1stSeaRay
New Member
a tale of a fateful trip.....
Had a bit of a Mother's Day adventure.....learned a lot on that trip, and fortunately the lesson wasn't too painful.
My mother was in town, and we decided they best way to spend the day would be relaxing at the lake. We found a nice secluded cove in the Virgin Basin and really enjoyed ourselves. We grilled, we swam, and listened to some music.
With about an hour left before sunset, we prepared to leave. After stowing the Bimini, I cranked up the engine, it fired right up and idled nicely. I started hauling the anchor while my wife got the life jackets on the kids. Just as I was securing the anchor in the locker, I heard the idling motor bog and then immediately die. I turned from the anchor locker to see the panic stricken faces of the crew.
Trying to mask my own panic, I checked the obvious.....did the kids get to the ignition or kill switch? Both were in the ON position. Before lifting the hatch, a quick look over the swim platform revealed a small amount of smoke, which smelled like fuel. A quick inspection of the bilge didn't have any clues, so I decided to try and start it back up. Turned over fine, but would not start....it didn't even try.
Thinking of the fuel odor in the exhaust I moved the throttle lever into the clear flood position. Turned the key again but it still wouldn't start. Back to the bilge, this time I removed the cowling over the flame arrestor. I'm immediately greeted by strong gas fumes (the blower is running and has been since we started preparing the leave). As its getting dark by now, I ask my wife to grab the flashlight. I can clearly see fuel dripping from around the base of the flame arrestor, pop that off and there are puddles of gas all around the injectors. I assume it must have flooded from my attempts to restart. After mopping up the excess fuel and allow the vapors to dissipate, I decide to give it another go. With the flame arrestor off I can see the injectors working normally, I decide I have fuel, and the problem must be no spark.
A quick check of the plug wires looks good, so I pop the cap off the distributor. The contacts in the cap are corroded, and the rotor looks a bit worn, but not enough to cause total failure. Wires to the ignition module and coil look good.
By now the crew is getting a bit restless (we have a 2 year old on board who didn't get her nap) and I'm pretty much out of options. I have a basic set of tools (but no meter dammit!) but no spare ignition parts. As I said before, we had anchored in a secluded cove, and had only seen a handful of boats all day....and by now the Sunday crowd was all back at the launch (13 miles away).
The National Park Service is the Authority at Lake Mead, however in this remote cove I have zero cell phone service so my only option is VHF radio (a 5 watt handheld). After a few minutes of hailing, I get a response from the NPS. I give them our position (GPS coordinates) and other pertinant information (size of the vessel, # on board, etc). NPS asks if anyone is injured, I say no but they better hurry cause my wife looks ready to kill me. They instruct me to monitor ch16 and standby.
The crew looks much relieved, we've got plenty to eat and drink, dry clothes, the lake is dead calm, and the last of a beautiful sunset is fading behind the mountains. Figuring we've got a bit of a wait, we try to make the best of it. Only problem is, someone forgot to tell the 2 year old.
90 minutes of crying later (she didn't have her blankies), I can hear a boat approaching. I radio back to the park service, they confirm that is the rescue boat, they just exited the narrows (deep canyon with sheer rock walls that divides Boulder & Vigin Basin at Lake Mead) and should be there shortly. After a few minutes the engine sound dies down. I'm in a cove, facing east to the main body of the lake, so I can't see their approach from the North, but it sounds like they have stopped a fair bit away from my position. The Park Service calls me back and asks if we've moved, the rescue boat is on our GPS coordinates and they can't find us. I let them know they are still too far north and to keep coming. After what seemed like forever, I see their nav lights come past the point of the cove. I radio back to the NPS, I have a visual on their boat, and yes that's me frantically waving the spot light like an idiot.
Once we are underway, my wife finally gets the 2 year old to sleep. At this point, I'm able to relax from Thread Level Red, down to around Orange, and get to see the nearly full moon, rising over the mountains. What a great night for a moonlight cruise....to bad about the engine failure part.
After an uneventful tow, the NPS drops us safely at the courtesy dock at the launch. By the time we get home, its after 1am and the entire crew is exhausted. I joke to my mother and wife that I have given them a Mother's Day they will NEVER forget!
