After removing my fuel tank and discovering a mixture of water and pancake syrup I thoroughly cleaned the tank and am ready to reinstall. Is there a chance of getting air in the fuel lines and if so how do you avoid this delimna. Boat is a 1984 Hunter 27, Westerbeke engine. Any quick answers I want to go sailing this weekend!!!!!
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Fuel Line Air
Hate to tell you this, Glen, but if you removed and cleaned your fuel tank (good!), the fuel line will have air in it (bad). No problem, though, as this is fixable by bleeding the line. Just hook everything up and fill the tank with fuel then bleed the air out of the line as far as the engine fuel filter using the manual lever on the fuel pump. Start the engine and quickly bleed each injector line by cracking the fuel line to the injector until the air bubbles disapear, starting with the longest line first. The 'quickly' is because once the air reaches an injector without a way to escape the engine will run really rough or stop altogether. After bleeding the first injector proced to the next and the engine should run much smoother than before. Only 'crack' the injector line a little bit, enough for a little fuel to squirt out and hopefully with some air. The engine will run really rough when the line is cracked so one might want to do this for just a second and tighten again, lightly, until the engine speed picks up and smooths out then repeat. The engine is probably a two-cylinder model so with one cylinder 'missing' the roughness will be much worse than my three-cylinder one. Hopefully another H-27 owner will say something about this. This is a good time to put in new fuel filters if this hasn't already been done.
Hate to tell you this, Glen, but if you removed and cleaned your fuel tank (good!), the fuel line will have air in it (bad). No problem, though, as this is fixable by bleeding the line. Just hook everything up and fill the tank with fuel then bleed the air out of the line as far as the engine fuel filter using the manual lever on the fuel pump. Start the engine and quickly bleed each injector line by cracking the fuel line to the injector until the air bubbles disapear, starting with the longest line first. The 'quickly' is because once the air reaches an injector without a way to escape the engine will run really rough or stop altogether. After bleeding the first injector proced to the next and the engine should run much smoother than before. Only 'crack' the injector line a little bit, enough for a little fuel to squirt out and hopefully with some air. The engine will run really rough when the line is cracked so one might want to do this for just a second and tighten again, lightly, until the engine speed picks up and smooths out then repeat. The engine is probably a two-cylinder model so with one cylinder 'missing' the roughness will be much worse than my three-cylinder one. Hopefully another H-27 owner will say something about this. This is a good time to put in new fuel filters if this hasn't already been done.
Bleed your engine
Probably going to be tough to avoid getting any air in your system. However, all diesels can be bled, which is something you need to know how to do. Sorry, can't help you with the Westerbeke specifics. However, most diesels have bleed points at a screw on the engine mounted (secondary) fuel filter, and another at or near the point where the fuel line enters the engine after leaving the secondary filter. Basically, you bleed the system by loosening the screw and pumping fuel with an engine mounted (lift) fuel pump (usually located before the secondary filter). I put an outboard engine type fuel pump bulb in my fuel hose (after the primary filter and before the attachment at the fuel pump on the engine) which is a much stronger pump than the engine mounted lift pump and make bleeding much easier.
Probably going to be tough to avoid getting any air in your system. However, all diesels can be bled, which is something you need to know how to do. Sorry, can't help you with the Westerbeke specifics. However, most diesels have bleed points at a screw on the engine mounted (secondary) fuel filter, and another at or near the point where the fuel line enters the engine after leaving the secondary filter. Basically, you bleed the system by loosening the screw and pumping fuel with an engine mounted (lift) fuel pump (usually located before the secondary filter). I put an outboard engine type fuel pump bulb in my fuel hose (after the primary filter and before the attachment at the fuel pump on the engine) which is a much stronger pump than the engine mounted lift pump and make bleeding much easier.
Isn't Westerbeke a self-bleeder?
Thought I keep reading about this in ads for westerbeke, although I'm not sure and you should probably check your engine manual...
Thought I keep reading about this in ads for westerbeke, although I'm not sure and you should probably check your engine manual...
Westerbeke Fuel Answers
I've got a Westerbeke 21 in my 83 h'34. Yes they are self bleeding any you'll just love the way they work. After emptying my fuel tank, changing both filter and cleaning the water separator all I had to do is turn the key like normal. No bleeding - they's a lift pump and a fuel pump you can hear. They manage to get the air out without the messy bleeder screws so JUST RUN IT! Barry s/v "PER DIEM too"
I've got a Westerbeke 21 in my 83 h'34. Yes they are self bleeding any you'll just love the way they work. After emptying my fuel tank, changing both filter and cleaning the water separator all I had to do is turn the key like normal. No bleeding - they's a lift pump and a fuel pump you can hear. They manage to get the air out without the messy bleeder screws so JUST RUN IT! Barry s/v "PER DIEM too"
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