Salutory Experience

[townquay]

I have just been taught a short-sharp-lesson!
We've just paid out for a full and comprehensive regular service on our Moody 33' engine. We used a professional firm who specialise in our make of engine.( I don't have the time, nor do I trust my meagre expertise to do it myself!)
So, I thought I'd take the boat out for a jaunt on Sunday. I started the engine and the gauges all read O.K. We set off down Southampton Water and put her into the wind to raise the main. I glanced down at the gauges again and the oil pressure was reading absolute zero !
Cursing the engineers I dipped the oil and the engine was bone dry. Luckily, (as everybody does) we always carry oil on board, so with yet more curses upon the head of the engineer for his lapse I topped the oil up to maximum. We re-started the engine and the oil pressure was fine, so we carried on.
Having had a bad run-in with a blocked seawater inlet previously, (and learnt a lesson!) I regulary glance down at the gauges. I did so now and after only a few minutes running the oil pressure was again at zero !
We carried on sailing down Southampton Water (we were out anyway and the wind was too good to waste) and I made a mobile telephone arrangement with 'Sea-Start' to meet me and come alongside later that morning as we reduced sail to facilitate their operative coming aboard.
He proved to be excellent and after much scrabbling around in the engine compartment he foundthat an error had been made in the fitting of the new oil filter and the engine lost a complete sump of oil in less than 3 minutes. (All into my flippin' bilges!)
The fault was not capable of being rectified then and there so whilst the Sea-Start guy stood close- to, to ensure we were OK, we sailed back to our moorings and managed to wharp ourselves into our slot.
But for my perchance glance down at the oil pressure gauge (surely nobody genuinely remembers to do that ever 5 minutes as a matter of course?) we would have had a ruined engine and a huge legal battle with the engineering firm would undoubtedly have ensued . It also helps that on our boat the gauges are just a glance down to thigh level, so there's no scrabbling about to ceck them as I've experienced on some boats.

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[iangrant]

Just as a thought, would it not be wise to fit an audible alarm?

Ian

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[Chris_Robb]

how on earth do you make an error fitting an oil filter? The engine should be run up after the change, and the oil filter seal checked, and trhen the oil level checked again.

Who is to say your engine did not suffer damage - I would be interested to know the reaction of the engineers - arse protection or genuine acceptance they made a mistake, One can forgive the latter, but not the former. If the former - name and shame

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[nicho]

This reminds me of a problem we had 3 years ago with our brand new Sealine S37 (before I saw the light!). It had just 25 hours on the clock, and as we were off to Guernsey, I decided it would be wise to have the first service on the engines before venturing across the Channel. As it had not moved since the service was carried out, I did not check anything before we left. Some 5 hours later we were snug inside St Peter Port. A couple of days later, I did my usual, thorough engine check. To my horror, the bilges were full of oil (well several litres anyway), but whatever it looked awful. I checked the oil level, and was surprised to find that the level was approx an inch ABOVE the full mark. I cleaned up the mess, and syphoned out the excess, to bring the level to normal. I telephoned the Service Agents that carried out the job, and they were unable to explain what had happened. I assumed that they had spilled the oil when it was being removed during the service and did not want to own up. We subsequently came back, and to my surprise yet again the bilges were full!!.

To cut a long story short, it turns out the Service Agents had massively overfilled the engines at the time of the service, and the excess crankcase pressure had blown the rear main bearing seals. Luckily, the Manufacturer took the rap, and repaired both engines under warranty (which had to be removed and taken to their service centre), but the boat was out of the water for 8 weeks right in the middle of the season.

The motto is to always double check that the work has been done properly, and do a visual check in the first few minutes of running (though I appreciate this would not necessarily have helped in this case, such was the rapid rate of loss)

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[david_e]

I suppose it is possible to cross thread a filter screwing it on, but as you say, had it been run and checked then this should not have happened.

It begs the eternal question about levels of service and attitudes in our industry.

At the week-end I arrived to find one of my mooring lines missing. It was an extra line I had tied to the opposite vacant pontoon (with marina managers permission) to keep the boat from blowing on. Somewhat cheesed off I asked the marina office if they knew anything about it, no. Said check with local dealer, so went to them, they were adamant that they had used the vacant berth but had retied the rope. Certainly hadn't, turns out they had left in the boat they had been demo-ing. How can you untie a line and not put it back unless you don't give two hoots.



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[Magic_Sailor]

So who was it then? nm

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[hlb]

Dont be thinking that you have got away with it. That engine could well be knackered. Dont want to frighten you. But just because it did not sieze up, does not mean alot of damage has not been done. I'd at least write to who ever serviced it and make them aware of a posible claim. It might be next year before it goes with a bang!

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue> Haydn

 

[Stingo]

Nasty!

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[chriscallender]

At a guess, the "error" was that the rubber sealing ring dropped off the filter as it was being put into place, or else it was not in the groove its meant to be in. If the filter is in an awkward position then its quite easy to do this but no excuses whatsoever for a professional mechanic making this mistake.

Checking for leaks after changing an oil filter would be a basic thing that anyone competent would do.


Chris

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[wpsalm]

The short sharp lesson ....get the alarm system repaired can,t imagine an unatteded marine diesel without an alarm for oil presure and water temp.

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