Beta 43 Just Died on me

[David Mack]

23 minutes ago, MrsM said:

It was -6c in hubby's car when he set off from Lincoln this morning. 

-7 C in mine at 10.00 this morning in Hebden Bridge!

[GUMPY]

20 minutes ago, David Mack said:

44 minutes ago, MrsM said:

It was -6c in hubby's car when he set off from Lincoln this morning. 

-7 C in mine at 10.00 this morning in Hebden Bridge

 

I haven't been near my cars today 🤔😎

[LadyG]

I haven't got a cat.

[GUMPY]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

I haven't got a cat.

🤣

[Troyboy]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

I haven't got a cat.

Nor have I but not sure what that has got to do with this thread. 

[LadyG]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

I haven't got a cat.

Sorry, that s wrong, I have got a cat, but I haven't got a car 😄

Edited January 19 by LadyG

[Tracy D'arth]

26 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Sorry, that s wrong, I have got a cat, but I haven't got a car 😄

So what was the temperature of your cat?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mad woman.

[Alan de Enfield]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

I haven't got a cat.

 

Did it run off again or has it died ?

[MtB]

46 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Did it run off again or has it died ?

 

I was wondering that too.

 

FFS, it turned out to be. 

 

(Fat Finger Syndrome.) 

 

[blackrose]

About 12 years ago I was in Limehouse basin about to go out onto the Thames. I think it was just me going into the lock and as I left the visitor moorings along the wall my engine started to cut out. I immediately lifted the smaller deck board to see that my 2" long lever fuel isolator was in the closed position. I must have knocked it with my foot getting in or out of the engine hole when I was doing pre-departure engine checks. Fortunately it cut out before going out onto tidal waters! After that I fitted a cable tie to keep the lever in line with the fuel pipe in the "on" position.

 

Anyway, I'm sure the OP would have noticed by now if he'd done the same thing, but you never know.

[Tony Brooks]

Was it not Beta who had porous filter heads, especially those with the priming button on the top? If the filter does have a priming button on it, I think the diaphragms have been known to fail. Both problems seem to have been known to leak air into the fuel system.

[jonathanA]

years ago it was a common sight to newspapers being set alight under the diesel tanks of trucks on a cold winters morning. presumably to to dela with the waxing. 

 

As an aside there is also 'winter' and 'summer' calor gas for use in bulk tanks and you can get the regulator freezing up if your unlucky. (DAMHIK).

[Mad Harold]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

Sorry, that s wrong, I have got a cat, but I haven't got a car 😄

Yes I know.Had a long chat with him when you were moored in Huddersfield Uni.

He's not much of a conversationist, but he's a very good listener.  😝

[LadyG]

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

So what was the temperature of your cat?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mad woman.

Cats run a bit hotter than humans, approx 101.5

°F 

Edited January 19 by LadyG

[Motters79]

On 18/01/2024 at 19:28, Midnight said:

If your engine as an older model, have you tried using the little finger pump after slackening the bleed vent on top of the engine fuel filter`to see if fuel is getting that far? If you have to pump for ages it means there was no fuel in the line. I once forgot to open the fuel tap after a service and after the engine slowly died it took ages before fuel appeared from the bleed vent. I painted the pump trigger (?) white because I have difficulty in locating it after every service.

No I haven't tried that yet but will if it doesn't start today now things have warmed up a bit. My Beta is the older version and doesn't have the priming button on top of filter housing, just the mechanical lift pump and a bleed screw on top of filter. I can hear my stop solenoid clicking in and out so it can't be that that is stuck closed. 

[LadyG]

In Ye Olden Days when winters were cold we used to have a little stove that was left lit under the  tractor overnight, or sometimes used to heat a garage if the car was required that day. 

I've  been running the engine every day on my boat, just to keep everything working, surprisingly the battery temp as shown on the solar controller is still showing 13.5C, I'm not even going to try moving today, it's bitterly cold, forecast wind gusting to 20mph.

 

Edited January 20 by LadyG

[BilgePump]

15 minutes ago, LadyG said:

In Ye Olden Days when winters were cold we used to have a little stove that was left lit under the  tractor overnight, or sometimes used to heat a garage if the car was required that day. 

They ran on paraffin and looked a bit like a flying saucer? Also used in cold frames etc. Never used one myself but my dad's still got one in the garage that he used donkeys years ago.

Commonly known as sump heaters

[LadyG]

1 hour ago, BilgePump said:

They ran on paraffin and looked a bit like a flying saucer? Also used in cold frames etc. Never used one myself but my dad's still got one in the garage that he used donkeys years ago.

Commonly known as sump heaters

The very thing!

[Motters79]

Can anyone tell me what this is? A fuel drain cock?

[GUMPY]

8 minutes ago, Motters79 said:

Can anyone tell me what this is? A fuel drain cock?

Looks like a water drain to me. Where is it on the engine?

[Motters79]

Right just loostened the bleed nut on the filter top and operated lift pump manually and there is very little fuel coming out and then only after 10  or so pumps. According to memory it usually flows a lot more when I've changed filer before. Blocked filter maybe? 

Ok, I've changed the filter and now there is nothing coming out of bleed nut. Yes I opened the fuel cock after changing AND I prefilled the new filter. I've manually operated pump maybe 50/60 times and nothing is coming through. Broken pump? 

[nicknorman]

58 minutes ago, Motters79 said:

Right just loostened the bleed nut on the filter top and operated lift pump manually and there is very little fuel coming out and then only after 10  or so pumps. According to memory it usually flows a lot more when I've changed filer before. Blocked filter maybe? 

Ok, I've changed the filter and now there is nothing coming out of bleed nut. Yes I opened the fuel cock after changing AND I prefilled the new filter. I've manually operated pump maybe 50/60 times and nothing is coming through. Broken pump? 

One thing to bear in mind is that the pump is operated by a cam on the engine. If the cam is at the peak, the plunger is fully home and operating the lever doesn't really do anything. You can usually feel if there is some pumping action or whether you are just operating against a spring. Anyway, one thing to try is to rotate the engine 1/2 turn or so, or just a momentary poke with the starter to get it off the peak of the cam. It's a possibility rather than a probability.

 

Where is your fuel tank? Many boats have it in the counter ie above the engine, so you would think that pretty much just gravity would get the fuel to flow. Is there something you could loosen nearer the tank outlet just to see if fuel comes out under gravity? Some detail and photos about the fuel's route from the tank to the engine would help.

You mentioned having turned the fuel tap off to change the filter, if you loosen the filter and turn the tap on, does fuel leak out? Presumably it should, otherwise why turn off the fuel tap to change it? Blocked fuel tank outlet is certainly a possibility.

Edited January 20 by nicknorman

[Motters79]

Thats good a good point. It does indeed feel like I am just pushing against a spring which is also why I'm suspecting the pump is knackered. I'll give engine a quick spin and see if it makes any difference...after I've eaten my cheese on toast that is! 

 

 

[GUMPY]

When bleeding my Beta I just did it with the starter until fuel came from the filter, shut the valve on the filter and kept going* until it started. Beta are pretty much self bleeding.  

 

 

* you do need to rest the starter every so often.

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, GUMPY said:

Looks like a water drain to me. Where is it on the engine?

 

I agree, block drain.