Apr 4 launch and motor to slip. Apr 8 run motor 1/2 hr and prep mast Apr 9 on mast stepping day motor will not start. Acts as though airlock in fuel lines. Warp boat to spar crane to step mast and the post to Stu's List for help. Apr 10 armed with suggestions from list and in particular Josh Meckley head to the boat in 5 inches new snow to try to bleed fuel lines. By the end of the day have installed squeeze bulb, bled low pressure lines several times and have cracked open lines at injectors to bleed there. No fuel at injectors. Have by now consulted with my mechanic Peter Drillio who has no opening in his schedule and have been on phone with Josh. Both say it is highly unlikely is injector pump Apr 13 have by now run decompressed motor cumulative 5 minutes with no fuel at injectors. Discover evidence of fuel in crankcase confirmed by mechanic Apr 14 install 12v inline fuel pump and bypass mechanical lift pump (new mechanical pump on order). Spend two more days bleeding and trying to prime injector pump with no success Apr 16. Conclude problem is at injector pump. It is not pumping any fuel. My mechanic Peter tells me fuel rack is stuck. Injector pump has to come out and should likely be serviced. To remove pump he tells me manifold must come off as well as high pressure lines to injectors. Peter has no time until June but instructs me on how to proceed. This is getting serious Apr 18. Josh had assured me that pump end of injector lines could be moved aside rather than removed. The manifold is slid to stbd two inches, a few injector line clips loosened and the pump is out. The rack is not stuck but the governor lever it sits in is not moving freely. New manifold and thermostat elbow gaskets are ordered and the injection pump is rebuilt (why mot? Is 29 years old and is out anyway). Apr 19 Peter and I are looking thru injector port opening after he declares the regulator arm does not seem to be moving properly. The governor flyweight look odd. Apr 21 sea frost compressor, alternator, raw water pump and crank pulley removed. Timing cover off front of motor revealing timing gears, crankshaft and camshaft as well as regulator, governor and stop lever assemblies. Regulator arm now functioning properly. Governor flyweight assembly is bent pushing governor lever and fuel rack to fuel off position (same as pulling engine stop in cockpit). The retaining nut that holds governor flyweight assembly in place had backed completely off over time causing this problem. New governor weight assembly ordered (7 - 10 business days) as well as timing gasket. Apr 23 a club member who has machine shop in basement, Phil Wash, has repaired bent governor flyweight assembly. Mechanic Peter agrees that can reassemble using repaired part, loctite on retaining nut and red gasket material while waiting for parts to eventually arrive Apr 24 at 12:35 pm exactly two weeks to the minute after the motor stopped working it fired up easily.
Throughout this entire process Josh was offering assistance, insights and encouragement. Without this we would have been out of commission and out of thousands of dollars waiting til June for a mechanic to be available. This is not a job that I had previously thought I was capable of doing. This is why we have and need this list. Thanks Josh! Thanks Stu! Note that in a few weeks I will have to tear down again to use the new gaskets. Will likely not use new flyweight assembly since Phil did a great job Mike Persistence 1987 Yanmar 3GM30F in 1987 Frees 33 Halifax, NS _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you like what we do, please help us pay for our costs by donating. All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
