Stern Tube / Gearbox / Engine Maladies Part 4

[paulcatchpole]

Righty, time for an update, and more questions I'm afraid...

 

Despite nine days of boat work, we only got around to the engine / gearbox etc in the last few, due to the welding and hull work taking a lot longer than I'd optimistically planned! Such is life eh?

 

 

My father even came down on his 68th to get on with the blacking - what a star eh?

 

 

Anyhoo, the shaft stuff is on hold (as it were) for a while... We've sourced a prop, which has finally turned up, and it's very shiny..

 

 

As you can see above, it'll need a spacer as the boss is quite short, but it does provide more engagement into the coupling even on the existing shaft. We think we've sourced a new shaft too, which if confirmed, will be a meter long. Tee hee. Plenty of engagement on that one.

 

Talking of such things, at the pre-banter-banter, Richard measured my shaft, in public, in the pub....

 

You can see he came prepared, with his large micrometer. I was jealous, as you can imagine.

 

 

But Kate took the biscuit by saying "Do you think I should be spreading tomato ketchup on Richard's bits?"...

 

 

Engine Update!

 

Moving on, we had the engine running again today, with a proper exhaust this time...

 

I was aiming for a 30 minute warm up to see if things settled down. The plan started well, with a clean start and only a few turns cranking. The new exhaust helped with diverting the smoke away, which was only white today - no other colour, and not too heavy.

 

It idled fine, and stopped hunting after a while and a bit of tightening of fuel unions. We've actually fabricated the tank and installed it, but no piping as yet, so it's running from the road-diesel fuel can still. Kate's even spent hours and hours with a toothbrush cleaning it to cheer it up, and cleaning and painting the bilge too!

 

 

Anyhoo, here's a video of it running: [family safe this time...]

 

 

It was going lovely, and just as I'd said "Look, it's idling really well now" and preparing to go off for a brew to celebrate........................

 

...................it stopped...............

..................and wouldn't (easily) restart..........................

 

It actually felt seized at that point, and the squeal from the pulley end of the engine had come back - a really loud and nasty graunch that made me a bit scared to be sitting next to it lest it put something through the block.

 

I initially suspected the gearbox had developed a new symptom and locked it up, but eliminated that eventually, of which more later....

 

So, no good reason for it to be hard to turn. After about five mins I could turn it on the camshaft with the stilsons, but it was still tight, especially at some points in the revolutions - much tighter than just the compression.

 

Anyway, we put a fresh battery on it, left it another ten mins, and cranked it over with 50% throttle, and it did eventually run up, then stopped again - graunching at the same time, and with the engine coming to a 'dead' / 'hard' stop - concerning!

 

Again, after a five minute wait period, we could just about restart it, and it required at least three quarters throttle to keep it running against whatever was adding the drag - very worrying! Black smoke too, suggesting overloading / running against resistance.

 

This is a poor video of it cranking here, which doesn't quite tell the full story of just how hard to turn it was:

 

 

Hmm, so:

 

* What's most likely to cause this quantity of resistance to turn? The 'orrible graunch/baulking noise is a nasty clue presumably?

* Why did it work fine (ish) for the first three starts, to go wrong now, and keep going wrong after even only 30s of run-time, each time?

* Can all the bearings be gotten at with the engine in the boat?

 

Gearbox(es) Update

 

The reduction box is back together and back on! New bearings, oil seals and the like, and it went back together quite easily. Tribological perfection no less!

 

 

The reversing box, too, seems a bit happier. Previously, when I'd had the lid off, I'd been able to screw the longer screw in, to move the neutral arm, and it didn't seem to have much effect. This time I had the top off, I tried the screw and it went in all the way without moving the arm! Spotted that the plunger screw needed making longer, which I've done, and along with a fresh oil change, it now selects neutral, in neutral.

 

So, we've got forward in forward, neutral in neutral, but in reverse, it still tries to stall the engine!

 

Any ideas on what could be the reason for this - I'm hoping it's just adjustment! Didn't have the manual today, and with the engine problems above, we couldn't really run it enough to test much!

 

Anyhoo, hope this is of some interest and that some of you experts will have some ideas!

 

PC & CreamCheese!

