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Old 13-01-2025, 12:47   #1
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Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Blaine, Minnesota
Boat: Cheoy Lee Offshore 32 (Richards)
Posts: 136
Have you really thought of everything?

[This is a long post, but hopefully of interest to anyone with a diesel engine and a sailboat.]

I always appreciate reading the accounts of successes and failures of fellow cruisers facing the unexpected. Now it’s my turn.

I keep my Cheoy Lee Offshore 32 (Richards) in Pender Harbour, BC. It’s a lovely spot, but has only a fuel dock and no boatyard or other marine services. I have a lengthy list of projects I want done this winter, including a complete re-wiring of the boat, a new suit of sails, and new ground tackle arrangements. There are excellent facilities in Sidney, BC, and I know the people there from some work I had done last year. My plan, therefore, was to bring the boat to Sidney in two stages. I would leave Pender Harbour early on Tuesday morning, then motor to Silva Bay (about 35 nm), stay overnight, then continue to Sidney (about 37 nm) the next morning, arriving sometime in the afternoon. I had arranged to meet with the boatyard manager on the following day, Thursday.

The weather forecast was for very light winds in the Strait of Georgia on Tuesday until about 13:00 when winds would increase to about SE 20 kts by about 16:00, then gradually decrease to light winds by midnight or so. The currents were favorable. If I left by 06:00 and motored at 6 kts, I could be in Silva Bay by about noon. Winds for Wednesday in the Gulf Islands were forecast to be 2 – 3 kts.

My boat has a low-hour Beta 25 that runs like a top. I left Pender Harbour at 06:00 in calm winds and a flat sea. At about mile 3, the engine began to lose power. The RPM decreased from 2200 down to about 1500 regardless of throttle setting. My immediate diagnosis was a clogged fuel filter. I decided to continue on to Secret Cove, about 6 nm further on. There I could change my fuel filters and decide whether to continue to Silva Bay.

As I motored to Secret Cove, the engine would periodically slow even further, and then pick up again. I tied up at the marina and changed out both filters (the first is a Racor and the second is the final filter on the engine. The Racor uses the cannister type filter with the water separator bowl that screws onto the bottom. This is significant, because it makes it impossible to see the filter elements. Had I been able to do so, I would have made a different diagnosis.

I changed both filters, then bled the air. This is a bit easier on my boat, because there is an electric fuel pump between the Racor and the engine. After bleeding, the engine started immediately. I could run it at wide open with no problem. I let the engine run at about 1200 rpm for 5 or 10 minutes, and then proceeded towards Silva Bay. I realized I might catch the increasing wind before reaching Silva, so I headed more directly across the straight so that I could put into Nanaimo instead should the weather decline.

The engine ran fine at first. I motored down Welcome Passage (about 2 nm away), then headed across the Strait. The wind started to pick up, to about 5 – 8 kts. About a mile into the Strait, the engine repeated its earlier behavior. The RPM dropped to 1000, surged a bit now and then, then dropped down to 800. Finally, it quit altogether. Good time to be in a sailboat. I hoisted sail on a close reach and continued. I tried starting the engine, and it sprang to life instantly. In neutral, the engine ran perfectly smoothly. I could increase the RPM with no problem. Under load, however, the engine would soon slow down and die.

I’ll pause here for a moment and let the diesel experts chew this over. Could it be horrible sludge in the fuel tank clogging the filters again? If so, why would it run fine in neutral, even at higher RPM, but not under load. Hmmm. I continued sailing, and every now and then I tried the engine again. Same story: instant start, but immediate failure under load. After a few more attempts like this, the engine would start instantly and then just stop instantly.

Here is where I made my first mistake. I should have turned and run with the rising SE winds back to Secret Cove. But I had that Thursday appointment I wanted to keep. Never sail to a schedule, they say.

