[C320-list] Engine problems

[bruceheyman at cox.net]

I'd check the water/fuel separator and see if you have any water.  I've seen filters clogged by colonies of bacteria do exactly what you described.  Are you using any biosides when you fill up.
Bruce
Somerset 671 SoCal
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

-----Original Message-----
From: John Ellis <jr_ellis100 at hotmail.com>

Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:07:32 
To: <c320-list at catalina320.com>
Subject: [C320-list] Engine problems



While motor sailing on San Diego bay this morning waiting for the wind to fill in, my engine (Westerbeke 30B) started to hesitate and then the RPM dropped from 2600 to 1000.  I pushed the throttle full open and after about 20-30 seconds the engine sped up again. 
 
This continued to occur at about five minute intervals. Sometimes the engine speed would drop to about 600 RPM. If I put the transmission in neutral it would eventually run well again, but did not seem to improve any faster than with the transmission in forward, so I thought the problem was not caused by something wrapped around the prop. 
 
My next thought was a fuel filter problem, but the engine seemed to recover and then run well for a while, rather than slowly suffocate and die. Both filters were changed last November and we’ve put less than ten hours on the engine since then. We filled up (9 gallons) with diesel last weekend at the Harbor Island fuel dock. 
 
I checked for the normal amount of cooling water being discharged and that looked fine. After a while the wind filled in and we sailed back, starting the engine for just the last 100 yards into the slip. Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this problem?
 
John
#271
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. 
http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_allup_howitworks_012009