my engine DIED, stranded alone at sea? [ep 214]

Comments · 892

• LA

  @laurenlanders · 1 month ago · pinned

  thank you all for watching and supporting! The engine has been serviced, filters changed, and fuel added! I am thinking it was a combination of low fuel, clogged filters, and swell -- allowing air into the lines

  304

• BI

  @billhansen3211 · 1 month ago

  I lived off-grid for 62 years and operated diesel generators for all that time. When I was a young teenager, an old diesel mechanic told me that when a diesel won't start or runs badly, 95% of the time it is a clogged fuel filter. It was advice that served me well.

  182

• RO

  @rodhampton56 · 1 month ago

  I would change the fuel filter to start with because it sounds like it's starving for fuel

  260

• RO

  @robertanderson-yx8mo · 1 month ago

  You stayed calm that&apos;s the main thing what a pro.<br>Get it serviced .

  129

• BI

  @BigIronTexas · 1 month ago (edited)

  It&apos;s a diesel so it only needs fuel, air, compression and timing to run. You aren&apos;t going to suddenly lose compression like that. Timing is controlled by the injection pump and is probably fine. You can pop the air filter off to eliminate air restriction issues. You can see by now that it&apos;s most likely a fuel delivery issue.<br>I would run a fuel hose directly from a fuel can to the lift pump and try and prime the system by cranking with your bleed valves open. Then close those valves, crank it up and it&apos;ll run fine. Once you get somewhere you can anchor, assess, clean and repair all aspects of your engines fuel delivery system (fuel pickup, line blockages, fuel filters, check fuel water separator, etc).

  140

• JA

  @jameyclarke6473 · 1 month ago

  I have lived this exact problem. With my wife and 4 young daughters on board. &nbsp;The problem was contamination in the fuel tank. The sludge gets agitated in rough water and the engine bogs down and won’t run. I can guarantee that you will save yourself a ton of future problems if you actually empty out your fuel tank and use some rags to scoop out the sludge and wipe down the inside of the tank. If you don’t do this the problem will keep popping up. Often just when you really want the engine. I remember motoring into palm beach inlet on a return sail straight from the southern Bahamas. We entered the channel with southeast wind at 25 and outgoing tide making spreader high waves on both sides of the channel. The motor worked because I took the time and effort to listen to one of my cruising buddies tell me the same wisdom I am sharing with you Lauren. You got through this one safely but imagine if you were maintaining a plane engine. You would be darn sure you knew what caused the issue before taking off again.

  11

• ZO

  @Zonfeair · 1 month ago

  As a former Navy BT Engineer I would say. Yes clean it all and replace all of those rusted clamps. Check all of the hoses and fittings. Corrosion is the killer of any metal that comes in contact with sea water. Even stainless Steel will corrode over time. Change all the filters and if you haven&apos;t done an oil change recently get that done as well. Check all of the belts and if they show signs of ware replace them too. It is also a good idea to have a set of belts on hand for emergencies.<br><br>Being safe at sea is only as good as your preventative maintenance. In the Navy we called it PMS Scheduling (Preventative Maintenance Service).

  35

• LE

  @leifnilsen6107 · 15 hours ago

  I&apos;m really happy you managed to figure out the problem and got a back running again. ❤🙏👏👏👏🏆

• OU

  @oufticom · 1 month ago

  Definitely sounds like fuel starvation.<br>That&apos;s why I like the principle of a day tank that you can open and inspect and with filters in and out.

  17

• SU

  @superiorhealthcures · 1 month ago

  sounds like bad diesel and clogged filter.

  69

• TI

  @Timetrends-n5t · 1 month ago

  Install a duplex fuel filter, one goes funny you switch to the other and put a new filter in the dirty one

  7

• SC

  @Scania770V8 · 1 month ago

  You have good friends to help you along your way. We should all be so lucky to have friends like yours

  19