As I continued across the Strait, the winds freshened, and soon reached 20 kts with 4 – 5 foot seas. The Cheoy Lee has a very sea-kindly motion, and with its heavy, concrete-filled keel could handle the heavier seas. Unfortunately, the wind veered such that I had to beat to windward to make Nanaimo. At about 21:00, I was still 9 nm from Nanaimo, and the engine would now not run at all. Start, then stop instantly. I realized I would have to anchor somewhere, which rules out Nanaimo (there is a very busy ferry terminal at the north end of the harbor, which makes anchoring impossible. Fortunately, Hammond Bay is about 2 nm north of Nanaimo, and provides good protection from a SE wind and a nice mud bottom.

It took a couple more tacks, but I sailed into Hammond Bay at about 01:00. I furled my genoa and executed a pretty good anchorage under sail (I have done it before, fortunately). In the morning, I continued my troubleshooting. My next theory was that the fuel pick-up tube was clogged. My boat has a fuel dipstick tube right under the cabin sole, and I had about 6 feet of spare fuel line onboard. I put the fuel line down the dipstick tube and connected it to the Racor filter. This nicely bypassed the pick-up tube. At first it seemed to have solved the problem, so I resumed my voyage. After about a mile, the symptoms returned. I could coax the engine into running at very low RPM – barely above an idle, but good enough to get to Nanaimo and the excellent Stones Boatyard in calm winds.

My diagnosis at this point was that the electric fuel pump had failed. The fuel tank is way down in the keel, and the electric pump is needed to lift the fuel up to the engine. At idle, the engine could survive on tiny sips of whatever the failing pump delivered, but under load it would be starved of fuel and would die. I went ashore, grabbed an Uber, and went to the nearest auto parts store where I bought a fairly decent electric diesel fuel pump. I put it in, bled the system, and the engine ran perfectly. Before leaving the dock, I put it in gear and slowly increased power. It continued to run smoothly even under load. I congratulated myself for my ingenuity, and proceeded out of the harbor.

The engine died before I was 100 yards from the dock. The wind was blowing about 1 kt, and although I did not deserve such good fortune, it took me very slowly right back to the dock at Stones. Time to bring in the experts.

Note to diesel experts: any other thoughts on what the problem was?

The techs at Stones were simply magnificent. The boatyard techs were all fully engaged on other boats, but the manager called off one of his diesel mechanics to help me out. He suspected inadequate bleeding. He checked all the hose clamps (and replaced a couple of old ones). He made sure the filters were full of fuel, then bled the system in stages. First to the bleed nut on the injector pump, next to the injector pump outlets, and finally to the injectors themselves. Engine started instantly, but he let it run. After about 5 or 10 minutes, the symptoms returned.

The tech then called in two senior diesel techs. Again, I must praise Stones: these guys dropped tools on their other jobs to help me. If you are ever near Nanaimo and need anything done on your boat, go to Stones.

The senior diesel tech agreed with the air diagnosis. He then pointed at something that had been sitting there all along, but we had completely ignored. The PO had installed a vacuum gauge on the Racor (it has a dual outlet ports for this purpose). This helps you know when it’s time to change the filter, because the electric fuel pump creates a vacuum that registers on the gauge. If the vacuum goes too high, it means the filter should be changed. The gauge glass is normally oil-filled, but it had been cracked for years and half the oil had leaked out. The senior guy wiggled the gauge and could unscrew it by hand with little effort. Off with the gauge, in with a blanking plug, bleed the system, and the problem was finally solved. We ran the engine under load for 15 minutes or so, and all was well. I took the boat out into the harbor for a sea trial, and it ran at full power absolutely perfectly. I motored to Montague Harbour, arriving at around midnight, then left at 06:00 and made it to Sidney in time for my Thursday appointment.

Side note: the reason the engine would run perfectly after each repair attempt was that the engine was using the fuel in the final filter. During bleeding, the fuel filter gets filled with diesel. The Beta 25 uses very little fuel, and there is enough in that filter to go for 5 or 10 minutes. The engine uses that until the air entering from that vacuum gauge makes its way up to the engine and kills it.

