Fall layup and spring commissioning came with a return dose of the motor gagging fuel jellies. The winter storage staff experienced this issue in the port motor when they tried to move the boat to winter storage in the fall. And then in the spring, the starboard motor refused to start for them. As a part of winter /repair work they removed clogs from the same places, at a constriction in the top of the fuel intake tube(s) on the fuel tank(s).
We’ve continued to experience this issue since our first experience in the panhandle of Florida more than 3 years ago. The symptoms start with rough running and can quickly progress to a complete stall out.
A few weeks after we began our 2018 cruising season in Charlevoix the starboard motor started up, idled and abruptly died. After multiple attempts to start with no kind of ignition response I turned the engine room ventilation blowers on and opened the access hatches in the second cabin above the fuel tanks and 30 minutes later, removed yet another “jelly” from the starboard tank fuel intake tube. Yay and yuck!
The latest specimen from Claperton Island.
...............and the collection................anybody know what these are?
Charlevoix, MI 2018
Northport, MI 2017
If you look closely (and you undoubtedly will if you’re a real fan of “For Motorheads Only”!) you should see that all of these “jellies” have a similar and uncanny resemblance to what a glob of silicone that came off an embedded screw/bolt into the fuel tank might look like.
Tangier Island, MD 2017
Gulfport, FL 2016
Tarpon Springs, FL 2017
Supporting this and strangely enough, when we had the fuel sending units replaced in Punta Gorda, the mechanic observed that the screws holding the tank level sensor flanges were threaded on the port tank and connected to bosses threaded into the top of the tank (which was “proper”), but that the same connections on the starboard tank were “self-tapping” screws (which is not generally considered to be “proper”).
Hmmm, I’m wondering if our originally inherited mechanic “Walt”, on Lake Allatoona, GA, who had to remove the fuel tanks for the previous owner (and nationally famous federal polygraph expert, Don Xxxxxxxx (but that’s a whole nother story)) and have them steam cleaned, might have stripped the threads reinstalling them and used some kind of caulk to make it all better?
Thankfully this has only happened to one motor at a time and is another good reason to have 2 motors!
Stay tuned, well er, yeah how appropriate is that!
Hurricane Island - 26 Sept 18 Port side motor