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Hi John, This is my first diesel so not sure if its "recirculating", but it does have a return line. The boat is a 1992 Chappel, same as yours, so some of it may be familiar. The tank has a capacity about 100 litre according to folk filling it. There are 2 steel lines which loop up through the rear deck, and back down and then join small bore copper. The 2 copper lines run to near the engine with an isolating ball valve on the supply line. A flexible line runs from the isolating valve to a combined fuel filter and water trap fixed to the hull. A flexible line runs from this filter to a second fuel filter mounted on the engine. In this line is a bulb pump which I am guessing is used to prime the system, but my expert friend says it never should have passed its safety test with this bulb thing in the line. (The previous owner may have had problems getting a flow of fuel-and we now know why!!) From the second filter it follows a rigid steel line on the engine to what I assume is the high pressure pump (Its a ford engine type XL...). There is a return line from this part of the engine which goes back to the main tank, and there are also capillary tubes from the injectors(?) which join this return line. I have the impression that at the bottom of the fuel tank is a mix of water, rust, scale, general crud and that the intake is maybe an inch off the floor of the tank but the crud is now an inch thick and it will happen again unless I can remove this stuff. John-if you have any ideas I would be pleased to learn how it could be fixed or improved. Many thanks. Doug

The Thorneycroft no longer hesitates. I needed just an old cycle inner tube, careful wrapping round the fuel hose, and a few minutes with the bike pump and the lovely sound of air happily bubbling through the diesel tank. It may happen again but the kit has been bundled away for the next time i have this symptom. It may take a while but the solution is not scarry any more. Cheers Doug

After all that splendid advice I went through all these points, and still no joy-so called in a professional. In hindsite I could have been a whole lot smarter. Its a new boat to me with a Thorycroft manual for a BMC, but it turned out to be a ford engine (XL...)! Thats why I could not find the lift pump, and none of the diagrams fitted the machinery in front of me. It took the pair of us a while to work out that the fuel pipe from the tank was so choked that only a trickle was getting through. The problem had in fact started after we put 60 litres into an almost empty fuel tank-a couple of days after I had put a new filter in. To rectify the blocked fuel line I am using a bicyle pump, part of an old inner tube, and hose clips to see if I can scour the dirt back out. If this does not work its off to find some compressed air, and if all else fails then my professional helper has suggested cutting into the tank with a compression fitting and running a new line. I`m a novice boat owner but learning heaps thanks to all the excellant help you guys have given. Once the donk is ticking over the hour run meter will get fitted-merci beaucoup. Cheers Doug

Have an 1800 cc Thornycroft (T108) which has been behaving itself very well for 150 miles and 80 locks since I started as a new owner. 1992 vintage. Quite suddenly it has decided to fade away after say 5 minutes running when started from cold. Doing say 1500 revs then withing maybe 10 seconds the revs fade to a complete standstill. I restart it in neutral almost straight away, and it may happen a second time. Then once it seems to be warm it behaves itself. The cooling circuit is sound and I have replaced the 2 fuel filters, so its not water in the fuel. Its charging the alternator and graduallly the temp comes up to a normal 85 degrees. This is my first diesel so am at a bit of a loss as to where to start looking to fix this. I have also bought an hour run meter and wondered where to tap into 12 volt behind the panel. I tried to put it in series with the alternator red warning light but it was not happy with that-the alternator circuit went quiet/spopped performing. Any ideas most welcome. Cheers Doug

For what its worth, my reaction to the appearance of "advanced" maths, was belly aching laughter. Its arrival on the scene was appropriate. You guys must have seen "Black Books" on BBC-TV. Well its like that. Its hilarious. Its Brit humour at its best, and its done with such a straight face. As the page continued to scroll down the laughing got louder. Anyway, like a lot of others I am addicted-please don't change anything. Doug

And the West Aussie chapter has only one -too. I am trying to persuade some of its (Sydney) members to undertake some canal art projects for my rear doors and side hatch. No takers so far. Doug

