Yanmar 1gm10 won't start - Cruiser stranded in Oman!

[SySundowner]

Hello everybody!

Unfortunately my first post on this fine forum comes under unfortunate circumstances. (I hope its in the correct place as well)

In 2019, at the age of 18 I bought a trapper 500 from Portland Marina in the UK, fitted with a 2008 Yanmar 1GM10. I set out to cruise back to my home in Australia (eastwards but that's a whole other conversation )

I made it through the French canals, the med, the Suez canal, the red sea and the gulf of Aden without hardly an issue.
Ive pulled into Salalah, Oman because in the gulf, my trusty engine finally quit on me.

Here's what happened and what I've tried to get it going again.

I was motor sailing ( the engine was steady @ 3k revs) the wind picked up so I pulled the throttle back to idle, with the plan of turning it off. The throttle had no effect on the revs.
I waited about 10/seconds with no change, then pulled it into neutral, the revs then very very slowly came down until the engine stalled. It now won't start

Some very weird symptoms in my eyes at the time.
I checked the fuel filters, both super clean (I've been running on UAE crustal clear fuel for a while now) and bled all the way to the high pressure hose on the injector.

The engine ticks over, but never actually "catches" and starts
I don't think it was diesel runaway as the revs were steady at 3k
Not sure if there's an issue with the throttle governer or stop lever, but they both run smoothly and it seems like they are working fine.
Exhaust is coming out clean and normal, and it was running well before I touched the throttle
The air filter is clean and sucking normally
There seems to be compression, as the engine is harder to hand crank when the decompression lever is down

Fuel pump failure?

I really am not too mechanical, but I can do the work with decent instructions and its a dead simple engine
I'm struggling to find a mechanic as the Sultan of Oman just died and everybody is in mourning.

Trying to set out for India ASAP,
Can anybody give me some ideas?
Many thanks!

Luke
SV Sundowner

 

[andsarkit]

Do you have a service manual ? Available from here http://www.jeanneau-owners.com/Manuals/3GM Engine Service Manual.pdf and other places on the web. Chapter 4 gives details of the governor which has a spring that is critical for correct running. It is rather a large file.
It seems like you have already checked for the usual fuel problems so it could be the governor. My 30 year old 1GM10 has never had any serious problems so I have not pulled it apart yet. No doubt there will be other more knowledgeable replies soon.

 

[RichardS]

It is definitely not runaway as you can't mistake that and would not have been able to see for the black smoke.

If the throttle arm on the side of the engine is operating properly with the hand controller so that you know that when you closed the throttle the actuating arm definitely moved to the idle end-stop, then I also feel that it must be governor failure as I can't see any other explanation for the engine to continue running at high revs.

Richard

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you’re in a bit of a pickle.
Looks like you've checked the obvious things, but I suggest you re-check the throttle linkage at the engine, and make sure the cable clamp hasn't come loose. I've experienced something similar. The throttle cable had become a little loose, throttling back made it slip in the clamp and engine slowly lost revs as spring tension slowly moved the clamp back over the cable.
Similarly, check again at the engine that the stop lever is fully home. It only needs to be a trifle out for the engine to falter and die.

Best of luck and bon voyage.

 

[SySundowner]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you’re in a bit of a pickle.
Looks like you've checked the obvious things, but I suggest you re-check the throttle linkage at the engine, and make sure the cable clamp hasn't come loose. I've experienced something similar. The throttle cable had become a little loose, throttling back made it slip in the clamp and engine slowly lost revs as spring tension slowly moved the clamp back over the cable.
Similarly, check again at the engine that the stop lever is fully home. It only needs to be a trifle out for the engine to falter and die.

Best of luck and bon voyage.

I appreciate the quick replys, thanks guys!
The throttle cable is tight, and you can look through the oil filler hole to see it move the linkage inside the engine.
As for the stop switch, it moves a linkage arm on the outside of the engine and one on the inside if the engine, but I can't see it do anything else in there... I'm not sure about that cause I'm getting fuel pumped all the way to the injector feed line.

Any ways I can diagnose the governor?

I managed to get on to a diesel engineer who will come and help me out tomorrow. Everyone is great around here!

