I am still in the slip.  Not for a lack of effort to get back out of the slip, but still in the slip nonetheless.  There is this little pump on the side of the engine known as a fuel lift pump.  It sucks the fuel from the tank and pushes it to the high pressure pump which squirts the fuel through the injectors and into the combustion chamber.  I could see a bit of fuel weeping out of the gasket on the lift pump and assumed that was where air must be coming back into the fuel line creating the occasional run up.  It took a few hours but I finally managed to pull the old pump off the engine with some encouragement from Oscar from SOEL.  Luckily, a place called Diesel Parts up in Houston had two of the complete pumps so we jumped in Os’ car and made the run up to town.

Back on the boat and a day later I tried fitting the new pump to the engine.  With bleeding knuckles and a permanently contorted arm I got it on the block and reconnected and bled all the lines.  Viola!  She ran and seemed to be running pretty well.  Then I rechecked for fuel leaks after working on several parts of the system.  Sure enough, fuel was dripping around one of the compression fittings on the pump.  Os had me check the old pump and sure enough, there was a tiny little rubber o-ring in the housing of the old pump for that one fitting.  None of the others needed it, but that one did.  So, I pulled it out of the old housing and spent the next three hours trying to jimmy the old o-ring into the new pump fitting.  Despite learning a few new yoga moves there was no way to do it with the pump on the engine.  Cursing God, boats, and anyone that came within earshot the new pump came back off the engine.  Then I threw in the towel for the day.

Day 3, today.  Got up early and easily got the o-ring back where it needed to be in the new pump.  Now for the third time I sprawled over the engine and got the pump back on.  Feeling somewhat confident, I refit all the lines and fired the old girl back up.  She came right to life, but to my complete and utter disbelief the same damn fitting was leaking worse than it was without the o-ring.  Ready to toss the engine overboard I dove back into the engine compartment and tried reseating everything once again.  Sure enough, no more gush or drip, drip of fuel.  Not only that, but I let the engine run for 75 minutes at 1800 rpm under load and she didn’t run up once.  I hate to temp the fates, but I think I’ve got that little bugger of a problem licked.

For good measure I changed the oil and filters while I had my grease monkey hat on.  It’s a beautiful day and I used the rest of it to dingy across the lake at 18 knots so I could make a short walk to the bank.  I am back on the boat now and about to start cleaning up tools, dirty dishes, and the general squalor I seem to live in as soon as the dock lines hit a dock cleat.  Why can I only keep the boat clean at anchor?  Finally ready, with renewed confidence, to clean and stow for sea, again.

P.S.  I had a mishap with the hair trimmer.  It is now one quarter of an inch all around.  I hardly recognize the unemployed boat bum that stares back at me occasionally from the mirror.  What happened to that well dressed, well manicured, corporate sales guy?

Lee Winters
Phone: (281) 336-0855
Satellite Phone: 8816-316-59853

Web: www.SailingForSOS.com
Email: Lee.Winters@SailingForSOS.com