Engine accelerates but propellor doesn’t turn

[Nick Mark]

I’m very new to living on narrowbosts, so this may be a stupid question, but...

 

The engine starts, turns over and will accelerate but there’s no sign of the propellor responding.

 

Is there anything straight forward I can check before calling the mechanic?

 

Many thanks! 

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, Nick Mark said:

I’m very new to living on narrowbosts, so this may be a stupid question, but...

 

The engine starts, turns over and will accelerate but there’s no sign of the propellor responding.

 

Is there anything straight forward I can check before calling the mechanic?

 

Many thanks! 

Does the gearbox 'go into' gear ?

Is the prop shaft rotating ?

Has the gear selector cable become disconnected / snapped / stretched ?

Any weird 'graunchy' noises coming from the gearbox ?

Is the prop attached ?

Is there anything ( a log) wedging the prop ?

[MtB]

8 minutes ago, Nick Mark said:

I’m very new to living on narrowbosts, so this may be a stupid question, but...

 

The engine starts, turns over and will accelerate but there’s no sign of the propellor responding.

 

Is there anything straight forward I can check before calling the mechanic?

 

Many thanks! 

 

Going right back to basics, you need to engage forward gear in order to make the propeller spin, after starting the engine. Are you engaging forward gear?

 

How are you doing it? Could you post a photo of the control you are using?

 

I suspect if you have a 'single lever' Teleflex control, the gear cable has probably come adrift at one end or the other. 

[pete harrison]

If you have a single lever that selects both the gear and engine speed there is usually a 'push button' of some kind that deselects the gears (allowing the engine to rev in neutral). If so is this 'push button' in the correct position 

[MtB]

 

P.S. Welcome to the forum!!!

 

[Nick Mark]

14 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Going right back to basics, you need to engage forward gear in order to make the propeller spin, after starting the engine. Are you engaging forward gear?

 

How are you doing it? Could you post a photo of the control you are using?

 

I suspect if you have a 'single lever' Teleflex control, the gear cable has probably come adrift at one end or the other. 

Thanks for your help everyone on this post.

I am engaging the forward year with the lever. Is there anything else I should be doing?

ive attached a photo as a couple of you mentioned another control I could use to make sure it’s engaged.

thanks!

3 minutes ago, Nick Mark said:

Thanks for your help everyone on this post.

I am engaging the forward year with the lever. Is there anything else I should be doing?

ive attached a photo as a couple of you mentioned another control I could use to make sure it’s engaged.

thanks!

P.s. I’ve tried adjusting everything that I’ve circled but to no avail.

[pete harrison]

17 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

If you have a single lever that selects both the gear and engine speed there is usually a 'push button' of some kind that deselects the gears (allowing the engine to rev in neutral). If so is this 'push button' in the correct position 

the red tab behind the lever can deselect the operation of the gear cable.  try this in both in and out positions (although I think it may default to the normal position when the lever is in the upright position)   

[Nick Mark]

2 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

the red tab behind the lever can deselect the operation of the gear cable.  try this in both in and out positions (although I think it may default to the normal position when the lever is in the upright position)   

Ah, ok thanks. To be honest I’m not sure how to move it. It doesn’t seem to move in any direction. Should I be pushing it back and forward or side to side.

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, Nick Mark said:

Ah, ok thanks. To be honest I’m not sure how to move it. It doesn’t seem to move in any direction. Should I be pushing it back and forward or side to side.

Towards the big lever, and away from the big lever (ie Port and starboard, rather than front and back)

 

Towards the instrument panel and away from the instrument panel.

Edited May 4, 2019 by Alan de Enfield

[MtB]

Ok, I'd say the two switches circled in red and green are nothing to do with the gears. The big lever with the yellow circle is the control that engages forward and reverse. 

 

In normal use you push the lever forwards a little to engage forward gear, then push it further to make the engine speed pick up after forward gear has engaged. Lift the deck board so you can see the prop shaft, then you'll know if the prop shaft is turning or not when the lever is pushed forward. 

 

The little red button thing is for use if/when you might want to rev the engine with it not in gear. Press it in when moving the lever forward and forward gear will NOT engage but the engine will still rev up.

 

Let us know if the prop shaft spins when you push the lever forwards - if it does, then perhaps you propeller is missing. They are known to fall off very occasionally!

 

 

[Tumshie]

14 minutes ago, Nick Mark said:

I am engaging the forward year with the lever.

 

Sorry I'm a bit meme happy today. 

[MtB]

19 minutes ago, Nick Mark said:

Ah, ok thanks. To be honest I’m not sure how to move it. It doesn’t seem to move in any direction. Should I be pushing it back and forward or side to side.