[KeithL]

Hi, the engine making nasty sounds and then stopping isnt good, could be the piston rings breaking up and jamming themselves between the cyclinder and piston? Ive had the same happen on other engines mainly bike engines though. Good luck with it :-)

[creamcheese]

But Kate took the biscuit by saying "Do you think I should be spreading tomato ketchup on Richard's bits?"...

 

 

Well, all I can say is I'd heard ketchup was good for polishing bits!. And it was an excuse to sit down for a while.

 

Sadly that lovely tan from a week working outside seems to have washed off

Edited May 16, 2010 by creamcheese

[paulcatchpole]

Hi, the engine making nasty sounds and then stopping isnt good, could be the piston rings breaking up and jamming themselves between the cyclinder and piston? Ive had the same happen on other engines mainly bike engines though. Good luck with it :-)

 

No, indeed, didn't feel good...

 

To be honest, it's always made the graunching noises, badly at first, then they went away, and now they've come back - so I'm guessing it's something already knackered rather than a new problem.

 

I'm guessing, since this engine has been sunk, that it's previously-worn and now-rusty main, big end or cam bearings that're the problem.

 

Ta for the thought on the rings - if it needs to come apart then the cylinders could well be first, if we've got to generally recondition it!

 

Ta, PC

[Guest User]

Can I mention oil pressure again ? ..... you mentioned the capillary feeding the pressure gauge had a leak ? Are you sure its got the right amount of oil in, and that it's achieving the correct pressure ? A while back my GF's SR3 suffered from a failed oil pump leading to some horrible squealing noises before it stalled. Stupidly we tried to re-start it, and bless it, it tried to comply, albeit reluctantly, but then almost immediately it squeaked and squealed and stoped again. The upshot was it needed a rebuild including, IIRC, replacing the crankshaft & bearings ... ouch !

[springy]

So, no good reason for it to be hard to turn. After about five mins I could turn it on the camshaft with the stilsons, but it was still tight, especially at some points in the revolutions - much tighter than just the compression.

 

Anyway, we put a fresh battery on it, left it another ten mins, and cranked it over with 50% throttle, and it did eventually run up, then stopped again - graunching at the same time, and with the engine coming to a 'dead' / 'hard' stop - concerning!

 

Again, after a five minute wait period, we could just about restart it, and it required at least three quarters throttle to keep it running against whatever was adding the drag - very worrying! Black smoke too, suggesting overloading / running against resistance.

 

Hmm, so:

 

* What's most likely to cause this quantity of resistance to turn? The 'orrible graunch/baulking noise is a nasty clue presumably?

* Why did it work fine (ish) for the first three starts, to go wrong now, and keep going wrong after even only 30s of run-time, each time?

* Can all the bearings be gotten at with the engine in the boat?

 

 

The reversing box, too, seems a bit happier. Previously, when I'd had the lid off, I'd been able to screw the longer screw in, to move the neutral arm, and it didn't seem to have much effect. This time I had the top off, I tried the screw and it went in all the way without moving the arm! Spotted that the plunger screw needed making longer, which I've done, and along with a fresh oil change, it now selects neutral, in neutral.

 

So, we've got forward in forward, neutral in neutral, but in reverse, it still tries to stall the engine!

 

Engine

There will be a good (?) reason - quite what is yet to be determined.

Questions - some of which may have to wait till your next visit to answer,

Does it free up when completely cold ?

How hot did the barrels feel ?

Oil Pressure - ? You probably need to connect a guage even if its only a temporary lash up.

Can you try turning the crankshaft (rather than the camshaft) - you may be able to feel a tiny bit

of backlash IF its the pistons seizing in the bores, if its big end or main bearings picking up

then you are less likely to feel any backlash at the crank (this may be disguised by the cam

drive train so rocking the crank directly if possible may be more informative)

 

Gearbox

When you say you can select forward and neutral - is that with the engine running i.e. the

hydraulics are operating correctly and disengaging the forward cone ? or is it an action of the

"override" bolt ? - either way it sounds like you have successfully parted the stuck forward

cone. To still stall the engine in reverse is unusual - the only thing I can think at the moment

is that the planet gears in the reverse epicyclic gear train are seized on their axles. I would be

very surprised to find them seized so solid that a few attempts to engage reverse wouldnt

free them. What you could try is :- Insert bolt B to overcome the spring pack, then OVER adjust

the reverse brakeband so that it locks the outside of the planet carrier (as if reverse was being

engaged) then rock the output shaft back & forth to try and free them.

