RPMs

[casual]

I, am going to wear you guy's out,but here goes again,I have posted regarding lack of full rpm's on a yanmar 5 hp yr 2000 diesel.I have reeived many good replys.Yesterday afternoon I received a call from the broker telling me that the Tect had found the problem.He stated that the fuel shut off cable was broken which I knew already,he stated that the cable was half closing restructing the fuel flow,thus lack of rpm's.Not to be a doubting Thomas but we all knew this going in,I would beleive that that would be one of the 1st things to inspect,I know solving a sitituation from a thousand miles away is difficult,Every one knows I'll be bringing this boat 1000 miles or so home and I do not beleive anyone would put me in a bad situation intentionley.New update Tect stated the internal area that shut off cable activates was somewhat frozen up took apart and cleaned,all is 100% now.BIG QUESTION does all this seem feasiable,has anyone experienced such an issue,plese advise.Thank You Again

[Tia Bu]

That's why hiring diesel mechanics will bankrupt you. They didn't find anything you couldn't have found and fixed yourself. But you had to pay them close to $100 an hour, I bet, to go through many hours of spelunking and head scratching to figure it out.

Grab a wrench, gird your loins, and dig in yourself the next time the engine acts up. As frustrating as it sometimes is, you can generally diagnose and fix any problems yourself if you keep plugging away. That's basically what the pros do.

It also helps me a lot to ask buddies around the marina or to post questions on this discussion forum if I'm just befuddled. That will usually help break up the case of brainlock that is keeping me from diagnosing the problem.

Enjoy your trip! If the engine poops out, throw out an anchor and dig in! It's part of the fun! And don't be frustrated by the problems and the mechanic's bill. Been there. Done that. I bet most of us have.

[DeepFrz]

casual, it would be best to keep your posts in one thread so that it is easy to keep track of what is going on. This is now the 3rd thead on the same issue.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by casual

.BIG QUESTION does all this seem feasiable,has anyone experienced such an issue,plese advise.Thank You Again

If a diesel engine is this big a mystery, before you take off on a thousand-mile voyage with this boat you may want to consider taking a one-day course on diesel maintenance. Call the local Yanmar distributor in your area and ask where/when the next one can be found. You can often find such courses offered during boat shows.

[cal40john]

One of the engines on a cat we chartered wouldn't come up to full rpm. My friend on the trip loves to troubleshoot, even in hot engine rooms in the summer in the Caribbean, found the adjustment on the cable was so tight that the fuel shutoff lever never returned all the way back to the run position. That problem solved.

Same trip battery voltages were low, he found that a diode battery isolator had been installed. The alternator was internally regulated with no sense lead. Bypassed it and went back to using the master switches. When we returned the boat we tried to explain and asked if they wanted it back the way we found it. Well my wife has a degree in French, but not in technical French, and the charter boat repair guy who only spoke French who knew about as much about electricity as my wife finally said if it works now leave it the way it is.

John

[casual]

Thanks again al

[SkiprJohn]

I'm glad the problem was found and taken care of. Now you have to become comfortable and trusting in the engine. Read up as much as you can about diesels and don't take any shortcuts in maintenance.
Were you the one who had to pay for troubleshooting something that was already diagnosed as a problem? That would be something I'd be discussing with the broker and prior owner.
Good luck in your transit.
kind regards,

[casual]

Thanks for the reply,In answeringthe current owner has to deliver to me the boat with a proper performing engin,FYI while speaking with the marina folks on several occasions,I sugested that the shut off cable could be the problem,I also ask them what a new engin would cost,as I,did not want to deal with a questionable engin.Today I researched Yanmar and Volvo for a replacement,The prices I was quoted included everything trans and all.The prices I received today were less than half of there quote.I know from past experience installation is not that big a deal when going from same to same.I am glad I wasn't writing the check.Thanks