a bung or a rag stuffed into the exhaust outlet at the back of the boat, and in some instances there is an actual valve inside the boat just before the exhaust pipe exits the boat . And occasionally owners turn this off if they’re going to leave their boat unattended for years , to stop wasps building a blockage inside
But as I say, or write, can you not borrow a friend or do bribe on a boat near by , to talk you through.
It takes so long to reply on line and is quite an inefficient way to help you really.

 

[Falmouthgypsy1970]

Yup me too, but start on the handle they do. The compression lever rotates horizontally in or out of a notch iirc. Turning the motor slowly by hand you will know ( feel) the compression resistance when it is not set to the decompress position,

And if you place a hand on the injector tube going from the pump to the injector you should be able to feel it ping ping vibrate each time the pump squirts a shot of diesel, as you crank on the starting handle.
Just give it full throttle and then wind it up as fast as you can whilst decompressed, turn the decompressor lever back to compress, and KEEP WINDING on the start handle, if the engine is in good health it will fire..
Worth turning off the WATER INLET until it does start, as repeated attempts will inexorably be pumping seawater in to the exhaust mixer and you do not want to back fill the cylinder with seawater inadvertently.

Apologies is this is basic stuff you already know, they’re good little engines and the only real trouble owners experience is sitting over winter the exhaust mixer can rust internally restricting the engines ability to let the exhaust gas get away.
That would indeed prevent starting!
And the test is to carefully slacken the exhaust mixer bolts a bit where it is bolted to the cylinder head, pull it away a bit to create a bit of a gap. If the engine now fires right up and bangs exhaust gas out through the gap then there you are, it needs the mixer removing and cleaning out.
Best of luck, they’re great if elderly little engines

What would happen if I did accidentally forget this post and fill the cylinder with water how would I work around that?

 

[Blueboatman]

Look just ring an engineer and watch him talk you through the engine
My best and last advice .
Good luck ( with hands on help )
We all have to start somewhere

 

[LittleSister]

What would happen if I did accidentally forget this post and fill the cylinder with water how would I work around that?

You'd have to spend an awful lot of money and time getting a replacement engine, or replacing the bent con rod (and possibly crankshaft etc.)!

 

[PeteCooper]

Many years ago when we had a Sabb we had an issue starting. It turned out to be a fuel stopcock just underneath the tank. Once turned on it started fine.

 

[Tamar]

I had a sabb 10 in an old Nova 27, totally reliable engine
it once thumped away for a straight 16 hour run when the wind died off.
Starting...I put the throttle half way, filled the little cup on the rocker cover with oil and it fired up on the button, even in the coldest weather, stopping..just put the throttle to off position.
If yours is not starting it's it's probably either fuel off, or compression lever engaged. They can sometimes be tricky to find out exactly what position they are in, but as others have said if you can't turn it over by hand then it's in 'Run' position, you'll just have to play about until you find it.
Good luck.

Edit
Sorry forgot to add that there are lots of videos on starting these engines on YouTube.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Many years ago when we had a Sabb we had an issue starting. It turned out to be a fuel stopcock just underneath the tank. Once turned on it started fine.

Not just Sabbs! I had my engine fail to start once, and after sailing to a pontoon we could get alongside under sail, we found that the fuel cock on the tank had been turned off by an engineer who'd been working on the engine. If I'd thought to look it was an easy fix - but I thought I'd run out of fuel; I knew it was low!