[C320-list] Engine problems

[Jon Vez]

John,

The suggestions to check for water are good and the use of a biocide
certainly helps (I use Biobor JF), however if you use the same fuel dock you
may want to check to see if they already add a biocide as many do these
days. If that is the case you should be more discerning in your use of
Biocides--the downside of these is that they kill the critters which in turn
creates sludge at the bottom of your tank.
Given the age of your boat, you may want to look into a fuel polishing
service. Unfortunately our tanks do not have inspection ports, but it is
possible to see if you have sludge build up from years of service...

Regards,

Jon Vez
Solstice #582

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of John Ellis
Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2009 9:08 PM
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 LiveT: Keep your life in sync. 
http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_allup_howitworks_0120
09=