Ok so I've been working on the
boat for 10 dys now. I had a lot of problems that I hadn't anticipated like some nasy
leaks that ruined some cabinetry. !/2 step forward three steps back. But the biggie is a
fuel problem. I put access prts in my starboard tank. In order to do this I transfered the
fuel from the S tank to the P tank. cleaned the S tank everything looks good. Checked the
battery. 13.5vdc. Good. Turned the
engine by hand a couple of times everything good. Replaced the primary filter. Not needed but what the heck. So I'm going along motoring away from the yard and almost to the Marina when the
engine sputters than stops. On the edge of the
shipping channel in a furoious flood tide. I'm heading for the bridge piling. I don't have any
sails on the
mast or the forestay. Ok what to do. I dropped the
anchor. I'm drifting down toward the pier but the
CQR finally grabs. The
boat spins around and I'm securely set.
Since I'm near or in the
shipping channel I give the CG a Pan Pan. I go below to bleed the engine. Well as I'm doing this the CG asks me to do this and that and one of there questions is Is there any shipping coming your way. I look up and then I answer yes I see a ship at Channel 10 miles away at the
Columbia Bar Spit. I go down and try to blled the engine -- It won't bleed. In fact I can't get any fuel to come up thru the injectors at all. A few more calls by the CG and a helocopter is flying above me. I didn't have a
GPS but the CG wanted my lat and long to see if I was in the channel I presume. Just then the Marina comes by with a 30 hp skiff slowly fighting the tide we make it back to the marina.
Here is the fuel problem. After the engine died and I was safe at the
dock I added an in line bulb (from an outboard) so that I could prime the engine easier. I've got it set between the primary filter and the secondary. When I
pump the heck out of that I can get the engine to idle for five minutes or so. Then it dies. I changed the primary filter - again- and I still can't get it to
work. I try to prime the engine with the
lift pump lever and nothing happens. My theory is that I have either 1) a leak tthat is letting in air 2) a faulty or plugged
lift pump (but whole engine its less than a year old) or 3) It's something I haven't thought of yet. Maybe I should replace the secondary filter. But I don't see that as the problem b/c it will idle when I pump the bulb. I guess the extra pressure from the bulb could push thru a mostly clogged secondary filter.
Can anyone help?