EUR
en
The stbd engine died when trying to run it over 2500 rpm. A few pumps of the throttle revealed a dry fuel bowl. Removing the water separator, pouring gas down the carb throat, would start it back up. The same thing happened on the second trip.
The first thought was something wrong with the carb, but after replacing the inline fuel filters and water separators, a small handful of sand came out of the old water separator.
Could this sand in the water separator have been the culprit, blocking fuel flow at high engine speeds?
If the sand was the culprit, it's more likely that it was clogging up the fuel filter than the water separator. The separator is mainly capturing the water via gravity. Sand making it through the separator could block the small screens of the fuel filter.
Be sure to have several filters aboard, and dump the water separator regularly.
The boat sat in dry storage for a year before buying it. After buying, it ran about 70nm with no issues. Why the sand now?
Maybe someone was sandblasting a boat bottom near yours?
Consider the marina you're fueling at. Draw some samples out of your tank to get a feel for how much you have in there.
The boat was laid up for about a year before purchase with under 1/4 tank of old gas. After topping off the tank at a high-end marina, it ran fine for 4 hours. The issues started this spring. The second rebuilt Carter AFB was installed on the port engine, along with new fuel lines. The water separators and inline filters were also replaced. The old port side separator had no sand, but the stbd side had dense sand. The fuel starvation is likely due to the sediment in the stbd side.
No fuel up since last September, with just under 1/2 tank left.
It's likely crap being sucked up from the bottom of your fuel tank. Ethanol fuel is eating away at old fuel tanks. Are they original fuel tanks?
It's definitely a fuel issue, so how can you NOT consider the carb?
The sand problem is originating on the other end of the fuel system, the tank. Get the sand out of the system and go from there.
The port side engine is drawing fuel from the same tank with no issues. Could be the sand, or the sand could be a coincidence.
If both motors are drawing from the same tank, that's another conundrum.
One fuel tank with two lines, each with its own separator and in-line filter. The port side had some floaties, but no dense sand. Maybe the bow was angled up and to the stdb side during layup, allowing sediment to settle near the aft stbd corner.
How would sand get into any fuel tank unless put there intentionally?
The boat and fuel tank are 35 years old. Sediment can get in through the tank vent, fill tube, or with the gas itself. It builds up over time.
Ethanol is famous for loosening up 'stuff'. If the boat runs with a slight list, one engine will pull more crud out of the tank than the other.
Replace the anti-syphon valve thats located on top of your fuel tank.
No anti-siphon valves. The dip tubes enter directly above the tank, higher then the fuel level.
Fill a Gerry can and place the fuel line from the carb directly into it. Ethanol does loosen crap up and the sand looking stuff could have been a result of years of sucking stuff up from the tank.
Ran the boat with new Carters, water separators, and inline filters. No stalling issues. It was either the carb or the sand.
Keep checking the fuel separators, you could be still sucking some bad stuff up from the tank.
Bookmark
Daniel Féau processes personal data in order to optimise communication with our sales leads, our future clients and our established clients.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.