Mike_N

Brian I have a Barrus Shire 1952 in a 2002 Liverpool boat, so guesss my set-up is the same as yours. The stop solenoid is normally open - ie lets fuel through. When you press the 'stop' button it activates the solenoid to close off the supply. I'm told that sometimes it can stick in the closed position - in which case you would never get the engine to start in the first place. I would have thought the chances of the solenoid spontaneously being activated are slight - unless there's a ghostly finger on the 'stop' button! Rgds Mike_N

..that's what I would have thought - but assumed the legislators knew better! Mike_N

I have a Barrus Shire which has shown something of the same characteristic. I did all the usual checks, and found that no matter how much hand pumping I did, I couldn't get fuel through. So I sought advise, and learned that the fuel outlet from the tank (in my case a Liverpool Boats) is a dip tube arrangement - ie has an upside-down U-bend - to prevent the tank draining in the event of the fuel pipe rupturing. This would explain why the fuel outlet is about 15cm from the bottom of the tank (equivalent to 50% of its capacity) while the fuel pick-up point inside the tank is probably only 5cm from the bottom. In hindsight this arrangement must be prone to an airlock in the U-bend, especially if the fuel level is below the outlet (ie between 5 and 15cm from the bottom). The fix for me was effected by an experienced marine engineer; he filled the tank and then went through a lengthy process of bleeding air from the fuel system - mostly with the engine running to ensure there was good suction in the fuel line. So if you have a similar arrangement, then you might have a residual vapour lock in the dip tube - as the tank drains the pressue of the vapour would fall, it would expand and eventually turn from a partial vapour lock to a complete vapour lock! Mike_N

Seems like there's some people who know what they're talking about here!! I suspect that my rudder may have come out of the skeg cup - it's canted over by a few degrees, but otherwise seems to turn freely and work OK (although the incident that caused it occured as I turned into the marina, so I may not have discovered the full extent yet). How deep is the cup, and - assuming this is the problem - any tips on replacing it?