My First Ever Engine Failure 2QM20

[rardiH36]

Today, while returning back into SF Bay, just under the GG bridge, sailing against a very strong-out going ebb current, we got becalmed in a wind void next to the Marin headland hills. We began to move backwards due to the current. The fine wind covering the rest of our section of bay was only a few hundred yards ahead. I started the engine to assist our way towards it. Ocean swells meeting the ebb current was causing quite a bit of chop and bobbing around for us. About a minute after starting the engine, rpms began to drop over a period of 10 or so seconds until the engine went dead. I could not restart. Fortunately the wind returned and we were able to sail back to the Sausalito area where I doused the sails and anchored to ponder the next move.

I had let the 30 gallon diesel tank deplete to the lowest level in the five years I have owned the boat. The gauge said 1/4 full = about 7 gallons. I do have a 12V inline fuel pump installed -- normally not turned on -- but useful for bleeding. Disconnecting the fuel hose after the Racor filter but before the manual/feed lift pump on the engine and then turning on the 12V pump yielded a strong and perfectly clean fuel flow into a clear plastic cup. Gunky fuel and and clogged filters didn't seem to be the cause. So air in the line? Cracking the fuel line tubes at the injectors, I let air free diesel flow out under pressure from the electric pump. Then re-tightened the lines. The engine still wouldn't start. Wife was getting motion sickness due to the erratic movement of the boat at anchor in a freshening wind. I'm thinking its about time to call Vessel Assist. But one last try at bleeding. This time cracked the bleed screw at engine's high pressure fuel injection pump.

This did it ... the engine fired to life immediately on turning the start key and then performed its usual fine self while we motored back to our berth with a sigh of relief.

Back at home, I pulled out the Seloc manual (which actually should have been on the boat). I am thinking that due to the low fuel tank level and the bobbing around, I might have sucked some air into the fuel system. Next steps I guess will be to replace the Racor filter, the filter on the engine, fill up the tank, check the condition of the fuel hoses and then bleed the system well. Maybe also replace all the fuel line compression washers to ensure an air tight seal going forward.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Steve Dion]

Rardi:

It may be a good time to think about replacing the entire filter system & hoses. If this happened to me I would suck the tank dry of fuel before refilling. That last 7 gallons may be full of crap.

You could drain the tanks and refill with the same fuel that has been filtered through a Baja Filter. This will trap the water & the crap at the same time.

 

[Roger Long]

That screw on the injection pump is indeed the key to 2QM bleeding.

Think about this once you get everything cleaned up. You wouldn't believe how clean and trouble free my system has been since I installed it.

http://www.cruisingonstrider.us/FOpolishing.htm

Second the idea of replacing all hoses. I replaced one of my original 1980 hoses and picked up 1000 RPM at WOT. The inner layer had separated and restricted the fuel flow.

 

[Jim Legere]

All good advice. I don't know the shape of the fuel tank on the H36, but on the H37C the bottom of the tank is V-shaped; when the gauge shows 1/4 full there is less than 4 gallons left in my (supposedly) 44 gallon tank. I generally top up the tank when it gets below 1/2. I think its quite possible you picked up some air when the fuel was sloshing around in the tank. Bleeding a diesel and changing water pump impellers are two jobs I prefer not to do in sloppy conditions!

 

[Ed Schenck]

Its good that we can repair our own boats. Especially those of us who are getting along in years: http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/hagarthehorrible/ .

Just how much anxiety did you experience under the bridge when the old Yanmar failed? That's a scary place. It is why I use to carry a smalll outboard tank with a couple of gallons of diesel. It took about two minutes to attach to the Racor. With a couple of squeezes of the bulb the 2QM20 would start immediately without bleeding.

 

[bugaloo]

rardi, I did the same thing ,but in a different location and discovered the hose that feeds the injection pump from the filter on the engine to be bad, letting air to get to the pump. I later made up a double filter system with an electric pump for priming. I also cleaned the tank.

