PineappleGuy

Unfortunately the person before me can't use his week so I'll be picking up the boat many lock-miles away.

Thanks everyone for the further information. Pineapple is a shared boat and I would only have time to get to Northampton, hence my question about leaving it unattended for a day or two i.e. until another owner took over. Unless the latter is desperate to spend a week on the Nene then I think we won't bother with the Northampton Arm.

Thank you for the various responses. As I understand it: 1. The VMs on the canal at Northampton are likely to be full of continuous moorers (is that what CMers means i.e. people who are not moved on by CRT?). 2. There is hardly anywhere else on the canal to moor especially if vehicle access is required. 3. There isn't much water in the canal at the best of times. 4. There is no car parking at Northampton Marina. 5. I'd have to buy an EA licence in order to moor in the marina. Doesn't really sound worth the effort and cost, given that I'm not planning to explore the Nene.

Thanks. So, is leaving the boat unattended for a day or two on the CRT Visitor Moorings in Northampton not recommended?

I'm intending to go along the canal to Northampton (but not beyond) in a couple of weeks time. I need to moor somewhere, preferably after the main flight of locks, where there is vehicle access. Scouring Google Street View hasn't revealed anything that looks feasible to me. Any ideas?

Given that there is some uncertainty over what grade you might be filling up with in the autumn, is there any harm in adding something like STA-BIL Diesel Winter to the fuel tank or could it have an adverse effect if you do happen to get winter grade fuel?

So do the marinas etc know what they're putting into your tank (i.e. normal or winter grade)? It had never occurred to me to ask! That's very interesting, am I the only one who hadn't heard that advice before?

So, from the answers so far, I conclude that: a) winter diesel is not sold canalside, b) it is not common to add something like STA-BIL Diesel Winter to the tank instead, c) waxing might be an issue if one's boat is laid up somewhere that experiences sub-zero temperatures. I'm asking because we've just replaced the filter in the attached photo, the boat having spent the winter in a marina in the Midlands.

It's a bit late now, but is there such a thing as winter diesel for canal boats or an additive that effectively converts normal diesel into a winter version? I don't see anything in the RCR article about it, or indeed in this thread. Or is it not an issue for canal boats?

For information, I have received the following from a contact at Barrus, clarifying the GLOW RELAY on the engine wiring diagram. Essentially, it is as Nick Norman deduced on Monday evening. “[we decided] to fit an extra relay to operate a timer for the injection pump stop solenoid. The stop solenoid has a pull in coil of about 20 amps, and a hold-in coil of about 1 amp. If someone ran out of fuel and tried starting the engine with bleeding the fuel filters, the engine cranked and cranked, the pull-in coil was still energised and after about 40 or 50 seconds it burnt out. By adding a timer, the coil was only pulled in for about 1 second and the hold-in coil took over. The problem was then resolved.” Regarding the glow plug light issue, one of the owners will try to have a look over the wiring next Friday. I expect that there are connectors dangling vulnerably behind the control panel.

If the OP is still looking for a competent engineer, we had our boiler (a Webasto but I don't suppose that matters) serviced a couple of months ago by Colin Rowe of CB Boats Braunston.

I'm told that the engine ran continuously for nearly 4 hours at first on both Friday and Saturday. After that, it would run for a random length of time, between a couple of minutes and an hour. I have also just learned that Barrus have made a slight modification to the control panel wiring (attached), namely a pair of resistors around the glow plug lamp - why? I don't know whether we have this version.

Thank you everyone I really appreciate your analysis. Before responding on the technical issues, I’ll just say that we have spoken to Barrus and the engine fitter and so far they have not been persuaded to come and have a look, which is partly why I have turned to this forum for advice, as well as seeking to advance our knowledge, noting that the previous engine didn’t have glow plugs. Reading the Shire 35 manual a bit further, it does indeed say “The glow plug light will come on when the ignition is first turned on for 5 – 8 seconds to indicate the heating system is operational. When the light goes out the engine can be started.” So, I think we have a few specific things to work on, at least regarding the glow plug issue, but at the moment it seems from the above responses that the engine stopping is a separate issue. I can’t give definitive answers to Nick’s questions regarding how it stops but I’ll ask my friend to make a careful note when it happens to him! The engine restarts readily I gather and then dies a random time later. It only started to occur last Friday but it was the first time the boat had been out of the marina for a couple of months. The user had just got through Braunston Tunnel (!), which is a few hours from Wigrams Turn Marina. She called RCR and the guy went through the fuel system and then, when it was getting dark, he noticed the glow plug lamp glowing dimly. Therefore, we don't know how long that has been happening. The RCR engineer didn’t investigate and didn’t suggest that perhaps the engine stopping could also be an electrical issue. Our user had further trouble with the engine cutting out the following day on the way back but carried on. On Sunday she did the final hour back to the Marina – the engine didn’t cut out and neither was the glow plug light glowing.

Here is the other half of the wiring diagram. Can I draw attention to the first issue in my original post. Can someone explain how the glow plug light could come to be glowing dimly while the engine is running? I'm assured that all the other warning lights are out. The engine is 9 months old and has done 200 hours. I looked up the GLOW RELAY part number and found a description "... By facilitating the preheating of the engine's glow plugs, it helps in achieving smooth and quick ignition..." so do you think it has been re-purposed by Barrus to work with the stop solenoid (and create confusion)?

Thank you for the reply Tony. Sorry, I thought the table (top right) would contain sufficient extra information. Regarding how the glow plugs are supposed to work, I was hoping for an explanation of what goes on inside HEATER RELAY, for example. Also, I was wondering whether the GREY wire was a suspect as it goes to both the HEATER RELAY and the STOP SOLENOID Hold connection. I'm not on the boat at the moment but a co-owner will be there soon so I'll ask him to examine a few connectors.