Pressing On!

Today, I pressed on! 

The engine is still waiting for some professional attention, (the Marvel Mystery Oil didn't work). So, while I wait for that, I pressed on... the house paneling and headliner. The port side paneling is now complete, (minus trim work), and I started on the port side headliner. I used double bubble reflective insulation and managed to get a small section done and it looks pretty good.

Pics below...

Thanks for stopping by.

Fair seas and God bless!

Troubleshooting...

First, I want to thank Erica and Jordan for showing up to help with the engine issues I've been having. I think it's amazing that you can meet someone via their blog, http://www.seadoodle.com/, and then they will drive forty miles to help a perfect stranger for the sake of helping! That's "Good Folk" as we'd say in the South. Of course, they are Westsailors, and that obviously speaks to their good taste. BTW, their boat, NAMI - a Westsail 28, is cruise ready, in great shape, and available for purchase now. You can get more information and pictures at the following link, http://www.seadoodle.com/boat/. Thanks again Jordan and Erica.

The engine was removed in short time and placed on its ground supports, (boat blocks), and prepared for inspection and diagnosis, (fancy terminology for settin' her down, proppin' her up, and checkin' her out). 

Jordan bled all the fuel lines while I wandered around looking for something, (I can't remember for what now). Erica was busy looking up info on the web and securing items needed for the troubleshooting process. 

We decided to remove the fuel lines at each of the four fuel injectors. After the expenditure of a substantial amount of elbow grease, we were successful and discovered that the front cylinder was the only one getting fuel injected from the high pressure injection fuel pump.

We then moved to the HP Pump itself and removed each line and again, only the front line for the front cylinder was spitting fuel. At the advice of Jimmy at Shearwater Marine who could not have been more helpful, we filled the HP Pump, each injector, and all other possible fuel lines with Marvel Mystery Oil. His advice was to let this sit for two to three days, turning the engine and refilling the aforementioned locations with more Marvel Mystery Oil.

If this process does not work, I will remove piston cover plate for cleaning and more Marvel Mystery Oil.

The engine would fire right up when a squirt of starting fluid was sprayed into the air intake. This was encouraging and made it clear that the engine will start if fuel was getting to the injectors.

By Friday evening or Saturday afternoon, this process will be complete and I should be closer to a resolution. I hope the Marvel Mystery Oil does a marvel!

As always, any input, recommendations, and/or advice is more than welcomed.

Fair seas and God bless!

Maybe It's Not So Bad...

Well, it's been a week since the engine event...or lack thereof. (For those who do not know, my engine would not start last week and I was told by the mechanic that it was the high pressure fuel pump). Since then, I've got a lot of advice from friends, Westsail Facebook friends, and two diesel mechanics, and most think that the bad high pressure fuel pump may not be "bad". A lot of informed and experienced people think that because the engine sat so long, the pump may just need cleaning and is gummed up. So, maybe it's not so bad. At worst, I can have the high pressure fuel pump rebuilt for less than half to a new pumps price.

Anyway, I'm pulling the engine back out of the boat to potentially rebuild it, if necessary. That happens Monday morning at 9:00 AM, so if you're in the area and want to help, I would welcome the extra hands as well as the company.

Meanwhile, I decided to start a new project to occupy some time and because I can see the progress clearly, which will make me feel better... and I NEED to feel better after last week's potentially bad news. That project is the the house panelling and the headliner. My choice for material is... 

Vinyl Reversible Panel Wainscot Moulding.

• The Plastpro Planking & Wainscot Veranda 6-Piece 3 ft. x 7-1/4 in. x 1/4 in. 

• Vinyl Reversible Panel Wainscot Moulding

• Cellular vinyl for strength and durability

• White finish provides a classic look and can be painted based on your preference

• Moisture- and rot-resistant construction

• Reversible design with a wide edge bead and a narrow edge bead

• Low maintenance design is easy to care for

• Use as interior or exterior panel moulding

This stuff is perfect for a sailboat. It looks like painted beadboard but is vinyl and completely waterproof. The planks are reversible so I'm using the two board look for the sides of the house and the three board look for the headliner. I will use reflective double bubble insulation for the headliner. Then, I will use hardwood trim stained to match the rest of the wood stain in the boat and It is going to look great. The planks are 32 inches long so I will use 16 inch centers for the headliner.

Here are the pics so far...

The uneven tops will be covered by hardwood trim
once the headliner is installed.

Fair seas and God bless!

Bad News...

After two hours of trying, the engine would not start. Though the engine would kick over with starting spray and WD40, no fuel was getting to the injectors. The high pressure fuel pump is not working. Also, two of the t-tubes at the fuel injectors that provide return fuel were broken. 

Major setback! Checking possibilities for rebuilding the fuel pump on Monday, but regardless, this is a let down. Any ideas/suggestions would be welcomed.

I did finish the painting of one side of the rudder, I'll finish the other side next week.

Thanks for stopping by.

(Fuji's concern for the day...must be nice!)

Fair seas and God bless!

Getting Ready...

Well, the water exhaust is in. We're ready for Saturday morning and final hook-up and test of the engine. It appears that this is the way it was installed before but I'm not sure I'm satisfied with its location as it is so close to the shaft. If any other Westsail owners read this, I would love some input here.

I also painted the Rudder with two coats of topside paint. I used a method called, "Roll & Tip" which worked great. It looks sprayed on. I have to fine sand it, put on two more coats, then turn the rudder over and do the other side. All in all, a productive day getting ready for the big day tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fair seas and God bless!