 

Well, all I can say is I'd heard ketchup was good for polishing bits!. And it was an excuse to sit down for a while.

 

I thought it should be brown sauce. Thou ketchup is better for helping me to polish off

sausages.

 

springy

[paulcatchpole]

Can I mention oil pressure again ? ..... you mentioned the capillary feeding the pressure gauge had a leak ? Are you sure its got the right amount of oil in, and that it's achieving the correct pressure ? A while back my GF's SR3 suffered from a failed oil pump leading to some horrible squealing noises before it stalled. Stupidly we tried to re-start it, and bless it, it tried to comply, albeit reluctantly, but then almost immediately it squeaked and squealed and stoped again. The upshot was it needed a rebuild including, IIRC, replacing the crankshaft & bearings ... ouch !

 

Hi Graham... It's a fair point to be honest, all I can say is that there's enough pressure through that cracked capilliary to coat the engine bay bulkhead in oil quite nicely. I admit that today, I've temporarily stuck a bit of gaffer tape over the crack to cut down on sprayage, but that won't hold enough pressure on the tube to operate the gauge - either that or there's genuinely zero pressure. It's a steel pipe and perhaps obviously, wouldn't solder with a propane torch...

 

I think you may be right on the bearing front, and it's certainly been squealing from day one, albeit on and off. The previously-sunk-causing-'orrible-corrosion is a thought in the back of my mind here...

 

Engine

There will be a good (?) reason - quite what is yet to be determined.

Questions - some of which may have to wait till your next visit to answer,

Does it free up when completely cold ?

How hot did the barrels feel ?

Oil Pressure - ? You probably need to connect a guage even if its only a temporary lash up.

Can you try turning the crankshaft (rather than the camshaft) - you may be able to feel a tiny bit

of backlash IF its the pistons seizing in the bores, if its big end or main bearings picking up

then you are less likely to feel any backlash at the crank (this may be disguised by the cam

drive train so rocking the crank directly if possible may be more informative)

 

Ta for the reply, Springy.

 

As to whether it frees up completely, I'd guess at a firm yes, but not definite due to a bit of a lack of time between cooling. 30 mins was enough for it to turn over by hand quite freely.

 

When it seized up, if that's what it actually did, the barrels were quite cool, certainly nothing like as hot as we've managed to get our ST2 before seizing it in the past - that was in the shall-we-call-the-fire-brigade, is-that-the-engine-glowing territory.

 

I think I see what you mean on rocking the crank - only problem with this one is that there's a transverse engine bearer directly below the camshaft pulley, making access pretty difficult to the crank end. I've no idea even what's on the end of the crank!

 

Gearbox

When you say you can select forward and neutral - is that with the engine running i.e. the

hydraulics are operating correctly and disengaging the forward cone ? or is it an action of the

"override" bolt ? - either way it sounds like you have successfully parted the stuck forward

cone. To still stall the engine in reverse is unusual - the only thing I can think at the moment

is that the planet gears in the reverse epicyclic gear train are seized on their axles. I would be

very surprised to find them seized so solid that a few attempts to engage reverse wouldnt

free them. What you could try is :- Insert bolt B to overcome the spring pack, then OVER adjust

the reverse brakeband so that it locks the outside of the planet carrier (as if reverse was being

engaged) then rock the output shaft back & forth to try and free them.

 

Aye, that's with the box lid back on, normal 'short' bolt in place. and the engine running, so it looks like the hydraulics are working enough for neutral - which is a definite improvement!

 

I'll admit that given the engine problems, we didn't push it on trying to engage reverse, as soon as it was obvious it was really loading the engine up trying... Once we get the thing running, we can give it a few more goes and hopefully it'll sort itself out.

 

Good plan on the freeing idea, at least I can give that a try with a non-working engine!

 

Ta, PC

[dor]

I had a tractor engine once that had been frozen which had distorted the block. It would start ok when cold, but as it got hot it clearly became harder and harder to turn over as shown by increasing black smoke and labouring noise. It would just about keep running, but if stopped would not turn over while hot. Had to wait for it to cool down unti; it could be started again (unless tow-started).

 

Maybe ytour block or something is distorted which is causing it to sieze when hot?

