cannot get engine to restart

[boblivingston]

HI everybody,

I was working on my Universal Atomic Diesel today.

I changed out the Racor fuel/water filter, drained a little bit of water out of the bowl, put it back together, started it up,and the engine started up and ran no problems. Then after 5 minutes at idle, it died, slowly. seemed to starve out on fuel? I gave it throttle but it still died. I figured I had to bleed tea air out of the fuel line. I finally (hard to get to) loosened up the bleed bolt on the fuel filter. Got fuel there, and when I opened up the bleed valve on the injector pumps, no fuel comes out. I messed with it all day, and no fuel comes out?? I try to start the engine to run the mechanical fuel pump, and the engine wont start and the injector bleed valve has no fuel coming out??

I am sorry i messed with it, but now I have a problem.

any suggestions??

Thanks Sincerely,

Bob Livingston
Crealock 37 cutter #148

[centaursailor]

Did you use the manual lever on the fuel lift pump to prime the injector pump?
Operate the lever till fuel appears at the pump bleed screw.
Be careful not to overcrank with a fresh water cooling system. Close the intake till she fires.
Safe sailing

[boblivingston]

Senior Centuar,

Thank you for the advice! My manual makes no mention of a manual lever on the fuel lift pump to prime the injectors. I will look for one.

Regarding the fresh water cooling system, are you suggesting i close the sea water intake until the engine fires? This is because the engine can flood with sea water by sucking the exhaust water into the cylinders if it is not fired.??

Just trying to understand.

Thanks again. I need the assistance.

Bob Livingston Crealock 37 #148

[svjobeth]

When you are using the lift pump(s), patience is required. When I clean and change our Racor and the secondary filter on the engine, (Yanmar), it still takes a few minutes of pumping the lift pump lever to fully prime the system - even though the both filter bowls are refilled with fuel after the element changes.

[boblivingston]

Thank you Bill,

On my Universal, I am trying to locate the decompression lever, OR the Fuel lift pump manual lever. I have not yet located either. I do not yet get internet on board, so I have to keep going back and forth. I do value the help.

Bob

[Faster]

Bob, you've got it right about the RWintake... if you crank and crank and crank the water is still getting pumped through, where it ends up in the water lift muffler. With no combustion gases/exhaust pressure to blow it out the tailpipe it will simply sit there and fill the exhaust system until in backflows into the engine via an open exhaust valve. Then you'll get 'hydrolock' which can do damage but at least will appear to have siezed your engine.

If you can it would be a good idea to drain your muffler now, before you continue.

Your problem is most certainly going to be un bled air... it's now a matter of figuring out how to push the fuel in and the air out.

[BirdBrain333]

Originally Posted by boblivingston

Thank you Bill,

On my Universal, I am trying to locate the decompression lever, OR the Fuel lift pump manual lever. I have not yet located either. I do not yet get internet on board, so I have to keep going back and forth. I do value the help.

Bob

Dear Bob, I am NOT an expert on this but we have a Universal M-50B. To my knowledge it does not have decompression levers (truly too bad) and no manual lift pump. Instead when you turn the key on and press the pre-heat button the electric fuel pump turns on. You can hear the clicking of the pump which slows way down once the lines are full of fuel.

Good luck sorting this out and keep us posted.

Jay

PSC 37, # 171, Kenlanu

[boblivingston]

Hi everyone,

I got it started. I do not really know why, but it started. I never did get air or fuel to come out the injector pump bleed nut??

I kept bleeding the fuel filter, even though it did not need it. I kept trying to start it. I had the sea water intake closed so i did not flood my engine.

I do have a decompression lever on top. Bill Balme told me how to use that. Getting the engine to rotate faster at start up then dropping it back into compression mode is what started it. I could tell it wanted to ,start, so I just kept after it. A lot of glow plug, a lot of fuel, high revs with decompression on, and drop it into compression, hold down glow plug and keep starter running,-- Pray, swear, and beg. Once started, I ran it for 45 minutes to warm it up, shut it down, waited 1/2 hour, and it restarted at the push of a button.

Thanks to everyone who assisted. You all gave me the confidence to keep trying things.

Bob Livingston, PSC37 #148 Gyre

[billbalme]

Well done Bob! She'll treat you right if you don't mess with her!!!

[PCSSailor]

Glad you got it started. When it happens again.....

If you have the Universal 5432, there should be a bleed valve located on the fuel injector manifold. The manifold is where the fuel lines exit and attach to the fuel injector nozles at each cylinder. See p 27 of the manual. Facing the engine, it's on the top left (or starboard) side.

Open that bleed plug and turn on your automatic lift pump (don't crank the engine). You should be able to easily turn the bleed plug with two fingers. You should hear a low pitched sound from the pump. If it's high pitched, wait for a minute or two and see if it resonates lower. If so, try cranking the engine.

If that doesn't work, you can carefuly loosen the nut behind the bleed plug and turn on the lift pump. Fuel (and bubles) should run out. If not, you have a leak somewhere before the injector pump.

Be careful around the fuel injector pump....they are very expensive.