Fuel problem.....solved

[Doc]

Well I have surely been away from this site for way too long. Spending too much time paying 'professionals' to repair a fuel problem which they never did. Seems that whenever I would advance the throttles beyond about 1600rpm, black smoke and no turbo cut in ( I have Cummins 4BTAs). Sometimes after about 5-10 mins they might cut in and seem to run fine. I had all Raycors flushed, fuel lines replaced and even had the fuel 'polished' by having a tube run down the (removed) fuel sending access hole, and run through a giant filter and returned into the fuel tank filler hole. Seemed to improve for a week or so, then same old problem.
I jury rigged a fuel transfer pump to a 4' riser meant for a water irregation system and decided to again suck out whatever was in the bottom of my tank. In so doing, I accidentally must have rubbed the threads on the bottom of my pick-up risor, against the screen protecting the bottom of the fuel pick-up rod. BLACK CRUD in the threads . The rest was simple....remove the whole plate and pick-up tube and clean the screen which was so covered with crud, that I'm surprised that anything could have gotten through.
Bottom line.....there are answers to these problems, and I've been running better than I ever have. Sure should have checked here first, as the problem was in the ONE section of the fuel system which none of the pros checked....maybe too many machine screws to remove, but I'd bet someone here would have made the suggestion.
Now if someone would just turn this wind down a few knots, I'm ready to hurt the sails and yellowtail.

_________________
Doc

[Peter]

A fellow from Down Under who posts over on the 25 board reported an intermittent fuel problem that just about drove him nuts. It turned out to be a piece of electrical tape floating around in the bottom of the tank.

He would throttle up and the tape would find its way to the fuel pick up and clog it, but when he shut down and opened the tank to see what was causing the clog, it would have floated free and dissapeared from view.

Finally he got lucky and found it!

Peter

[Rawleigh]

Glad to hear from you Doc! Glad you got it fixed. Go catch some sails!!

[Bruce]

Thats one reason everyone should have vacuum gauges on their fuel inlets with a tell tale arm.

Doc, just fixed one like that the other day.
Old mechanic tried everything, was gonna replace harnass and sensors.

Called me. Save your money they having to do with your problem.

Once I got on the boat it took all of 30 seconds to see what the problem was. With engines running at idle, racor vacuum gauges read 15".

Other mechanic never bothered to look at gauges.

Bad algae problem but also had flat pieces of solder splatter sucked into the fittings.

I guess your in Florida, headed up to Pa and Jersey tomarrow thru Sunday then again for a week in May.

[Capt. Mike Holmes]

Doc, I had a fuel gauge float rattling around in my tank. It would suck up against the pickup tube during hard acceleration, than fall off whne I backed down. Drove me nuts. ALWAYS check the screens on the ends of the pickup tubes when having fuel starvation problems.

[Doc]

Bruce, yes, I'm still here in WINDY Florida, and will probably stay till June. Were starting an expansion project here on our condo, and I'll stay till the demolition starts. Let me know when you head for Jersey after that....I have a pair of 3208s that I know would appreciate your evaluation!

[34Hatt]

A few years a go I had fuel starvation also happened 2-3 times one year but when I slowed down it cleared. Second year fine, third year happened again got into the tank and found a BOTTLE CAP!!!! It looked like it was in there a Long time. I think it would pass to the other side of the baffle and that why it was fine for 1 1/2 years then in rough water it found the pickup tube again. Cape Cod bay 7'-8' me and the wife should have seen her face when one engine went down... Thank God for twins..

[Rawleigh]

Maybe left over from some fuel trearment?