First Season Teething Pains

Peter_BDA · Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:03 pm Post subject: First Season Teething Pains

So, I finally got everything sorted at the boat yard on Friday; new thruhull fittings and fresh coat of bottom paint and go back out of the camber and my steering was seized!

The ONE thing that I hadn't checked when I bought the boat or when I was refurbing it. Luckily there was a guy at the marina who knew more about Teleflex steering than I did and we had a new one installed within an hour.

I thought I was home free and went on a short shake down cruise and one the way back, 500 yards before my mooring the engine splutters and dies! It has almost stalled earlier and I wasn't sure if it was starving for gas or I had a bad plug. No pressure in the gas ball and the engine is making a weird noise so I'm guessing it might be the fuel pump. Yay.

I did clean all the fuel tanks and I'm wondering if the (new) filter has an issue. I will pop the top tomorrow after work and see if I get any pressure in the fuel line.

Any thoughts out there??
Thanks!

Wandering Sagebrush · Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:07 pm Post subject:

Peter, it is common to have Teleflex steering cable seize up. They recommend taking it off the engine, cleaning and lubing the cable end annually. If you google the topic, you will get a couple of good YouTube tutorials on how to take things apart.

I suspect that this is also in a thread here on CBrats.

teflonmom · Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:50 pm Post subject: First Season

If your bulb is sucked flat check for a pinched fuel line between the tank and the ball'

thataway · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 11:53 am Post subject:

Consider a bad bulb, air into the line, poor venting of the tank (mud dabber nests etc), bad anti siphon valve, bad fuel lines, as well as fuel pump. Also water in the fuel,--check bottom of the Racor (you do have a Racor filter don't you?). Check the water separator/filter on the outboard.

Fuel pump would be down the line in my dx, but certainly possible.

Peter_BDA · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 1:40 pm Post subject:

So, if there is air in the line how do I purge it? Hate to sound daft but all my other boats were inboards.....

Thanks
Peter

thataway · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 1:44 pm Post subject:

First find out where the leak is. I like to run an engine on an outboard tank with known good fuel to start with. Then you work back to see where the problem is.

Peter_BDA · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 6:01 pm Post subject:

So, as an update for you curious folk Smile

went to the boat tonite with a mechanic from work (great being the boss) and managed to replicate the problem at the mooring and after me INSISTING that the fuel tank COULDN'T be empty...found out it was. Somehow I had burned through 10 gallons in 1 1/2 hours of leisurely cruising.......

Once we switched tanks and got the motor running we found ALOT of fuel in the water. Whilst is wasn't p*ssing out, it was certainly a lot and explained (in my mind) where all my fuel went.

So it looks like a carburetor issue whcih I am now taking up with the guy who serviced the boat when I bought it.......

I HAVE to get it running before the weekend as a fellow C-Brat is visiting!!!! No pressure. As he put it, it will be the first (and farthest east) Mid Atlantic C-Brat Gathering!!!!

Stay tuned!
Peter

thataway · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:39 pm Post subject:

Maybe someone stole the fuel? (after your comment about putting the batteries inside so they would not be stolen.)

Seriously--if there is water in the fuel tank, you need to sort that out--and I do it with a filter/polish system. You need to get the fuel out of the tank, and thru a good water separator--and probably put new fuel in the tank. I would think that you could get non ethanol fuel in Bermuda.

jennykatz · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:20 am Post subject: engine

it looks like you have a 130 hp yamaha which is a 2 stroke engine so running it 3/4 throttle you will burn through 6-7 gallons an hour and running wide open you will burn 12-14 gallons an hour . Two strokes lots of power but lots of fuel top speed should be around 37-40 mph

Chester · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:12 am Post subject:

Peter_BDA · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 8:14 pm Post subject:

Update: So according to the boat mechanic wizard I have 2 issues (just 2 I said??!) one is there is an issue with the fuel pump causing it to dump fuel and the AMD (?) has an irregular power source causing the engine t flip into "safe" mode occasionally. New fuel pump and "bits" are to be installed tomorrow......more to follow!
Peter