Internal Non-Combustion

This week I had scheduled to change the oil and oil filter in the Yanmar and change the oil in the gear case.  Proper procedure is to run the motor for a while to warm up the oils to make them easier to extract through the dip stick hole.  There is a drain plug at the bottom of the oil pan as one would expect but no one has ever been able to get to it with the motor installed and lived to tell about it.  The designer of this little system is the one that should have the title of Dip Stick.

With everything set up to go.  The bucket of cooling water filled, new oil, filter, rags etc.  I go to warm up the engine.  No Go.  It ran perfectly two weeks ago but I can not get it to fire this time.  I drain some of the fuel off at the fuel filter.  It is clear but smell very rubbery.   Hmm.... Could one of the fuel lines, that are actually used race car SS jacketed lines, be bad or inappropriate for diesel.  This would mean draining all 6 gallons and replacing all the lines and connectors.  Bad Deal.

I investigated the fuel lines over the next couple of days and found out they were fine for diesel.  Something else must be a miss.  I knew that it must either be bad fuel or air in the line for a diesel not to start.  The fuel seemed fine so it must be air in the line.  I attempted again and started to re-bleed the lines as before.  Everything had clear fuel at each bleed point until the final high pressure line.  Here I could get no fuel at all.  I took that line completely off and cranked over the motor from inside the cabin at the engine compartment by hitting the starter with a fully extended boat hook.  The RFM was not available and it is good to know I can do this if required out on the water single handed.  After a few starts I was getting fuel.  It seemed more like a blockage than air but it is hard to tell.  I tightened everything up and she started up fine.  The injector may need replacing at some point if this keeps up.

I let the motor run for 10 minutes and then sucked all the oil out and changed the filter with a minimum amount of spills and mess.  Restarted the motor and engaged the gear box as well to circulate all the new oil.  No leaks and everything ran fine.  My set up for running cooling water has worked perfectly and will be helpful in the future if I have to winterize with antifreeze.

In other news, I am finishing a pair of new oars in a mahogany stain with varnish for the dinghy.  I purchased leather oar wraps and stops to give them a more authentic look.  That project will fill some spare time over the next 10 days.