Leg two, through the tunnel.

[Yamanx]

The plan is to just get through the Standedge Tunnel. Once through there, it should be plain sailing home. But then again I have some experience of bringing back boats.

 

It was absolutely pouring down when I arrived at Slaithwaite, pronounced “Slowit” by the locals, the rain is not good when you’ve got to work on electrics in order to get the boat going. I got there nice and early Saturday so I could tat around with a few things, get some of the mechanics sorted and the rubbish thrown away. It was raining so hard I sat in the car for ages and apart from unloading the car, did next to nothing until about midday when the rain had stopped. Blimin nuisence. Still I didn’t intend to go anywhere until Sunday Morning anyhow.

 

The bilge pump and float switch that is rigged up inside the boat pumps any leaking water back into the engine bilge. I intended to extend the hose and get it to pump the water out of the boat. On inspecting in the engine bilge I had indeed been pumping a significant amount of water into the engine compartment and the water level was about half way up the engine. No problem, or so I thought, pumped it all out extended the hose for next time and had a wipe round.

 

Stripped all the electrics and rubbish charging system out and temporarily fitted in new electrics as far as I needed to start the engine and have some light etc. I was hoping I could save the alternator but if not I had enough battery to cope with whatever we came across.

 

I then made a fundamental error, I didn’t check the oil.

 

I started the engine and it started fine, there seemed to be a bit more smoke than I remember so I reved it up a little to clear it. Disaster! The engine went off mad, reving itself flat out. The throttle was useless and the engine stop didn’t work either. I knew straightaway what was happening the engine was runnning off of its own oil from the sump, and flat out without any control.

 

Just inside the door way there was a fire extinguisher, fortunately a carbon dioxide one. I remembered from an episode of Scrapheap Challenge that firing this off into the air filter would stop the engine. With the engine going flat out and with a full on neucler mushroom cloud over the back, in a bit of a panic, I grabbed the fire extinguisher and let it off right at the air filter. The engine stopped immediately.

 

The whole episode lasted about one minute, the engine compartment looked like Santa’s grotto, there was white stuff everywhere. Those fire extiguishers don’t half let go.

 

Bum.

 

I opened a bottle of beer, sod the sun and the bloody yard arm.

 

After a while when the smoke and white powder mushroom cloud had died away I began to try and find out what had caused this. Unknown to me, the small pump which is usually fitted to boat engines in order to empty the sump of oil, was missing. But whoever had took it off had left the fitting open to the world. The sump was not sealed. I then checked the oil and found the engine was half full of now emulsified oil and water, over a foot up the dipstick. Had I checked the oil before I started it I would have known.

 

In some way this was good news. Because I had a cause I could fix, the water and oil had emulsified, thinning the oil and allowing the enormous pressure of having about ten times the normal amount of oily fluid in the engine, pushing this mixture up the side of the bores creating a chain reaction with more revs and more pressure.

 

Next problem was how to get it out. I undid the fitting on the sump which reduced the level in the engine to about ten inches up the dip stick. But how to get the rest out? I rumaged through the boats junk and found a small shower pump. With some tape and hose I rigged up a sort of electric pump. It didn’t work as the pump needed to be submersible and wouldn’t suck air to syphon out the oil and water mixture.

 

Plan B. Syphon it out. Yuk! So I tried this but I just couldn’t get the pipe low enough to get it to work. One mouthful of used engine oil and water to every six mouthfuls of Heiniken Export. Gave that up as a bad idea.

 

Plan C. I disconnected the fresh water pump from under the sink, this is a spiral type pump. I connected the hose onto the engine and the other end I sucked the oil through it while the pump was running. It worked, well sort of, and the mixture was being pumped out of the engine and into the bilge albeit very slowly. It took about an hour to fully empty, at least as empty as it is possible to get the sump.

 

Took the pump off, cleaned it and re-fitted it to the fresh water. Reminder to oneself, don’t drink the water out of the tap!

 

Re-filled the engine with new oil and started her up. Again she started without a problem there was an awful lot of smoke at first but she seemed ok. It was now nearly dark and I had spen all day Saturday getting very mucky, oily, cut fingers and knuckles and not a little bit tipsy trying to get rid of the taste of emusified oil. Loads of drama and I hadnt even moved an inch! My dad had come up to help take the boat up to Marsden and through the tunnel. We went for a well deserved Indian meal and a few more beers at a local hostelery.

 

Apart from a hangover, Sunday went without a hitch, believe it or not. It was hard work for me as my Dad operated the boat whilst I operated the locks. The boat behaved itself no problem, apart from the alternator which is now well and truly knackered as it has about three ton of white powder stuffed into it!

 

We went up the flight from “Slowit” to lock 32E, where we met the BW guys. We had some lunch while waiting and then did the rest up to 42E and the Tunnel End for four oclock no sweat, even though we did “beach” her on occasion and I had to let water through the locks to get her off the bottom. Had a hodge podge of a meal and walked up the hill to The Tunnel End Inn. Hair of the dog, good beer and good company.

 

Monday morning and we are going through the longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel in the UK bar none. The BW guys are well organised and they took great care taking us through. Amazing experience. I’ll stick some pictures up soon. We met a chap who was working on the railway line nearby. He started chatting about going through the tunnel, his exacted words were, in a strong local accent; “I wouldn’t go through therr fort gold pig”. Made me laugh.

 

When we exited the west end of the tunnel I was informed we would have to leave the boat there for a few days as the first lock had been damaged by a boat and wouldn’t be fixed for a few days. So BW have agreed to move the boat for me to Upper Mill when the lock is re-opened.

 

I’m pleased its through the tunnel as this was a real obsticle with regard to timing. I intend to make the next leg 15th-16th October down onto the Macclesfield canal. Hard work and long days ahead me thinks.

[Bernie]

You do have some rather interesting trips David.

[Liam]

What engine have you got in there Dave?

[Paul Evans]

What engine have you got in there Dave?

33558[/snapback]

Very mucky and very forgiving by the sound of things!

[Yamanx]

It's a BMC Commander. A taxi engine I've been told! 250,000 miles plus with just a few oil changes