I like to be prepared (not dig a bunker in the back yard prepared, but reasonably well equipped to deal with whatever may happen)[SIZE=+1] and I thought that I was. Having had some time to think it over, I've made a list of extra gear I'm going to start keeping on the boat (more tools, and spare parts). I'll also be installing a fixed mount VHF with a real antenna (always perfectly vertical I promise). My transmissions were so weak with the little hand held its a miracle the Park Service could hear me at all.
I had to leave the next Tuesday for a week on business, so I wouldn't get to work on the boat. Feeling sure I had an ignition problem, I decided to go ahead and order the parts, that COULD be broken, and once I identified the cause of the trouble, I would have the others parts as spares.
I got a visit from the big brown truck of love yesterday with the parts, and picked up the boat from storage after work so I could make sure we are all set for this weekend.
Still needing to pinpoint the cause of the problem I picked up a spark checker (also now part of the boat tool kit). I plugged it inline on cylinder #1 and kit the key. I was very surprised, not only to see spark, but the engine coughed a little as if it was going to start. I removed the flame arrestor, and tried again and the damn thing started right up. Now very confused, I'm wondering what would cause an intermittent no spark condition. As I'm scratching my head and staring into the bilge, I see fuel spurting from the now removed flame arrestor. There is a vacuum line that runs from the flame arrestor to the Vapor Separation tank and gas had been coming up this line and dumping straight into the throttle body. There was a Eureka moment as I realized that the engine wasn't suffering from no spark but TOO MUCH FUEL!
As it turns out, the early fuel injected engines use a mechanical lift pump, bolted to the block, to drawn fuel from the tank, and there is an electric fuel pump integrated in the VST that provides constant pressure to the injectors. The vacuum line between the flame arrestor and the VST has a "T" that runs down to the lift pump. Fuel in this line is a visual indication that the lift pump membrane has ruptured.
I picked up a new pump this morning, and I'll be changing the oil as well (once the membrane ruptures, fuel leaks into the block and into the oil) Of course I'm actually going to have to figure out a way to get to the drain plug on the bottom of the oil pan, because the dipstick method usually leaves as much as a quart still in the pan.
On the positive side think about how clean the oil passages in my block are after getting a nice gasoline bath!
[/SIZE]
Had a bit of a Mother's Day adventure.....learned a lot on that trip, and fortunately the lesson wasn't too painful.
My mother was in town, and we decided they best way to spend the day would be relaxing at the lake. We found a nice secluded cove in the Virgin Basin and really enjoyed ourselves. We grilled, we swam, and listened to some music.
With about an hour left before sunset, we prepared to leave. After stowing the Bimini, I cranked up the engine, it fired right up and idled nicely. I started hauling the anchor while my wife got the life jackets on the kids. Just as I was securing the anchor in the locker, I heard the idling motor bog and then immediately die. I turned from the anchor locker to see the panic stricken faces of the crew.
Trying to mask my own panic, I checked the obvious.....did the kids get to the ignition or kill switch? Both were in the ON position. Before lifting the hatch, a quick look over the swim platform revealed a small amount of smoke, which smelled like fuel. A quick inspection of the bilge didn't have any clues, so I decided to try and start it back up. Turned over fine, but would not start....it didn't even try.
Thinking of the fuel odor in the exhaust I moved the throttle lever into the clear flood position. Turned the key again but it still wouldn't start. Back to the bilge, this time I removed the cowling over the flame arrestor. I'm immediately greeted by strong gas fumes (the blower is running and has been since we started preparing the leave). As its getting dark by now, I ask my wife to grab the flashlight. I can clearly see fuel dripping from around the base of the flame arrestor, pop that off and there are puddles of gas all around the injectors. I assume it must have flooded from my attempts to restart. After mopping up the excess fuel and allow the vapors to dissipate, I decide to give it another go. With the flame arrestor off I can see the injectors working normally, I decide I have fuel, and the problem must be no spark.
A quick check of the plug wires looks good, so I pop the cap off the distributor. The contacts in the cap are corroded, and the rotor looks a bit worn, but not enough to cause total failure. Wires to the ignition module and coil look good.
By now the crew is getting a bit restless (we have a 2 year old on board who didn't get her nap) and I'm pretty much out of options. I have a basic set of tools (but no meter dammit!) but no spare ignition parts. As I said before, we had anchored in a secluded cove, and had only seen a handful of boats all day....and by now the Sunday crowd was all back at the launch (13 miles away).
