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Fuel Pump Air Lock


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I have just serviced the Barrus Shanks 35 engine on my boat with oil and filter changes and am now unable to start the engine.The engine turns freely but will not fire. I think that the problem is due to an air lock. There is fuel appearing from the bleed screws on the fuel filters but nome from the feeds to the injectors on the engine on either manual pumping or on cranking the engine. i have loosened a connection on the pump and there is fuel there but none appears to be exiting the pump. i cannot identify a bleed screw on the pump. The engine is an 03-35 model.

Is anyone familiar with this engine type and does anyone know how I can bleed the fuel pump without completely dismantling it.

The engine was running perfectly immediately before I serviced it! It ran for a minute immediately following filter change before stopping.The main fuel tank is full and the isolation tap is open!

 

Any help would be appreciated.

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Have a look at this thread Allan. It might help.

 

this thread

 

Tone

 

Tone

 

Thanks for this.

I have already done a lot of what has been suggeated in the thread but I think i need to have another look at the lift pump connections. There is fuel getting to the pump but not out the other end. It seems as if there is an air lock in the pump itself. There does not seem to be much pressure on the lift pump plunger and it seems as if this may be where the air is although there is no air coming out the injector feeds when I work the lift pump. This is not a particularly easy engine to work on and I may be loosening the wrong connections.

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If the lift pump operating cam is working on the internal lever, the manual external one will feel dead. Rotate engine until "feel" returns to manual lever. You can then pump manually.

 

Assuming you have corrected any fuel problems, the surefire (pun?) way to get air out of a diesel injection system is to crack open all the injector lines. Get someone to crank engine for a few seconds & look for diesel squirting out of each injector. Re-connect, open throttle wide & crank engine. Reduce revs quickly when it fires.

 

My Volvo always required this procedure once a serious amount of air had entered the system despite having a self bleeding? injection pump, but it worked without fail.

Edited by richardhula
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If the lift pump operating cam is working on the internal lever, the manual external one will feel dead. Rotate engine until "feel" returns to manual lever. You can then pump manually.

 

Assuming you have corrected any fuel problems, the surefire (pun?) way to get air out of a diesel injection system is to crack open all the injector lines. Get someone to crank engine for a few seconds & look for diesel squirting out of each injector. Re-connect, open throttle wide & crank engine. Reduce revs quickly when it fires.

 

My Volvo always required this procedure once a serious amount of air had entered the system despite having a self bleeding? injection pump.

 

Richard

 

I have tried this. First time fuel appeared from two injectors but the engine would not fire. On subsequent attemps no fuel was visible from any injector. i suppose I may have a mechanical blockage but it seems strange this is affecting all the injectors.

 

Allan

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Richard

 

I have tried this. First time fuel appeared from two injectors but the engine would not fire. On subsequent attemps no fuel was visible from any injector. i suppose I may have a mechanical blockage but it seems strange this is affecting all the injectors.

 

Allan

 

Reading your first post again it seems you have done something in error whilst replacing the fuel filters. Without knowing your specific fuel train setup, I'm guessing you have a primary filter with maybe water separator bowl & a secondary one on engine immediately after fuel pump. If the primary one is a Racor or Separ they have similar filter elements but the inner "O" ring is different & incorrect one will allow air to enter to the extent that pump will not pull fuel through.

 

In any case look for something you have replaced incorrectly in the course of changing fuel filter(s).

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Reading your first post again it seems you have done something in error whilst replacing the fuel filters. Without knowing your specific fuel train setup, I'm guessing you have a primary filter with maybe water separator bowl & a secondary one on engine immediately after fuel pump. If the primary one is a Racor or Separ they have similar filter elements but the inner "O" ring is different & incorrect one will allow air to enter to the extent that pump will not pull fuel through.

 

In any case look for something you have replaced incorrectly in the course of changing fuel filter(s).

 

I think you may be right. The two filters are mounted side by side. The primary/water separator has a cartridge type filter, the secondary a replaceable element. The relacements are specific Barrus parts but I may have fitted them incorrectly. No obvious fuel leak from the Filters though. I think I need to go back to the beginning and refit all the elements. Can't get to the boat till next weekend though.

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  • 3 years later...
  • 2 years later...