[MoominPapa]

Hi Graham... It's a fair point to be honest, all I can say is that there's enough pressure through that cracked capilliary to coat the engine bay bulkhead in oil quite nicely. I admit that today, I've temporarily stuck a bit of gaffer tape over the crack to cut down on sprayage, but that won't hold enough pressure on the tube to operate the gauge - either that or there's genuinely zero pressure. It's a steel pipe and perhaps obviously, wouldn't solder with a propane torch...

If it's leaking that much, there might be low, or no, oil pressure in the oil gallery just because of the leak in the capilary. The oil pumps don't have a particularly high volume capacity.

 

MP.

[paulcatchpole]

If it's leaking that much, there might be low, or no, oil pressure in the oil gallery just because of the leak in the capilary. The oil pumps don't have a particularly high volume capacity.

 

MP.

 

That's a fair point, and would mean the damage had been done in the past, as it was both leaking and graunching on first run in our ownership.

 

I bodged the crack before starting it yesterday though, and it wasn't leaking past the tape when it was running for ten mins before it stopped, so that shouldn't have been yesterday's direct cause. Possible that the damage had already happened though, and it just 'came to a head' yesterday.

 

I had a tractor engine once that had been frozen which had distorted the block. It would start ok when cold, but as it got hot it clearly became harder and harder to turn over as shown by increasing black smoke and labouring noise. It would just about keep running, but if stopped would not turn over while hot. Had to wait for it to cool down unti; it could be started again (unless tow-started).

 

Maybe ytour block or something is distorted which is causing it to sieze when hot?

 

Thing is, it ran the first and second times, up to reasonable temp without having any problems - this 'seizing' issue has only occured on the third run, and then become serious enough to stop the engine within 30 seconds or so of running, so it feels more like something has 'suddenly' broken down and is now causing the major problem.

 

I'm favouring a collapsed shell bearing, possibly big end, and possibly the cylinder nearest the pulley end of the engine. I'd said before that I was trying to determine what was diesel ignition and what could've been knocking, and the more I think about it, it may have been knocking at that end, as well as that being where the graunching was coming from.

 

How much can I see with the crankcase door off? I'd found someone's photo online of (I think, correct me if this is wrong, Baldock) MES taking an SR3 apart which shows this:

 

 

Worth taking this off on ours to see what we can see?

 

Also, I've been reading the workshop manual and I'm still a bit unsure whether it's possible to change the mains with it in the boat - does anyone know?

 

PC

[RLWP]

Paul,

 

you are into advanced speculation now. I'm afraid you are going to have to start some serious investigations by stripping the poor engine down before you really know what's happened. Then you can start to get your head around what needs to be done.

 

Richard

 

Was it Casper-Ghost who knew where you could buy these engines for a sensible price?

[paulcatchpole]

Paul,

 

you are into advanced speculation now. I'm afraid you are going to have to start some serious investigations by stripping the poor engine down before you really know what's happened. Then you can start to get your head around what needs to be done.

 

Richard

 

Awww, I *like* advanced speculation, it gives me something to do when I can't get back to the engine itself before the weekend!

 

What do you reckon? Go on, you know you want to, add your thoughts!

 

It'd still be good to know if it's actually possible to get at the main bearings with it in place in the boat... The big ends can at least be done I guess. Mind you, it's sounding like an annoying piece of work already...

 

Was it Casper-Ghost who knew where you could buy these engines for a sensible price?

 

RICHARD!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Noooooooooooooooooo.....................

 

If it can be fixed, even if it's stick-new-shells-in-without-regrinding, then it'll be done. I'm only going admit complete defeat and replace it, if it's beyond all my bodging skills...

 

I note the manual says that I mustn't touch up my big ends... Infamy, infamy...

 

 

The info on the 'main bearing housing' reads thusly:

 

 

and

 

 

Not quite sure how many mains it's got though? An even number, being an odd-number-of-cylinders engine? One at each end, surely, with two more in the middle?

 

Dunno, having rebuilt a good few car petrol engines, up to v8 size, I thought I understood how this went together, but I'm having a hard time understanding how this one is built!

 

PC

[RLWP]

Random speculation? You've knackered your oil pump.

 

That's pretty random, but it kind of matches a few of the symptoms.

 

I like those big round bits that hold the main bearings. Look like you pull the crank and bearings out together

 

Richard

[MoominPapa]

Random speculation? You've knackered your oil pump.

