1979 Endeavor 32
Forgive me in advance for being so long winded. But in this case, I think more information might be better. For the 'bottom line' kinda person, skip to the last paragraph.
First mistake: I bought a
boat that had been neglected. What I
wasn't told was that it had a re-occurring
fuel problem. So here is the skinny:
This
boat sat for almost 4 years because every now and again the
fuel system would just quit delivering fuel. The only way to get it to start again was to completely bleed the system. Because of this, the previous owner replaced the high-pressure
fuel pump, serviced the injectors, added an
electric fuel pump and a
Racor fuel filter, but all to no avail.
This first problem was solved with the help of a Marine Engineer name William Davies whom I met in Savanna Georgia some 2 months after I began working on the problem.: After 12 hours of ripping into the fuel system (he loves a good puzzle) he found a small bit of paper was caught in the 90 degree fitting at the top of the pickup tube on the
fuel tank. It acted like a whimsical little check valve with a will of it's own, shutting off fuel whenever it felt so inclined. Evidently it was a portion of a
parts sticker (circa pre-1978) that was not completely pealed off before the tank was assembled. It probably dislodged when newer fuel additives dissolved it's
adhesive.
The second problem was almost as elusive as the first. The (less than a year old) high-pressure fuel
pump quit delivering fuel. The cylinders were evidently sticking and were ultimately freed up when straight Lucas fuel treatment was used by Scott Russ, a
delivery captain and USCG Machinist Mate Retired I hired. One of the better decisions I made.
He filled the secondary
fuel filter (the one mounted on the engine) to the top with straight Lucas fuel treatment. Then, he opened the decompression valve and spun the
engine long enough to completely fill the high-pressure
pump with the Lucas and let it sit. When we got back from lunch, he fired the
engine off with lubricating starter fluid to force the Lucas through the injectors under pressure. Again he let it sit. Finally, he started it and kept it running with starter fluid until it would run on its own. It hummed like neon sign.
I am in the middle of trying to deliver this boat to my home port in Galveston Bay.Near
Panama City
Florida right now. Hope to make a
weather window for NOLA before April 1.
A list of fuel system upgrades: Fuel system from tank to
lift pump has been rebuilt and relocated. New fuel lines throughout. New fuel pump. New fittings with no 90 degree angles. This configuration placed the
electric pump and
Racor filter level with the bottom of the
fuel tank to insure gravity feed to the fuel pump. Tank cleaned and fuel polished. All new fuel filter elements.
This was tested on a near non-stop run from Fernandina,
Florida south, across the Okeechobee then north to Dunedin/Clearwater area via the
ICW, It ran fine for 5 days of near 24 hour a day
service; Average speed about 5.5 knots; Average distance traveled was about 125 miles per day; Average fuel
consumption less than 6 gallons per day.
Then the fuel system failed again, this time due to bad fuel. When we started out, the 20 gal tank was filled with good fuel. We filled four 5 gallon plastic cans in Fernandina and added less than 6 gals a day for the first 2 days and then refilled the cans (except for 1) and the tank in
Fort Myers.
When the engine failed in Dunedin, the fuel in the canister that had not been used since Fernandina was absolutely black with rubber particulates from the decomposing fuel supply lines that ran out to the fuel
dock there. The rubber has made the cylinders in the high-pressure fuel pump sticky again so it was back to doing its old tricks.
As a preventative measure, I have installed a new pickup tube in the fuel tank and will be using the old tube in a different port as a return line for an ad hoc polishing system. It will run as long as the key is on. I bought a Carter 78 gallon/hour
electric fuel pump and another Racor for that purpose.
So here is my question. Is there a better lubricant/treatment than the Lucas that might clean the rubber out from the high-pressure fuel pump and injectors? I am getting REALLY tired of bleeding this fuel system. The fact that it will run for hundreds of miles and then stop when you least expect it is also a bit problematic.