The National Park Service is the Authority at Lake Mead, however in this remote cove I have zero cell phone service so my only option is VHF radio (a 5 watt handheld). After a few minutes of hailing, I get a response from the NPS. I give them our position (GPS coordinates) and other pertinant information (size of the vessel, # on board, etc). NPS asks if anyone is injured, I say no but they better hurry cause my wife looks ready to kill me. They instruct me to monitor ch16 and standby.
The crew looks much relieved, we've got plenty to eat and drink, dry clothes, the lake is dead calm, and the last of a beautiful sunset is fading behind the mountains. Figuring we've got a bit of a wait, we try to make the best of it. Only problem is, someone forgot to tell the 2 year old.
90 minutes of crying later (she didn't have her blankies), I can hear a boat approaching. I radio back to the park service, they confirm that is the rescue boat, they just exited the narrows (deep canyon with sheer rock walls that divides Boulder & Vigin Basin at Lake Mead) and should be there shortly. After a few minutes the engine sound dies down. I'm in a cove, facing east to the main body of the lake, so I can't see their approach from the North, but it sounds like they have stopped a fair bit away from my position. The Park Service calls me back and asks if we've moved, the rescue boat is on our GPS coordinates and they can't find us. I let them know they are still too far north and to keep coming. After what seemed like forever, I see their nav lights come past the point of the cove. I radio back to the NPS, I have a visual on their boat, and yes that's me frantically waving the spot light like an idiot.
Once we are underway, my wife finally gets the 2 year old to sleep. At this point, I'm able to relax from Thread Level Red, down to around Orange, and get to see the nearly full moon, rising over the mountains. What a great night for a moonlight cruise....to bad about the engine failure part.
After an uneventful tow, the NPS drops us safely at the courtesy dock at the launch. By the time we get home, its after 1am and the entire crew is exhausted. I joke to my mother and wife that I have given them a Mother's Day they will NEVER forget!
I like to be prepared (not dig a bunker in the back yard prepared, but reasonably well equipped to deal with whatever may happen)[SIZE=+1] and I thought that I was. Having had some time to think it over, I've made a list of extra gear I'm going to start keeping on the boat (more tools, and spare parts). I'll also be installing a fixed mount VHF with a real antenna (always perfectly vertical I promise). My transmissions were so weak with the little hand held its a miracle the Park Service could hear me at all.
I had to leave the next Tuesday for a week on business, so I wouldn't get to work on the boat. Feeling sure I had an ignition problem, I decided to go ahead and order the parts, that COULD be broken, and once I identified the cause of the trouble, I would have the others parts as spares.
I got a visit from the big brown truck of love yesterday with the parts, and picked up the boat from storage after work so I could make sure we are all set for this weekend.
Still needing to pinpoint the cause of the problem I picked up a spark checker (also now part of the boat tool kit). I plugged it inline on cylinder #1 and kit the key. I was very surprised, not only to see spark, but the engine coughed a little as if it was going to start. I removed the flame arrestor, and tried again and the damn thing started right up. Now very confused, I'm wondering what would cause an intermittent no spark condition. As I'm scratching my head and staring into the bilge, I see fuel spurting from the now removed flame arrestor. There is a vacuum line that runs from the flame arrestor to the Vapor Separation tank and gas had been coming up this line and dumping straight into the throttle body. There was a Eureka moment as I realized that the engine wasn't suffering from no spark but TOO MUCH FUEL!
As it turns out, the early fuel injected engines use a mechanical lift pump, bolted to the block, to drawn fuel from the tank, and there is an electric fuel pump integrated in the VST that provides constant pressure to the injectors. The vacuum line between the flame arrestor and the VST has a "T" that runs down to the lift pump. Fuel in this line is a visual indication that the lift pump membrane has ruptured.
I picked up a new pump this morning, and I'll be changing the oil as well (once the membrane ruptures, fuel leaks into the block and into the oil) Of course I'm actually going to have to figure out a way to get to the drain plug on the bottom of the oil pan, because the dipstick method usually leaves as much as a quart still in the pan.
On the positive side think about how clean the oil passages in my block are after getting a nice gasoline bath!
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