Routine (and not so routine) maintenance is part of the joy of boat ownership. For instance, our main engine requires an oil and filter change every 250 hours and our generator requires the same every 200 hours. We carry the necessary spares and supplies, and I did the generator in Hoonah and just did the main engine the other day in Sitka. They are both plumbed into an oil change pump, so it is really easy to do – the biggest issue is properly disposing of the used oil and filters. Fortunately, most Alaska ports have oil disposal tanks.
While doing the generator oil change I noticed some fluid collecting on one of the motor mounts. Not sure of the source, I cleaned it up with an absorbent pad and decided to keep an eye on it. In Sitka it became clear that it was a fuel leak coming from the injector pump.
Coincidentally, I had gotten a call the day before from Northern Lights diesel guru “Lugger Bob” Senter to discuss an inspection of Miss Miranda in preparation for the CUBAR rally. I called Bob back and he was able to diagnose the problem over the phone. The cause of the leak was likely that the inner o-rings on the pump became stiff and lost their ability to seal. Basically, time to replace the injector pump and have this one rebuilt, as the o-rings are not user-serviceable. I did not have a spare on hand, but called the local Northern Lights dealers. The dealer in Sitka probably could have gotten a replacement here in a day via “Gold Seal” delivery – basically putting the part on an Alaska Airlines flight, but at a cost of $100+ in shipping. I elected to have the part shipped to the Petersburg dealer, as we will be there in a week.
The only other “service opportunity” we’ve dealt with recently was with the ABT Trac stabilizers, which mysteriously went into “SAFE MODE”. Trac service Guru Dave Wright was able to diagnose that issue as a failed “roll control” unit, which we had shipped into Juneau while we were there. That was a very simple part swap and configuration job.
I’m glad that our scheduled maintenance is behind us, and am hoping that we don’t have any more service opportunities.
Update: Self-inflicted “service opportunities “
So, getting ready to depart Sitka this morning, go to start the engine and…. nothing. Crank crank crank, no start. Almost NEVER happens with a Diesel engine. And almost always a fuel issue. So, I checked all the obvious things, and even some difficult to get at non-obvious things (bleeding the injectors) and still nothing. Oh, and I was missing the proper wrench for the injectors. Fortunately, another Nordhavn owner was able to lend both a tool and some experience. Two things. 1) There is a manual fuel pump to prime the system after changing filters, but it only works if the crankshaft is in the right position. 2) it is best to only bleed one or two injectors and not try to do all six. Finally, metric 17 mm for the injectors, and better yet a “crows foot” wrench… look it up. End of story- engine started, all good, now underway. Thanks, Jim!
MV Miss Miranda 