Chris, Thanks for that. Have had this ditty in my mind "Richard Of York Gave Battle in Vain"-but its a bit meaningless when the rest of the knowledge has evaporated. Will report back on the success or otherwise of this lark. Cheers Doug

With your help I am on track. The firm black band is the big clue and I can make out numbers and letters with a magnifying glass and the band is above these and therefore the cathode, and away from the meter. To work out the value of the resistor i was intending to go back to some text books I have and I do recall the last band is silver or gold and that determines the +/- accuracy, then the previous band was the number of zeros, and then the actual value of resistance. It comes back-but needs a bit of a nudge. I have never found it on the internet (nor looked for it-I find I am getting into some surprising places with my narrowboat), but if you could point me in that direction I would certainly appreciate it. I recall sitting at lectures on thermionic emission, and some devious mathematical equations in circuit design arround the time transistors were being seriously discussed. In fact I was becoming quite excited at the mathematics on this thread when someone mentioned infinity and I firmly believed I would see the integration sign on my screen. Luckily we all backed off at that point. My lady crew in Leicester told me on my tesco phone this evening that she has "our" soldering iron at the ready. Cheers Doug

[quote name='anhar' date='Feb 17 2007, 12:00 AM Just think what it would be like here if children were well cared for and our environment was free from litter and vandalism. It hardly bears thinking about. If that ever happened I'd be off abroad. regards Steve So you won`t be putting Australia on that list, then.?? Cheers Doug

Ok, you legends, I got all that. I guess I owe a few beers by now, but they will have to be virtual-as we have the Aussie pension to consider. I am absolutely happy to sniff arround in the meter itself, change the resistor, add the zener, and then calibrate against a fluke. All this is being copied to my trusty lap top. I have to thank my UK schooling, and a spell in Royal Signals, for my confidence in getting into this. BUT I never came across a "zener" before, and its function is now perfectly clear and it all makes sense. "Success" comes not only from knowing what to ask, but who to ask. Cheers Doug

Thanks Allan-Jeez you are on the ball. I am taking Chris`s advice on post #50 on this thread. I have a 0-15v analogue meter and mastered putting a photo in the gallery(I dont know how to hyperlink that!!) If the zener reduces scale by 10 v, then my 0-15v scale becomes 10-15v surely?? Thats the useful part to look at battery condition. You have me worried now. I mean there is the chance that I will have to brush up my maths, and buy a fluke-at my age!!! Cheers. Doug

Thanks Allan, The idea is to use the 10v Zener to read 10v to 15v values on an analogue meter currently measuring 0-15v full scale deflection. I get the impression it will clip the bottom 10 volt so that it will measure the useful voltages between 10 and 15. I still have an accuracy problem with a cheap meter, but it will now deflect 3x, and show something useful in battery condition. It looked such a pathetically tiny "blip", to carry out a useful task. Will tell you how I go soon. Doug

QUOTE ""You need to solder a zener diode in series with the meter. So if, for example, the meter currently reads 0-15v and you want 10 - 15v then solder a 10v zener in series with the meter (the cathode of the zener towards the plus of the meter). You will probably have to use two 5.1v zeners in series to get 10v. Chris"" Ok, being a cheapskate, this is my solution. So I jump on the bike to go shopping (its record breaking 3 days in a row at 40 degrees plus here in Perth) and i have a range of ...v, and my 10v is there. BUT its 1w rated and a whole lot smaller than a match head. The whole range is 1w rated in fact. I have spent 40c, which is about 16p, which is a lot less than Chris suggested ! I could strap 5 or so in parrallel maybe, as 1w looks as if it could malfunction very easily. The only load in this part of the circuit is the analogue meter itself. Could it be that I have to shop for something with a bit more watts, and maybe shop at some suggested UK outlet when I get over there in 11 days time?? And I am dearly looking forward to COOL. Cheers Doug

Over the last few days of posting i have learned heaps about the innocuous subject of monitoring battery condition. To be taken seriously I should be reading to 2 decimal places, and my instrument/multimeter does not shape up. I have attempted, and failed miserably when it comes to posting an image, but if you want to see how the other half lives I have put 2 photos in the gallery. This set up will have to do for the next few months but one thing I have learned is that what I am looking at is pretty much a waste of space on a narrowboat where space is at a premium. Doug

