Awful Lonely Over Here In This Neck of The Woods

[Terry Cox]

Went to the boat this past week to change oil and filters in both engines; main and Genset. Getting ready for some fall/winter cruising, weather permitting. Need to figure out why the Genset shuts down after a few minutes of running. Seems to be a fuel issue. Main runs just fine. New fuel filters, new sea water impeller. Starts and runs great, but for just a few minutes. I suspect it is a fuel pump issue. Another puzzle to sort through. I have a service manual for the main engine, but not the Genset. Need to get my hands on one. Cummins has them on a PDF file for a fee.

 

[jssailem]

One’s work on a boat is never done.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Terry
As you know the saying, diesels only stop if they lack 1 air or 2 fuel.

 

[Terry Cox]

Terry
As you know the saying, diesels only stop if they lack 1 air or 2 fuel.

Agree, Don. Some exception with this Genset that is designed for remote operation. It has a high coolant temp, low oil pressure and high exhaust temp sensors. Either condition will shut the engine down. But fuel seems to be the issue, as you say.

 

[steve stark]

Terry, not a diesel expert, but here's a troubleshooting suggestion... If, as you say, various parametric sensors are integrated to shut down the system, it seems that control point would be a fuel shutoff solenoid. Maybe monitor the solenoid signal to see if it is activated during a premature shutdown?

 

[sailme88]

Two thoughts... first many generators have a low oil cut off switch. Should the sensor be defective OR the a broken wire occur, then you may experience shut down after starting. Second, if your fuel tanks are segregated check the vent on the genet's tank..

 

[Terry Cox]

Terry, not a diesel expert, but here's a troubleshooting suggestion... If, as you say, various parametric sensors are integrated to shut down the system, it seems that control point would be a fuel shutoff solenoid. Maybe monitor the solenoid signal to see if it is activated during a premature shutdown?

Hi Steve, good suggestion, thank you. I have watched and the shutoff solenoid does not activate during the engine sputtering shutdown.

Two thoughts... first many generators have a low oil cut off switch. Should the sensor be defective OR the a broken wire occur, then you may experience shut down after starting. Second, if your fuel tanks are segregated check the vent on the genet's tank..

Both engines feed from the same tank. Also, whenever a fault occurs from one of the sensors, a tripped breaker activates the shutdown solenoid. Resetting the breaker after fixing the fault allows the engine to start. No fault condition has occurred during this time. The main engine starts and runs just fine, so no blocked tank vent. Thank you for the input.