 

[Benny17441]

Yes the fuel gauge is not very exact. It is recommended that you always keep a fuel reserve of around 20% for emergencies and to avoid sucking up air when fuel starts to slosh around the tank. For a 30 gallon tank that would be 6 gallons which are not intended to be used in the normal course of operation. I would suspect that you had less fuel than that in the tank. I use the fuel gauge as a general indicator and as a reminder to check the hour meter and the fuel log. With the engine fuel burn rate and the number of hours that have transpired since the last fill up I know pretty precisely how much fuel I have left and make sure I have a necessary amount for the outing without digging into the reserve. Getting into rough seas may carry other fuel maladies; dead bacterias, dirt and water get stirred and may clog filters. I have learned to carry filter spares both for the primary Racor and the secondary Yanmar when going on a trip.

 

[Allan12210]

Rardi,

Been there done that in the same spot! I don't know if this applies to you, but my fuel pickup tube had a small screen crammed about an inch up from the end that clogged when we were sailing to Half Moon Bay in Sept. 2010. I wasn't able to figure that out while bobbing around just past the bridge although I had a couple of clues that later should have alerted me to the real problem. Instead I changed the filters and snapped off the plastic bleed screw on my Racor. That ended the trip and we had to gybe about a hundred times back to the Oakland Estuary against the ebb. See attached pictures for the screen and the gps track including how we finally got to Half Moon Bay to meet up with the rest of the fleet. Might be worth checking the fuel pickup tube.

Allan

 

[Ed Schenck]

Cherubinis did not have screens. But on the H37C the "stuff" would settle in that corner. When I cleaned the tank the first time it was already twenty years old. There was very little of anything in there.

 

[Allan12210]

Cherubinis did not have screens. But on the H37C the "stuff" would settle in that corner. When I cleaned the tank the first time it was already twenty years old. There was very little of anything in there.

Ah, then my screen was an "improvement" to the design!:cussing:

 

[rardiH36]

Thanks all. Great to get "specific to the problem" solutions. I'll definitely get on with the line/filter replacement and drain/polishing the tank/fuel. Good opportunity now that probably not much fuel in the tank.

Roger, I read about adding the continuous polishing circuit in link you posted. Certainly makes a lot sense. But I will need to think about it. As I sail only within the confines of the bay with help nearby (usually), doing all the more standard procedures for clean fuel (and more frequently) -- and keeping more fuel in the tank -- is probably sufficient.

Jim/Benny: Thanks for the info that the fuel gauge isn't exact and I might have had less fuel than I thought. I didn't mention in my opening post that when the engine stopped, my first thought was to look at the fuel gauge. The needle was fluctuating between 1/3 full and near empty as the boat was rocking. So yes, a moment or two of air suck is likely. Back at the berth the gauge is still reading 1/4 full.

Ed: Only a minor amount of anxiety, primarily because the current would have sucked us out through the gate rather than onto any rocks. So I had time. Also we would have caught the wind again (as we did). And lots of boats out yesterday. Finally, we were only 1/2 mile from the Coast Guard station underneath the Golden Gate Bridge at Horseshoe Cove. Of course these days they only help if going on the rocks is imminent and threatening to life and limb!

 

[rardiH36]

... and the gps track including how we finally got to Half Moon Bay to meet up with the rest of the fleet. Might be worth checking the fuel pickup tube. Allan

Allan: Very resourceful. You must be a person of means. Once back in Oakland/Alameda you were able to get to the intended destination aboard your back-up vessel s/s "Land Yacht"!

 

[Allan12210]

Allan: Very resourceful. You must be a person of means. Once back in Oakland/Alameda you were able to get to the intended destination aboard your back-up vessel s/s "Land Yacht"!

65 mph hard to weather all the way! Good luck with the fuel situation. A vacuum gauge is a good diagnostic tool to have in line. That will tell you if the source of the problem is a clog.

I have always wondered about the theory that crud in bottom of the tank gets sucked up as the fuel level drops. All the fuel pickups I know of draw from the bottom anyway, so crud, if present, should be a problem always. Air in the system sounds more plausible at that point, especially considering where you were in that washing machine area. Again, a vacuum gauge would help determine that.

Allan