Chris, Its exponential-you are safe on that one. I would draw you a diagram recalled from physics lectures yonks ago. There is this empty baked bean tin with a row of holes down the side and you fill it with water and watch the pattern of the water flows. Oh, that everything else on a narrowboat could be that easy. Doug

If we have so much difficulty defining "success", then maybe its intangible nature is due to the fact that "others"(and here i believe education comes in) continually play with the definition so that we are constantly chasing the concept. I cautiously use the term "media" to suggest that the goalposts are kept on the move-deliberately. We are never destined to secure the prize. Today "success" for me would be the ability to upload a photo, and to select a quote and comment. Simple pleasures for some maybe, but to be "a succcess" I need to master these skills. Doug

Isn`t the idea of a good education to better demonstrate the conspicuous consumption of wealth? Giving rise the saying "if you have it -flaunt it". Otherwise "whats the point?". (tongue firmly wedged in cheek, cos eyes bin edificated) Doug

You guys are legends. I think I have some cheap stuff on board and in time I will upgrade for reasons you all make clear. A long time ago I did my 2 year "nashos" in signals, and battery management was serious stuff then. I should explain all this (believe me-there is heaps of it!!!) is being copied to my lap top so that on board I can refer to it when I meet a prob.( Here i have broadband-but once underway I am on my Todd) An adventure on UK waterways has me amazed I can still make use of maths lectures some 50+ years ago. Thanks. Doug PS The battery condition meter shows 11 volt, and its "semi" charged!!!!!!!

I am picking up on needing an accurate meter to measure battery capacity. OK I need to catch up fast. I am just about to set off on a pre-loved boat with 3 meters for power management. 2 Ammeters, analogue. 0-10amp for wind vane generator and solar cell input. Then one similar meter, analogue, 0-15volt which is telling me battery condition. This boat is a "budget" price aquisition, and quite a number of things are scheduled to be "fixed" on my voyage! I have just the one 245 Ah gel leisure battery, and I`m very keen to keep an eye on its charged state. The volt meter I just mentioned may be a bit of a noddy device because from what I have just read I will need to have a good pair of glasses to tell if I have 10 or 90% charge available. Can anyone lead me to a table reading off voltage against %age capacity available, please? I have learned that +/- 0.1 volt tells me a lot, and for the time being its a magnifying glass task. Down the track a bit, is it a smart idea to solder a resistance across the meter terminals to modify the range of this analogue instrument so that its full scale deflection is useful-not just the top end? Many thanks

Many thanks to you and John. I am at a stage where, if I was fully confident of what I wanted, I could get it sorted before continuous cruising starts. My door would begin 2 steps high, and extend to the roof, and is therefore not quite like Johns, and you go through it hunched up! That 21" sounds a good number to go by, 20mm ply with a piano hinge, and it sort of closes against the door jamb, rather than fitting into it. One day I will learn how to drop a photo in to make it easier. Cheers from down under (its 40 yesterday, today and tomorrow!-bugger)

As I explained when I introduced myself, I have bought a boat which is not perfect, and I knew some changes would be needed. I have an odd shape -being long, old, and not as bendy as I once was. I now own a 50ft trad with a very squeezy space as you move from the bedroom into the steering position. Its (the boat) been on the water since 92 and has never had a door at a steel bulkhead which separates the engine from the bedroom. A very much slimmer skipper has regularly negotiated 4 steps, and done this contortion act to move to the steerers spot. Now if I acted on impulse I would oxycut this enormous piece out of the bulkhead, and future owners would believe an eliphant was the last owner. I want to allow about 50 mm timber architrave on the weather side, and then put in a standard door which will obviously taper at the top, and play arround with steps. Not keen on reinventing the wheel, but I can`t readily find a standard door dimensioned anywhere. I should explain i have downloaded a lot of interior shots of boats in this area but this does not give me dimensions. Looking for height, width at widest spot, and how high from datum, and degree of taper Any help would be most appreciated. Doug P