Serendipity

When my aged Rinnai burst a pipe last year I decided it was less hassle to change the lot, and after scouring the interweb got one from Hamilton Gas Products. It was the cheapest I could find - I see it's still £184, and it was FOC delivery from NI on 48hrs, or pay for next day.

OK sold - that's my kinda burger down the bottom, but where do you get the bun from

Probably just the thermocouple, but for his reasonable prices, you may as well let him have the whole unit and service it as well. Removing and re-fitting is a ten minute job. I edited my previous post to include a link to his pdf on how that's done.

I'd call him, and give him the symptoms. Here's his page re exchange unit in 36hrs, and how to get it removed. Nice chap to deal with.

Which bit? If it's the burner, when mine packed up I took the unit out complete (undo the gas pipe and about 12 screws on the faceplate, unclip the two thermostats), and sent it to Graham Cutmore who repaired and serviced it by return post.

As is mine Allan (c91). Doesn't take much peering, and I bet you see a recess very near the bottom as I did

Does anyone know what size these 'O' rings are, 'cos I want one? I've never had a problem with a pumpout until couple of months ago where it turned out the 'O' ring was missing from a BW one. Couldn't get any suction, even by standing on the nozzle. I moved onto a mooring, and later in the day saw a boat using it so I wandered over to tell him, but it was working fine as he had an internal 'O' ring. I looked into mine, and yes, down at the bottom was a groove where one might have been originally. I got round it by making a seal by twisting up a wet J cloth - not nice and cost two pumpout cards.

Having just put a new Rinnai in, I've got the manual to hand. From the Problems page:- 'Smell of gas products or combustion' = Carbon deposits in heating body - Remedy: Dismantle and clean heat exchanger. I wonder if your (part) orange flame could be a contributory factor?

I was chastised once for 'passing on the wrong side' in a lock exchange on the Caen Flight when it was patently obviously the easiest course for both of us, as we were doing a diagonal swap right to left whilst the other two boats waited in the lock for their swap.

That was precisely the case - wouldn't have turned given another couple of secs, yet recovered to 12.7V within a minute. Yes, new battery (third in my ownership), and the largest at 105ah I've put in from a very well respected trade outlet. I'm absolutely confident of the battery given it's provenance, coupled with similar behaviour on previous batteries, although no doubt this took it's toll on them. I think I'll go for a new starter and take it from there. Julian

Thanks all for your help so far - although I'm still confused as to how advance/retard relates to clockwise/anti-clockwise. I have the manuals, and they don't state. Nor am I clear which is No1 cylinder Albion - nearest or furthest the flywheel. I couldn't see it in the manual but it must be in there. Anyway, back to basics, and this could well be where the problem lies as suggested earlier in the thread. With a warm engine (about an hour since used), battery 12.75V at rest. With the stop up, cranking voltage at the battery was 10.3, and at the solenoid 9.6, but frankly the cranking speed was falling off so rapidly at this point (together with the voltage) that reading anything in to a differential between 10.3 and 9.6 would be meaningless in the time it got me to take the probe off the battery and on to the solenoid. So it would appear to be the starter would it not, particularly as noted earlier I had it smoking in February. It would now seem that when starting the engine from cold it is the engine part combusting that is keeping the starter turning, and perhaps the first few full 'fires' before it starts up proper are working against it but wouldn't be apparent if the starter was in A1 condition?

Which direction of rotation on the fuel pump does advance or retard?

I mean the plug ways where you put a drill in and manually twist to break through the coke - I have to do this once a year on mine (200hrs ish), but it's in the manual as a regular maintenance item albeit far less frequently. You have described exactly what I was envisaging, although I got my advance and retard mixed up! Just like when you start an engine on a starting handle, but it can kick back if it fires to early. I'll check the other points this weekend. Unfortunately checking the valve clearances is going to be a pain, as someone has jerry rigged the throttle cable assembly in the way of getting the rocker cover off.

1. Yes, checked and de-coked February. 2. Be interested to hear more 3,4 & 5 Will do 6. No, and nor the starter itself. By the way, this isn't a new issue, she's behaved like this for the last three years!