 

I've seen drawings of some Listers with reciprocating cam-driven oil pumps. Is this engine one of those?

 

MP.

[paulcatchpole]

Random speculation? You've knackered your oil pump.

 

That's pretty random, but it kind of matches a few of the symptoms.

 

I like those big round bits that hold the main bearings. Look like you pull the crank and bearings out together

 

Richard

 

I've knackered the oil pump????

 

If it's knackered, then it was knackered before we had it!

 

Agreed though that a lack of oil pressure seems likely!

 

Anyhow, are you sure on the big round bits...

 

Diagram (for an SL, but similar enough) as such:

 

 

It'd help if the parts list showed a three cyl version!

 

But even so, it lists one (conventional-ish, two-part shell) main bearing, and one bearing housing for the one, two and three cyl versions.

 

 

As a random aside, it also lists the crank weights separately, which strikes me as odd, aren't they usually part of the casting of the crank?

 

So a single main? Well, if that's knackered, then that'd explain it.

 

PC

[RLWP]

 

The crank on this has the weights integral as far as I can see. So to pull the crank out you have to take those big round things in the crankcase webs with it. Even if the weights are bolted, you still have to clear the crank throw to pull the crankshaft.

 

Richard

 

Otherwise, where are the main bearing caps in that picture Paul?

 

I like the hung up cam follower top right

Edited May 17, 2010 by RLWP

[paulcatchpole]

Edited to add...

 

Why does the diagram show the bearing housing one side of the big-end, and the main bearing shells at the other side? Seems a bit of a strange way to draw a diagram? Am I being stoopid again?

 

PC

 

 

The crank on this has the weights integral as far as I can see. So to pull the crank out you have to take those big round things in the crankcase webs with it.

 

Richard

 

Otherwise, where are the main bearing caps in that picture Paul?

 

I like the hung up cam follower top right

 

Yaah, agreed. The big round thing in the centre is the bearing housing as per the diagram. So, a) that's a *huge* (in my book) shell bearing, and if there's only one of them (steel coloured between 1&2), what's the 'other' round hole made up of between 2&3 - just a hole? Doesn't look like it, but it's got to be crank total swept diameter sized or, as you say, it won't come out!

 

Hmm, anyway, that looks a pain doesn't it, that I'm going to have to de-crank it?

 

Why does the workshop manual give me the instructions for removing the bearing housing, before the remove-the-crank bit? And without the same level of disassembly?

 

PC

 

Editing again, ooops, sorry for the a), I can see that the shells are only in the middle, not around the OD of the housing, so a normal size at least...

Edited May 17, 2010 by paulcatchpole

[Chris-B]

Paul

2 main (end bearings) 2 Centre bearings on an SR3

Nope it's an engine out job

C

[RLWP]

 

Confusion reigns again...

 

parts 64 to 67 are the conrod assembly including the big end shells

 

Part 51 is the balance weight for the crankshaft

 

Parts 61 are the main bearing shells. Now, what's your question again?

 

Richard

 

Have you hired a hoist yet?

[paulcatchpole]

 

Confusion reigns again...

 

parts 64 to 67 are the conrod assembly including the big end shells

 

Part 51 is the balance weight for the crankshaft

 

Parts 61 are the main bearing shells. Now, what's your question again?

 

Richard

 

 

I think it's just the way it's drawn...

 

61 are the shells that go inside 57.

 

Mr Baldock has just confirmed that our actual engine is as you say, I see, that it's got two centre mains and two at the ends as well - must be different to these SL diagrams, but the same as the photo you're working off.

 

Have you hired a hoist yet?

 

I hear CreamCheese is feeling strong after the week of boat work, so she's going at it single-handed...

 

Nobbut, more seriously, we've access for a consideration, to a digger (and operator) which is parked next to it at the moment, watched it being used to lift an engine out t'other day.

 

Paul

2 main (end bearings) 2 Centre bearings on an SR3

Nope it's an engine out job

C

 

Ta for clearing my confusion, as Richard's been bravely trying to do.

 

But no ta for the info it'd need to come out.

 

Let's hope it's big ends and not the lot.

 

Perhaps with the big ends off, it'll be easier to see how it turns.

 

Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble...

 

PC

[MoominPapa]

 

Confusion reigns again...

