Yanmar Won't Start

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

nick maggio

My 2001 2GM20 yanmar wont start not even an attempt to start. Fuel is coming out the air cleaner and seems like oil is mixed with it. Never had a problem before always ran great anybody have this happen. nick
 
Dec 2, 2003
4,245
- - Seabeck WA
Nick,

That sounds bad. The only thing that comes to mind is; are the compression releases open? You would know about those so I don't know what else,,,, P.S. When did it run fine, the last time?
 
N

nick maggio

Haul out

It ran great all last season and until haul out. nick
 
P

Pete

yanmar won't start?

does the engine crank over? or just spin and not start?battery strong enough to spin the engine fast enough to start? can you give more info and better details as to what is going on? Depending on who winterized the engine (you or yard) the oil in the air cleaner could just be residual from when it was winterized, and just leaking out if the yard mechanic oiled the intake(proper procedure by yanmar)The 3gm had a recall about a check valve bad in the fuel system.Was yours in the recall? Did you try and blead it (if it cranks)Try throttle at half or better,just until it start.Most diesel engine that don't start are either fuel or air problems,if your ran fine last season it may not be a big problem. My first thought is reblead the fuel and try again (assuming it cranks) Keep us updated !
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Did they oil your cylinders?

Nick: Sometimes they oil the cylinders for extended storage. If the yard put up your boat, I would check with them. I must assume that the engine will NOT even turn over, which makes sense. The fuel will not compress so the engine cannot crank. If you are going to mess around with this yourself, be sure to turn off the seawater intake. This will prevent water from backing up in the exhaust. You may want to try decompressing the engine and then crank it over. This may pump the excess fuel into the exhaust system (which will probably cause excess smoke until it burns out). The try starting the engine again with the decompression levers closed. If that does not work, then you will probably want to remove the injectors and try cranking over the engine. Be sure to have rags to mop up the excess diesel fuel that will probably squirt out of the injectors. If/when you get the engine started be sure to drain your crankcase, because it is probably loaded with diesel fuel. BE SURE TO TURN ON THE RAW WATER INTAKE ONCE YOUR ENGINE STARTS RUNNING.
 
C

Claude L.-Auger

Bleed it

I just started a friend's 2GM20 that had the same problem last Sunday. He could not figure out what the problem was, and insisted that the same mechanic as always had done the winterizing in the fall. Showed me the invoice and I noticed the fuel filter had been changed ! Bled at the entrance of the filter, no bubbles. Retightened then bled at the outgoing line of the filter. Plenty of air bubbles. Pumped the small actuator until only fuel was coming out. Retightened, wiped out excess fuel, hit the starter button and vroom: happiness. good luck
 
Dec 2, 2003
4,245
- - Seabeck WA
Nick, the guys here pretty well covered it, one

more thing is, how old is your fuel? Was your tank filled with new fuel at the last haul out or was this fuel old at that time? It's a crap shoot with fuel and aging. Lots of factors, like moisture, that mess up your fuel. But, it's a diesel. Good fuel and it'll run.
 
T

Tim McCarty

The 2gm20 CAN be very tempermental...

Lots of threads in the archives on this subject, however, the guys pretty much have it covered. I dealt with my 2gm problems by elimination...checked all strainers, bled and tightened fuel lines, changed the oil, checked alternator, added Cetane boost to my diesel fuel. Last year, in colder weather, I would even run my little ceramic space heater near the engine to warm it up, as it was always difficult to cold start. This season (knock on wood), it seems to start better than ever (maybe it was the oil change I did last fall...not real sure at this point). Try this...only as a test (or everyone will jump down my throat)...spray a touch of diesel starter fluid in the air intake...if the engine starts, then it could be a relatively minor problem. If not, could be something more serious...good luck...
 
Mar 21, 2004
343
Hunter 25.5 Carlyle, IL
Fuel condition

When you bleed the lines, look at the condition of the fuel. If its white colored or if its not clear, keep pumping until the fuel is clear and clean. It doesn't take much water to really screw up the fuel system.
 
N

nick maggio

Good News

I got it started today after disconnecting the mixing elbo. I was really surprised it was so clogged so badly it is a 2001 motor and thought that happens after five years or more. nick
 
G

Gregg

Nick -

Make sure you run the engine at high throttle setting, near max RPM,for a half hour or so every month. Burns all the junk out. My new 3YM30 manual says to also race the engine 5 times before shutting down. Check your book for something similar.
 
Jun 2, 2004
24
- - Melbourne, Florida
Run at Full Throttle Recommended

Nick, Fred, Gregg, I just recently had to have our 1GM top end rebuilt due to a cracked head. In the process of me questioning the service guys, who are very well respected here in Central Florida, the same advice was given to me and my co-owner: sailors are bad on diesels, 'cause diesel's like to work hard. The advice was: if possible, run the engine at full RPM for 5-10 minutes each time it is used. After that, you can run it at a little less than full RPM for as long as you like. But that high RPM run is crucial for heating up and clearing all the debris, and in the case of the 1GM, the raw water cooling system salt buildup and so forth. I also rev the engine before shutting down. Congratulations on getting it started Nick! Ron
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Nick, how hard do you normally run the engine?

Nick: You are correct that this should not happen this soon. I am just curious, what rpm do you normally run your engine? What is your normal operating time 5 min., 30 min 1-2 hrs. etc.?
 
Dec 2, 2003
4,245
- - Seabeck WA
Two days ago we did a haul out because the

skipper screwed up. (me) I set the MaxProp pitch too low. The boat seemed to just sit when the engine was rev-ed up. I had set the pitch by memory during our rebuild commissioning last year. I should have double checked with PYI. Anyway, my prop needed a haul out to adjust it. Took an hour or so and then back in the water. I set the pitch one notch higher than PYI told me to use. Result? We pushed off the dock, put her in gear and did a BURNOUT! Never, has this prop worked this good. Maybe next haul out I'll follow PYIs' recommendation. :) Anyway, I powered up and got over 7 knots to weather on flat water at 2900rpm. (3GM30F) The engine was producing black smoke. I cut her back to 2650 and the smoke cleared and the boat held 6.5 knots. I suspect that more throttle would have resulted in little or no smoke because now the engine was being BLOWN OUT. We have to do that to our hot rods now and then too. ;)
 
Feb 26, 2004
121
Hunter 356 Alameda
Max Prop

Fred, I'm curious what you had it set for and what you changed it to. My Max Prop is going on this next week. Would prefer to just haul it once. Dan Jonas (S/V Feije II)
 
Jun 4, 2004
67
Catalina 310 LaSalle, MI
Cruising RPM's etc...

I usually run my 29.5's Yanmar 2GM at about 2700 rpm's when cruising. Best thing to do is to contact MackBoring and order a Yanmar engine manual for a 2GM. It's 45 or 50 bucks well spent for sure (it covers the 1, 2, 3 and 4 GM series).
 
Dec 2, 2003
4,245
- - Seabeck WA
Dan, call PYI. Have your transmission reduction

ratio available and the size of your Max Prop. They will give you the exact setting to use for your size boat and power combination. Just don't do like I did. But, what the hell, just a couple of hundred bucks, right?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.