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Diesel Problem


Rob-M

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I'm after some thoughts on the best course of action.

Went to the boat yesterday and had issues with the engine and eberspacher not running. This was the first time we had been to the boat for a couple of months and first time the engine had been started since October.  Both fired up but then died.

I opened the drain tap on the bottom of the water filter and murky brown liquid came out.

So should I get someone to drain and clean the diesel tank or should I go for a Marine 16 diesel treatment...?

Not being very mechanical minded if it is a DIY solution it needs to be one that doesn't involve spanners.

We were planning on going cruising for a long weekend next weekend so looking for a quick fix ideally.

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Drain the crap out and put some bug treatment in. But you'll probably need to replace / clean the fuel filters on both the engine and the eberspacher as they'll be clogged... also make sure that the fuel pulling through is clean. When we got the bug on Mintball we had to bleed off the injector lines....

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1 hour ago, StephenA said:

Drain the crap out and put some bug treatment in. But you'll probably need to replace / clean the fuel filters on both the engine and the eberspacher as they'll be clogged... also make sure that the fuel pulling through is clean. When we got the bug on Mintball we had to bleed off the injector lines....

 

I'd get on with this pretty quickly too as diesel injectors do not take kindly to injecting murky brown liquid as opposed to diesel. You don't want the gizzards going rusty!

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Drain the lot out into (e.g.) a plastic barrel or summat. Bung in some clean diesel and swill it about if you can, (wire coathanger down the filler with a rag securely tied to it or something) Drain that out, repeat till fuel looks clean. Change filters at least once and make a 'To Do'  list, cut access hole I top of tank when weather is warm. Good Luck.

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16 minutes ago, NB Lola said:

If your in a marina, call an engineer. If your not,call an engineer.  It’s a yuck job if you don’t have the necessary bits and if your not spanner minded you defo need help.  If a member is near who knows stuff then......  where are you moored?

I think I'll be ringing the marina services tomorrow in Great Haywood as that is where the boat is. Hopefully they will be able to fit us in.

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You can syphon the tank using one of those cheap drill pumps from Screwfix or your local hardware store. Use a length of 15mm plastic water pipe to get right down into the bottom. You will need to change all the filters. If this is beyond you it might be easier to call an engineer.

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Engine and Eberspacher back up and running, bank account significantly lighter.

Ended up having Tankbusters out to remove water and crud from the diesel tank, they removed 8 litres of water. Then a new set of fuel filters and an hour or so of bleeding the engine before it would fire up. Been out for a run today and all seems ok.

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If you have a flush diesel deck fitting, like this,

https://www.asap-supplies.com/deck-fittings-and-hardware/deck-fillers-filler-caps/diesel-deck-fillers/deck-filler-brass-305000

Then check the flat "O" ring isn't letting water into your tank every time it rains.  I change mine every couple of years. 

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And if its possible cut a hole in the top of the tank so you can get a hand/torch/sucky thing/rags in there, cos it could happen again, I take the access lid off mine every spring now and so far so good, it stops me worrying about the whole thing packing up somewhere awkward.

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2 hours ago, cuthound said:

If you have a flush diesel deck fitting, like this,

https://www.asap-supplies.com/deck-fittings-and-hardware/deck-fillers-filler-caps/diesel-deck-fillers/deck-filler-brass-305000

Then check the flat "O" ring isn't letting water into your tank every time it rains.  I change mine every couple of years. 

Seconded I replace the o ring often; a foolish thing to do according to some, but at 70p it isn't worth not changing it.
Also the seal between the fitting and the deck had failed on mine, which I resealed. 

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My filler has a washer under the cap and so far  the  ones I have bought have been crap, most only lasted 2 or 3 fills and then they would expand and if not careful nip when screwing the top down. I looked for ages and have finally found some Nitrile ones that look to be doing better I got them on Ebay here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263260243710 back in November

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9 hours ago, Keeping Up said:

It helps greatly to smear the o ring with vaseline every time you use the filler cap

Vaseline is a petroleum product , it degrades rubber so shouldn’t be used . Silicone grease which is available at any plumbers merchant is far kinder to your ‘o’ rings .