Hi I see this old thread on a fuel lift pump problems it’s the same as ours we tried all what has been recommended on the site but to no resolve, we wondered if anyone knows where we can get a replacement pump as our was taken off by a marine engineer and taken for testing they sad it has had it and that it wasn’t a Perkins but a Barrus Shanks lift pump so we are totally at the mercy and f the RCR atm and they haven’t come up trumps as yet! Just wondered if anyone out there has any idea of cost and where we can obtain one from as it’s a 2007 engine only done 4hours from New was running fine then just wouldn’t start thanks in advance 

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12 minutes ago, charlie44 said:

Hi I see this old thread on a fuel lift pump problems it’s the same as ours we tried all what has been recommended on the site but to no resolve, we wondered if anyone knows where we can get a replacement pump as our was taken off by a marine engineer and taken for testing they sad it has had it and that it wasn’t a Perkins but a Barrus Shanks lift pump so we are totally at the mercy and f the RCR atm and they haven’t come up trumps as yet! Just wondered if anyone out there has any idea of cost and where we can obtain one from as it’s a 2007 engine only done 4hours from New was running fine then just wouldn’t start thanks in advance 

If its a mechanical pump you could blank off the hole in the engine block with a steel plate and gasket using the same bolts or studs, and fit a 12v electric pump instead. A plate would need to be at least 6mm thick to prevent it warping and leaking.

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Biz just beat me to it; I was going to also suggest an electric fuel pump.

At first I wondered at the pump failing given it had only done 4 hours but then realised it's age which would mean the diaphragm was probably knackered through age and lack of use . It may well be possible to get a service kit for the pump. 

Suggest you speak to ASAP who have helped me out in the past, they also sell electric pumps.

Phil 

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Has he;

1. Bled all the air form the bleed point or the inlet or outlet (if it has one) on the pump.

2. Made sure the stop control is fully in the run position.

3. Set the throttle to fully open.

4. Operated the cold start/excess fuel button on the pump IF it has one.

(2, 3 &4 should ensure the control rod in the pump is set to maximum fuel.)

5. Loosened all the main injector pipe nuts (the pipes running from pump to injector) at the injector end by a turn or so.

6. Spun the engine on the starter until fuel spat or dripped out of the loose nuts. (if you try to get fuel through the pump with the engine stationery you will fail, no matter how hard you try).

7 Tighten the nuts and it should start.

If not look at the exhaust. Clouds of smoke means that you have bled it & fuel is being delivered. No or only a few wisps of smoke means there is no fuel so bleed the whole system again.

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2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

Has he;

1. Bled all the air form the bleed point or the inlet or outlet (if it has one) on the pump.

2. Made sure the stop control is fully in the run position.

3. Set the throttle to fully open.

4. Operated the cold start/excess fuel button on the pump IF it has one.

(2, 3 &4 should ensure the control rod in the pump is set to maximum fuel.)

5. Loosened all the main injector pipe nuts (the pipes running from pump to injector) at the injector end by a turn or so.

6. Spun the engine on the starter until fuel spat or dripped out of the loose nuts. (if you try to get fuel through the pump with the engine stationery you will fail, no matter how hard you try).

7 Tighten the nuts and it should start.

If not look at the exhaust. Clouds of smoke means that you have bled it & fuel is being delivered. No or only a few wisps of smoke means there is no fuel so bleed the whole system again.

Tony I think they are without a pump, been taken by RCR

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We’ve done all of these things and Rcr have sent an engineer out removed the injector pump and had it looked at they said it’s had it!! Seams a bit odd to us we must say!! 

Can anyone recommend a Barrus Shanks injection pump service engineer please it’s a 2007 edition very thin on the ground 

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31 minutes ago, charlie44 said:

We’ve done all of these things and Rcr have sent an engineer out removed the injector pump and had it looked at they said it’s had it!! Seams a bit odd to us we must say!! 

Can anyone recommend a Barrus Shanks injection pump service engineer please it’s a 2007 edition very thin on the ground 

Have you got the old pump back? most town have a diesel injection company these days who could check it out. I very much doubt Barrus Shanks make their own pumps. Maybe this company could help https://www.cambsinjectorservice.co.uk/

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There was some sort of known injection issue with the Barrus Shanks. It was the Barrus engineer who told me about it when he was checking a gearbox problem on one for me. Cant remember what it was Im afraid but it would be well worth a phone call to the Technical dept at Barrus who may be able to give you some help/advice. 

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Thanks Brian we are in the process of getting the pump back as have had several interesting phone conversations today with various companies regarding the injecter pump, and thanks also PaulJ might give that a go, think that’s why they put a separate external pump on the outside of the newer units 

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