Thanks again

 

[black mercury]

Unscrew the oil filler cap and poke your finger in to operate the rack of the injection pump. You should be able to move the rack back and forwards. If you can't or if it's sticking you will have to remove the pump. If you have the pump removed the rack should move under its own weight when you tilt the pump side to side, that is how free it needs to be. It may be that when you moved the throttle lever to neutral the governor was slow to respond and is now stuck in the fuel off position and hasn't moved to the start position when the engine stopped. Try this and see if you can move the rack.

 

[zoidberg]

You could try to find someone at RAFO Salalah to speak to. The Port Police shold be able to arrange that. for you. They'll have contracted civilian 'maintainers' and I'm confident a couple of them, with not a lot to do after hours, would be interested in lending a hand. They may ask you to 'give a talk' about your escapades....

As a matter of 'wenwee', I've sailed a Drascombe out of Salalah 'back in the day' when we used to go free-diving for B-I-G crayfish off Mughsayl beach to the west - and dodging the lethal lionfish!

 

[SySundowner]

Unscrew the oil filler cap and poke your finger in to operate the rack of the injection pump. You should be able to move the rack back and forwards. If you can't or if it's sticking you will have to remove the pump. If you have the pump removed the rack should move under its own weight when you tilt the pump side to side, that is how free it needs to be. It may be that when you moved the throttle lever to neutral the governor was slow to respond and is now stuck in the fuel off position and hasn't moved to the start position when the engine stopped. Try this and see if you can move the rack.

Right I think we are on the money now!
I've got the pump out, the rack moves under its own weight, exposing a little inside gear at each extremity of its movement.
The stop cable moves the "cam" on the inside of the case, but I think the problem is the "governor lever 2" that connects to the rack on the pump. The cam only just touches the governor lever at its full extension (engine off position) and then moves it a max of 3mm aft towards a gear in the back of the case. I can push the lever back until it touches this gear. It bounces back like its on a spring. But still stops well before touching the stop cam.
The throttle at idle and max have no effect on this lever, though it becomes harder to move at full throttle...
I tried hooking the end of the governor lever and pulling it towards the cam but it really won't move.

I'd imagine it is supposed to rest on the cam?
I'm hoping I don't have to take the front of the case off at this point.

Cheers Black Mercury, I think at least now I know what the issue might be!

Zoidberg, I will keep the RAFO in mind, that would be fantastic! There really is no limit of generous, helpful people around here! Its just not a great time to be rushing (with sailing it never is!)
You sound like you've got some story's, I've heard about the local "lobsters" - huge craw fish, I'd love to have a beer and hear all about your time here. I've only been around a few days, but its one of my favourites!

Hopefully this'll be sorted soon

 

[zoidberg]

Best wishes, SySundowner

If peeps here will permit a minor diversion, a 'wenwee' of sorts from 1980 when adult males in Oman all carried weapons and we uniformed types were no exception.... our airbase at Thumrait 40 miles inland owned a Drascombe Coaster (? ) kept at Raysut Harbour/Salalah which some of us signed out at weekends ( Thursday pm > ) to go fishing, snorkeling, etc.
There was a standing beach party at Mugsayl Beach, a dozen miles west along a very tricky dirt track, and all 'white eyes' were welcome. That's where the best crayfish were then found and the House Rules were 'manual catch only, no aids except for a fire-crew gauntlet'.

A number of us were stood around the cool-boxes shooting the breeze there one day when around the rocky point came the Drascombe under outboard, and in it Sqn Leader Gerry S. who commanded the SOAF Jaguar squadron - a 'punchy' roughy-toughy fast-jet bunch which ran on testosterone. Through the binos we spotted he had, strapped alongside, a huge 'placid' shark at least the length of the boat..... and it was alive. Of course, speculation turned to what the h*** he was going to do with it, for when he/it got into shallow water, it would probably go berserk trying to escape the hook and ropes, and turn the boat over..... All attention focused on the new star attraction.

Gerry S. had thought of that problem, too. Stopping about 50 metres off the beach, this 'steely blue-eyed killer' picked up the M16 assault rifle most of us were issued with for 'days out', and standing up in the boat he let fly at it right alongside with a full magazine! Not one of those rounds hit the target, 4 feet away!! The shark survived this armed assault by SOAF's top fighter pilot and the lines had to be cut, freeing it to swim away!!!

Thereafter, in the crewroom and in the air - even after he returned to RAF service in Germany - the good Squadron Leader was known to all by his nickname or handle of 'Sharky'....