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On 21/01/2018 at 15:16, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I doubt an engineer will be much help. Most wear a suit and tie to work and sit at a desk, calculating stuff. 

Not so much suit and tie these days - but sitting at desk /computer , certainly.

'Engineer' is a much abused title in the UK. I will shortly  be marking an exam  Structural Engineers (which I have been doing for more years than few). The exam is a single 7 hour sitting . If anyone wishes to take it they may do so if they first pre-qualify by obtaining   a suitable degree, usually a Masters  in Civil/Structural Engineering and then about 5 years relevant post graduate experience. None of the candidates are expected to be able to service an engine or a photocopier .

 

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3 hours ago, Nicktheplumber said:

Vaseline is a petroleum product , it degrades rubber so shouldn’t be used . Silicone grease which is available at any plumbers merchant is far kinder to your ‘o’ rings .

 

But O rings are not made of rubber, they are nitrile, a synthetic rubber material. Does this still hold true? 

I agree about using silicone grease though.

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8 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

But O rings are not made of rubber, they are nitrile, a synthetic rubber material. Does this still hold true? 

I agree about using silicone grease though.

Nitrile or NBR has good general resistance to oils, and moderate resistance to fuels such as petrol or diesel

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3 minutes ago, MartynG said:

Not so much suit and tie these days - but sitting at desk /computer , certainly.

'Engineer' is a much abused title in the UK. I will shortly  be marking an exam  Structural Engineers (which I have been doing for more years than few). The exam is a single 7 hour sitting . If anyone wishes to take it they may do so if they first pre-qualify by obtaining   a suitable degree, usually a Masters  in Civil/Structural Engineering and then about 5 years relevant post graduate experience. None of the candidates are expected to be able to service an engine or a photocopier .

 

 

There have been long threads on here on this subject in the past. There is a tendency here to call people who repair washing machines, boilers, alternators etc 'engineers' when in my view we are technicians. I blame the Americans who call the people who drive their railway locomotives engineers. I dunno what they call their photocopier technicians though.  

Unfortunately there are some formal bodies now encouraging this misnomer. My own 'professional' body insists on calling its members 'gas engineers' when we are clearly noting of the sort. We are gas technicians. Sadly this is leading to gas technicians getting ideas above their station. On a closed gas technician forum there is a massive long thread about whether we count as a members of a profession, and therefore qualified to countersign a passport application for someone we know.... 

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It surely wouldn't be a good idea if the seals of the cap on. a fuel tank were to made of a material such as rubber which is attacked by petroleum products

There are a host of articles, easy to be found by a quick Google, which state that although Vaseline is bad for rubber it is perfectly harmless to o-rings because as Mike says they are made of nitrile.

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On the other hand my dear old departed Dad was a Chartered Engineer and that counts in my book as a 'proper engineer', but he only held an HNC qualification. So I'm inclined to think your requirement for a Masters Degree is over-egging it. 

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2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:
3 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

On the other hand my dear old departed Dad was a Chartered Engineer and that counts in my book as a 'proper engineer', but he only held an HNC qualification. So I'm inclined to think your requirement for a Masters Degree is over-egging it. 

A Masters is the usual these days as the first degree courses  aren't what they where . A plain BSc may be accepted in some instances .There is a mature candidate route but I am confident a HNC would not do it.

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8 minutes ago, MartynG said:

A Masters is the usual these days as the first degree courses  aren't what they where . A plain BSc may be accepted in some instances .There is a mature candidate route but I am confident a HNC would not do it.

 

I think he achieved Chartered Engineer in about 1952, and there has been a LOT of grade inflation in edumacation since then!

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