superheat6k
Well-known member
So I have owned Billy Ruffian for two years during which for various reasons my boat usage has been minimal.
On checking the boat last weekend I noticed a slightly pungent acidic smell and suspected a battery was failing. I had replaced the port battery in 2022 just after I bought the boat and that one is easy to check. I have also had a Victron smart charger on the past two years so the batteries are kept well topped up, but with minimal power use.
But the stbd pair (All three are Varta 230AH) are outboard of the stbd engine where the ~8" diameter exhaust hose completely blocks the only access to that side of the engine, which is also where the duplex fuel and single oil filter reside.
So to achieve access I had to ...
1 Dismount the exhaust pipe temperature sensor probe.
2 Disconnect the water cooling injection hose from the turbo outlet injection bend.
3 Undo the turbo outlet flange onto the bend.
4 Undo a heavy duty hose support bracket midway across front the back of the engine to where th those disappears towards the transom.
5 Pull back the outlet bend and push this aft, without allowing the end to drop down otherwise the ocean comes in from the outlet. Tie this back.
This provides crawling access to the batteries, and filters.
I then discovered the Varta battery top caps had likely never been removed as all were well stuck. Even my largest screwdriver almost wrecked one of the caps so I returned home with one that did undo to manufacture a special removal tool - a simple cross milled into the end of an a piece of 17mm brass hex bar. This now works even on damaged caps.
Changing the filters was actually quite straightforward, but having vented the filters using the engine's plunger priming pump (Ford Sabre), I omitted to vent at the injection pump. Having then re-assembled everything the engine refused to start. Upon close investigation it was obvious the feed pipe from the duplex fuel filters runs slightly up hill to the injection pump, leaving a length of ~ 300 mm of pipe full of air.
So back off came the exhaust et al so I could again crawl in to properly complete the venting task.
Fortunately after the second venting and having observed a good surge of air vent at the fuel pump the engine then immediately fired. No leaks but regardless of how tidy I thought I had been, I stil stank of diesel !
The stbd aft battery had three cells just below the top of the plates, so I assume that was enough to allow the acidic fumes. If these pair ever have to changed I will be looking for a very strong toddler !!!
Still worse ways to spend most of a Saturday afternoon.
On checking the boat last weekend I noticed a slightly pungent acidic smell and suspected a battery was failing. I had replaced the port battery in 2022 just after I bought the boat and that one is easy to check. I have also had a Victron smart charger on the past two years so the batteries are kept well topped up, but with minimal power use.
But the stbd pair (All three are Varta 230AH) are outboard of the stbd engine where the ~8" diameter exhaust hose completely blocks the only access to that side of the engine, which is also where the duplex fuel and single oil filter reside.
So to achieve access I had to ...
1 Dismount the exhaust pipe temperature sensor probe.
2 Disconnect the water cooling injection hose from the turbo outlet injection bend.
3 Undo the turbo outlet flange onto the bend.
4 Undo a heavy duty hose support bracket midway across front the back of the engine to where th those disappears towards the transom.
5 Pull back the outlet bend and push this aft, without allowing the end to drop down otherwise the ocean comes in from the outlet. Tie this back.
This provides crawling access to the batteries, and filters.
I then discovered the Varta battery top caps had likely never been removed as all were well stuck. Even my largest screwdriver almost wrecked one of the caps so I returned home with one that did undo to manufacture a special removal tool - a simple cross milled into the end of an a piece of 17mm brass hex bar. This now works even on damaged caps.
Changing the filters was actually quite straightforward, but having vented the filters using the engine's plunger priming pump (Ford Sabre), I omitted to vent at the injection pump. Having then re-assembled everything the engine refused to start. Upon close investigation it was obvious the feed pipe from the duplex fuel filters runs slightly up hill to the injection pump, leaving a length of ~ 300 mm of pipe full of air.
So back off came the exhaust et al so I could again crawl in to properly complete the venting task.
Fortunately after the second venting and having observed a good surge of air vent at the fuel pump the engine then immediately fired. No leaks but regardless of how tidy I thought I had been, I stil stank of diesel !
The stbd aft battery had three cells just below the top of the plates, so I assume that was enough to allow the acidic fumes. If these pair ever have to changed I will be looking for a very strong toddler !!!
Still worse ways to spend most of a Saturday afternoon.
