Unburned fuel on Volvo TAMD 60c

[Broomboy]

Unburnt fuel on Volvo TAMD 60c

Hi, just lookin for some advice on one of my Volvo engines.
I went down to the boat at the weekend started up the engines both running well but noticed the starboard engine was kicking out quite a bit of unburnt fuel. Thought it might just be because they were cold so cruised up the river to get them up to temp but still the same.
I do need to change the filters at some point, could this have anything to do with it or could it be an injector issue?
Any help would be great.

Apologies if i post this in the ŵrong place...... I’m new here?

 

[kashurst]

what do you mean by "kicking out unburnt fuel" ?
are you leaving an oily slick behind you, or smelly (smells of diesel) grey smoke ?
how many hours do the engines have? any recent significant work done to them?

have you tried running on one engine only to get it working hard - two big engines on a river will struggle to get properly warmed through. ( I assume there is a speed limit )
Can you take the boat onto a tidal stretch of water and give the engines a really good run.

changing the fuel filters is unlikely to materially affect this - although they will need changing at some point.

 

[Portofino]

At the mo there’s too little detail ,as per above correctly implies .
This thread could end up going off in all sorts of directions depending what’s drip fed in .

Swinging back to filters can we clear up one point “ due for change “ sounds ominous ?
What’s your current fuel filter set up and change regime - in detail ps .

Cos if water gets through or #hit then say hello to knackered injector tips and increased likely hood of some degree of over fuelling .
How olds the fuel ?
What fuel stabilisation and anti water tactics do you employ ?

Oil usage ?
Has it increased ?
Do you dip it every trip ?

 

[Broomboy]

The engines have about 3500hrs. It’s an oil slick, no smell of fuel. There is white smoke for a couple of minutes on startup but then disappears.
Perhaps they could do with a bit of a clear out they definitely don’t get up to temp here on the upper Thames.

I’ve have a water separator, prefilter and fine filter onboard and i haven’t changed them this year (just haven’t found the time)

Fuel is about 30% never let it go below 50% before. Last time I filled up (2 months ago) I bought the fuel at a different place (not my marina). Thinking back to it That seemed to be when the trouble started.

I check the oil before every startup and it’s always fine, haven’t noticed increased usage.

I use Hydra power diesel blast injector cleaner and fuel stabiliser, but I didn’t dose the last fill up.

Going to fill up next weekend also change filters because they need doing anyway so perhaps there might be an improvement.

 

[kashurst]

If your exhaust is generally pretty clean then its probably nothing much, condensed oil/diesel fumes trapped in the exhaust etc. Could be a turbo getting tired and leaking a tiny bit of oil into the exhaust, or valve stem seals past their sell by date. Big engines don't like too much slow running, a good solid run would probably burn off all the carbon, oil drips etc and get everything nice and hot. See what it's like after that. If you are speed restricted for the time being work the "oily" engine harder - turn the other engine off on a straight-ish bit of river and increase the revs to maintain speed, go as far as you are happy/able on the one engine.

PS. I assume you have checked that its not oily bilge water that's got pumped out at just the wrong moment.

 

[Broomboy]

Yeah I’ve never had any problems before, it was definitely coming from the exhaust and not the bilge.
I only did a short run at the weekend so that could be the reason, usually we cruise about 2hrs up river to our “favourite spot on the Thames” so the engines do work harder.
Think I need to find a quiet spot and open them up a bit!

 

[QBhoy]

If it does it when it’s warm and after a good run it’s almost certainly injectors weeping.
Did the injectors on our tamd61 a while ago after the same issue. What a difference.