 

parts 64 to 67 are the conrod assembly including the big end shells

 

Part 51 is the balance weight for the crankshaft

 

Parts 61 are the main bearing shells. Now, what's your question again?

 

I think Paul's confused because the diagram doesn't include any centre main bearings. (being as it's for a single cylinder engine.) Centre bearings, from the photo, are inside a big housing like the one on the one on the right (except split, to allow it to be fitted over the crank journal) that means they leave hole behind big enough to allow the withdrawal of the crank, possibly after the balance weights have been unbolted.

 

 

MP.

[paulcatchpole]

I think Paul's confused because the diagram doesn't include any centre main bearings. (being as it's for a single cylinder engine.) Centre bearings, from the photo, are inside a big housing like the one on the one on the right (except split, to allow it to be fitted over the crank journal) that means they leave hole behind big enough to allow the withdrawal of the crank, possibly after the balance weights have been unbolted.

 

 

MP.

 

Ta, MP!

 

Yup, that's why I was getting confused - and the parts list even for the SL3 further enhanced my confusion for not showing the right (for an SR3) quantities of bearings!

 

Currently in a can-I-be-bothered-to-take-engine-out quandry.

 

I think I'll go with what I was just thinking, which is to pull the heads and cylinders with pistons off, and see both what state those shells are in, and what the crank feels like. Then make a call from there as to what needs doing next.

 

Unless anyone's got any further thoughts on direction?

 

I'm going to want to be sitting down again, when I hear the prices of these shells aren't I? And if the oil pump is shagged, then I guess it needs overhaul? Can't be that costly????????????? Can it???????????

 

If it's all broken, then we'll have to look at just swapping it out - we're waaaaaay too short on time to take it into a hundred pieces. Having spent a lot of effort reconditioning the reduction, finding (and paying for) a starter, just about sorting the reversing, and finding a LH prop, it'll have to be the same again and we'd swap our working ancillaries onto it.

 

Thinking ahead, if we found an SR3 with a manual box, does our hydraulic one just fit on? Please tell me yes... Same question with an ST2, which would be an alternative, again, if we could find one.

 

PC

[RLWP]

<snip>

I hear CreamCheese is feeling strong after the week of boat work, so she's going at it single-handed...

 

Nobbut, more seriously, we've access for a consideration, to a digger (and operator) which is parked next to it at the moment, watched it being used to lift an engine out t'other day.

 

<snip>

PC

 

Ask them to lift it out and drop it in the cut. I think you made a mistake in taking the engine out of the water when the boat sank in the first place

 

Richard

 

Bad Karma, isn't it.

[MoominPapa]

Getting back to oil pumps. Looking again at the photo, you can see the oil pump at the left end of the crankcase: it is reciprocating and driven from a cam on the camshaft. An obvious failure mode in this case is that it's rusted and gummed up enough the that return spring is no longer strong enough to keep the follower against the cam: the piston gets pushed down by the cam and more-or-less stays there. Hence very little oil delivery and seized bearings.

 

 

MP.

[paulcatchpole]

Getting back to oil pumps. Looking again at the photo, you can see the oil pump at the left end of the crankcase: it is reciprocating and driven from a cam on the camshaft. An obvious failure mode in this case is that it's rusted and gummed up enough the that return spring is no longer strong enough to keep the follower against the cam: the piston gets pushed down by the cam and more-or-less stays there. Hence very little oil delivery and seized bearings.

 

 

MP.

 

Ta MP, I can quite imagine that - that's about what had happened to neutral in the reversing box.

 

On the other hand, it certainly *had* oil pressure when it ran for the first time, cause of the spray across the wall. I guess at least, with that cover off, it should be obvious whether the pump is stuck off the follower at least?

 

Ask them to lift it out and drop it in the cut. I think you made a mistake in taking the engine out of the water when the boat sank in the first place

 

Richard

 

Bad Karma, isn't it.

 

Now, now, Richard...

 

I'm not sure if it's bad karma or not, but it's certainly bad luck. I think we've been quite nice to the engine recently too, if you include its gearbox, and all the cleaning. Love and attention and look how we get repaid.

 

Any idea what the oil pressure gauge take-off union is going to be in thread terms? Looked a bit like an adaptor union from the 2-3mm-ish pipe, to maybe 3/8" BSP? Be useful to take a gauge down next time and at least try cranking it by hand to see if we get any pressure at all.

 

PC