My main lesson learned was this. At the first sign of trouble, get to the nearest place where assistance can be had and stay there until the problem is truly solved. That means running under load for at least 15 minutes – or long enough to be sure that fuel is actually making it from the tank to the engine. Forget the fantasy schedule and appointments. I should NOT have left Secret Cove. Next, remember that 20-25 kt SE winds in the Strait of Georgia is a place a 32 foot sailboat does not want to be. Turn around and try later.

I think my diesel troubleshooting approach made sense – at first. On my previous boat, I had experienced clogged filters (due to sludge stirred up in heavy seas). The symptoms are the same. My problem was that having changed the filters and bypassed the pick-up tube, the problem came back, and I simply overlooked the possibility of air getting into the system. That ancient vacuum gauge was staring me in the face the whole time, but I didn’t think it could have anything to do with the problem. As Sherlock Holmes said, when you have eliminated every other possibility, then whatever remains, however unlikely, must be the case.

I welcome your comments and criticisms. I think we can all learn from the experience and insight of others.
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Old 13-01-2025, 13:32   #2
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Re: Have you really thought of everything?

I'm thinking that you have learned something that will help you believe, next time if it sucks air instead of being a fuel problem. It is that although you wrote "the problem came back", the problem didn't come back: it was unsolved. The old, experienced diesel man knew deeply that if I wasn't fuel, it had to be air (like your Sherlock story), and he has already taught YOU that, as well.

Good on you, and a lovely write-up. Solving problems is effortful, and trust in your own abilities. You've given yourself another lesson. When you notice your thinking is in a closed loop, it is time to take a break, have a cuppa, think about anything else for a while, and allow inspiration to happen.

Ann
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Old 13-01-2025, 13:44   #3
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Re: Have you really thought of everything?

LEIGH... Reading the story and having dealt with a fuel air problem on my boat, I think you handled the issue in a seamanship like manner. Well done to remember that you are a sailboat and the diesel is an auxiliary power system.

The Georgia Strait not being a sailors waters in 20knots of wind is subjective. One needs to consider the environment and reef when appropriate. Your boat is one I would willingly sail reefed in the conditions you describe. I would conjecture she picks up her skirts and does a little dancing in such conditions.

Your approach to diagnosing the problem is spot on. Diesels run on a proportional mixture of clean fuel and air. Too much of one or the other results in stoppage. When you have exhausted the usual suspects, calling in an expert makes a whole lot of sense.

Thanks for the recommendation regarding Stones. I think this summer I'll make them a stop to say hello. Never know when one may need to call a friend for help.

Keep sailing. Fair winds.
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Old 13-01-2025, 14:53   #4
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Re: Have you really thought of everything?

Your reply compels me to make another confession. Last fall, I removed the jiffy reefing line from my main with a view to replacing it in the spring. When I got underway last week and my engine failed, I hoisted the main, then noticed/remembered I had no reefing line. I could still have hauled down and hooked up the tack at the reef point, but there was no safe way to wrestle the leach down to tie off the clew tack point. I was single-handing, btw. Fortunately, my boat handles heavy weather well. It did mean that I had to pinch to keep the boat on its feet: a fine line between sails flapping like mad and getting heeled over 30 degrees. My autopilot is not accurate enough in those conditions, so I had to steer by hand. I was also able to bear off, of course, but that would have made for a very long passage across the strait, given my objective. The boat is very strong, has an excellent motion, and is quite dry. Also, I had the rig checked and tuned last summer, and the rigger noted that it was in excellent shape. So no worries about the boat -- just a bit wearying on yours truly.

In sailing, you pay for your mistakes.
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Old 13-01-2025, 15:33   #5
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Re: Have you really thought of everything?

Thanks for sharing!
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Old 13-01-2025, 18:50   #6
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Re: Have you really thought of everything?

You handled the situation calmly & logicly.Nobody got harmed.
Excelent seamanship!
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Old 14-01-2025, 01:31   #7
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Re: Have you really thought of everything?

Well handled and thanks for sharing. Our tiny mechanical diesels are quite robust, but an air leak in the fuel line is to my experience in 90% of the cases the culprit.
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