 

 

Presumably you mean the red button, not the whole lever? 

 

If the red button is working correctly you shouldn't need to be touching it at all. It defaults to working as I described. You only need to use the red button to PREVENT it engaging forward or reverse. 

 

Is the prop shaft turning, or not? The answer to this will help us suggest what you should do next. 

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by Mike the Boilerman

[Nick Mark]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

If the red button is working correctly you shouldn't need to be touching it at all. It defaults to working as I described. You only need to use the red button to PREVENT it engaging forward or reverse. 

 

Is the prop shaft turning, or not? The answer to this will help us suggest what you should do next. 

 

 

 

Thanks for your help, got to pop out now but will check later. 

[alan_fincher]

On that type of control, (Marine Master), you push the red button in towards the panel, (away from the main lever), if you want it NOT to select gears.  It looks to be in the correct position that the gears should select.  It will not default to the correct position if it isn't in it. Make sure red button is pulled as far out towards main lever as possible. 

 

I think it's likely the cable that operates the gears is disconnected or broken.  You should be able to see a lever being moved backwards and forwards on the gearbox if the operating mechanism is working as it should be. 

[MtB]

1 minute ago, alan_fincher said:

It will not default to the correct position if it isn't in it.

 

I stand corrected. I've never encountered a single lever control that doesn't default back to 'gears engaging' as the lever passes back through neutral.

 

Until now, that is!

[Boater Sam]

Marine Master control SHOULD default to engaged as the throttle lever is moved past neutral. There is a spring in the tab mechanism. So either the spring is broken or the tab is stiff to move out to engaged.  That control is same as mine.

 

[pete harrison]

24 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I stand corrected. I've never encountered a single lever control that doesn't default back to 'gears engaging' as the lever passes back through neutral.

 

Until now, that is!

Same for me. I just thought it was worth starting at the easiest thing first, and next for me would be to see if the gearbox selector arm moves when the Marine Master control lever is moved in order to prove that the cable is still operational (cable could be disconnected or broken).

 

edit = I must confess that I prefer separate controls for engine speed and gears, as fitted to rusty old coal barges

Edited May 4, 2019 by pete harrison

[alan_fincher]

2 minutes ago, Boater Sam said:

Marine Master control SHOULD default to engaged as the throttle lever is moved past neutral. There is a spring in the tab mechanism. So either the spring is broken or the tab is stiff to move out to engaged.  That control is same as mine.

 

Not so for the one we used to have. It was a deliberate firm click in either direction, and, I got intimate with the innards once with no evidence of missing or broken spring. 

 

Sounds like there must be different variants. Do we agree it should be in the OUT position? 

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

I must confess that I prefer separate controls for engine speed and gears 

 

Me too. Paradoxically, I find them less confusing than a single lever combining both functions, which (almost) everyone else seems to find easier to understand.

 

 

 

 

[alan_fincher]

4 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

Same for me. I just thought it was worth starting at the easiest thing first, and next for me would be to see if the gearbox selector arm moves when the Marine Master control lever is moved in order to prove that the cable is still operational (cable could be disconnected or broken).

Yes as said, obvious thing to find out first is whether lever on gearbox is being moved or not! 

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

Do we agree it should be in the OUT position?

 

Yes, it should be OUT on the bank and separate speed and gear controls fitted!

 

 

 

1 minute ago, alan_fincher said:

Yes as said, obvious thing to find out first is whether lever on gearbox is being moved or not! 

 

The most obvious thing to me is look and see if the prop shaft is turning, first. 

 

 

[alan_fincher]

Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Me too. Paradoxically, I find them less confusing than a single lever combining both functions, which (almost) everyone else seems to find easier to understand.

Since Flamingo got reengineered speed wheel works in opposite direction to Sickle.  We do have our moments! 

[MtB]

1 minute ago, alan_fincher said:

Since Flamingo got reengineered speed wheel works in opposite direction to Sickle.  We do have our moments! 

 

One of my boats has "Faster" and "Slower" arrows on the woodwork next to the gear wheel. Confuses the hell out of Coasty 

[pete harrison]

4 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

Yes as said, obvious thing to find out first is whether lever on gearbox is being moved or not! 

 

3 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

The most obvious thing to me is look and see if the prop shaft is turning, first. 

Fortunately they should both be visible at the sale time 

[Jess--]

3 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

Since Flamingo got reengineered speed wheel works in opposite direction to Sickle.  We do have our moments! 

muscle memory can really work against you in that situation