Thanks all for the advice so far. I know the electrical connections are sound as I suspected this issue to be electrical initially. Having said that, when I couldn't get her running in the sub zero spell we had, the starter was hard used, and was noted to issue some smoke at one point. I will take some voltage readings whilst cranking this weekend, as I suppose the starter has to be suspect given that and could be the/ a contributory issue as Yoda suggests. Could it's performance be variable from day to day? I believe, but will double check, that when the starter slows dramatically it turns over fine when the engine is on the stop. And 60 secs in the winter feels like you are draining all your battery before you've even tried the engine! Yes - I mentioned the off-load voltage as it's remarkably good if your starter sounds like you've gone from high speed cranking to flat battery speed in two seconds (and you know the battery is new and at other times is capable of cranking for ages). I will take some load readings.

It's a difficult starter when not used for some days, and even with ten seconds of glow in these temperatures it will try to fire sporadically a few times before starting, and so with full throttle I wind the starter through it's initial hesitant firing until it roars away. Thing is, when it tries to fire, the starter slows right down, almost to a stop, then picks up again until the next time it tries to 'fire'. Often when starting the following morning with just few seconds glow, it will start spinning over very fast, and then without actually firing the starter speed runs right down as if the battery were flat within three seconds. For ages I've thought the battery must be suspect, but it's a new one now, and even after the symptom I've just described reads 12.7V on a multimeter. I'm just wondering whether it could be the engine fighting the starter motor on very early partial combustion, until it gets going with sufficient speed to appear to run normally? I know nothing of the provenance of the engine, but the boat was built '91 and I think it would be fair to describe the engine as 'tired'. It runs perfectly when warm, re-starts first turn and without glow for about eight hours after being run, burns very little oil, and very occasionally makes an alarming amount of blue smoke for a short period then settles back.

No, the bacteria either digest aerobically in the presence of oxygen (no whiff), or inaerobically without it (sulphur smell). Bio-magic provides an oxygen supply to increase the aerobic action. I used BM season before last, then Odorlos last season. Both dosed every day. I have found BM more effective, and the fact it is slightly scented unlike Odorlos is an advantage if there is a whiff that needs masking if you've under-dosed. Back to BM this season, and will stick with it. As a weekender I am extravagant with it now it's double strength and a little less expensive. I tend to put the double dose recommended after a pump-out in at the start of the weekend, and then a single dose daily thereafter whilst on board.

I bet they do now

Here's an extract from an interesting link that states Turkish BMC diesel units were manufactured from the late 70's. I wonder if the Turkish variant came over here much earlier than generally reckoned? The quoted 'adaptation of diesel engines from gasoline' must refer the BMC 1500/1800 engine? "BMC (The Turkish co making Austin and Morris vehicles ) has made a considerable contribution by accomplishing the production of the first diesel engines in Turkey, followed by the adaptation of diesel engines from gasoline engines in 1976. In addition to the production of complete vehicles, BMC started manufacturing industrial engines, generators, marine engines and military products, needed to support Turkey's fast growing industry".

Top tip. And to remove the requirement for scotchbrighting the surface (which will be difficult to do up to the edge of the tape anyway), consider liquid surface prep. Just be very careful not to get it anywhere outside of the tape. Proper lining tape is very narrow, so consider putting another ordinary tape overlapped to give a greater area of protection.

Yes, my set up is DAB car radio, and yes you will need an external aerial. I use the screw in FM car roof type aerial (40cm(ish), and split to DAB and FM sockets with one of these. Works OK near towns, but not so good in the sticks. Not sure how much better a dedicated DAB aerial in addition would be.

Well it's 50/50 then, but most who have posted a reply have said keep it different. BSP and Gibbo's comments have been nearest the mark for me, and like Gibbo I too have very different music on the boat also. It's like a lifestyle change when I'm there. Having worked from home for the last fifteen years, albeit in what I regard as a nice home and environment, sometimes it is difficult to flip from work mode to home mode, even at weekends. Maybe that's why the boat is extra special to me, every weekend spent on it is precious, and vive la difference.

No sleevers on board - they're different mugs too