Rick did you check the filter in your fuel pump? If you look in the online manual you will see there is a screen in the fuel pump that may be clogged. Just a thought.
—
Tom Irwin North Saanich, BC, Canada 1983 Catalina 30 - #3134 Until June 10, 2013 Future Catalina 36 MK II owner
I'd check the fuel tank vent, too. Though it would probably take awhile with the small amount of fuel the diesel uses, if it's blocked it would eventually starve the pump.
—
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay
Fuel pump is good? Mk II's will gravity feed and run without a pump if they're more than about half full but might start to starve below that, or above that under heavy load.
Rick, I went thru the same problem last month. Try first disconnecting the hose from the fuel tank to the Racor inlet and if you get gravity flow, then the inlet of your Racor might be plugged.I contacted Racor about this and they said there might be a plugged screen at the inlet ahead of the priming pump. I don't know if there was a screen at my inlet, but it was sure plugged with grit.
Jack F Stewart
1993 C36 #1233 "Windancer"
Port Clinton, OH
Rick-
I'm still learning about my C36, but I had two fuel starvation issues with my C30. The first was discovering that my fuel shutoff lever in the cockpit appeared to be pushed all the way down, but wasn't. The other involved the fuel pump malfunctioning. On the C 30, the electric fuel pump emitted a clicking sound while the glow plugs were being activated to start the engine. It also clicked when the engine was running, but it was difficult to hear. The pump was cycling fuel to build pressure in the lines. When it failed, the clicking noise was not present. I would check that you have voltage to the pump and note if you hear any change to its operational noise.
Glad the problem seems to be solved, but I had the fuel line going INTO the Racor water separator filter clog up.... changing all the filters had no effect, so keep that in mind.
Another point no one has mentioned re fuel problems is that people still find they have a screen on the pick-up tube in the fuel tank itself. If this clogs there is no way to easily clean it other than to take out the tube from the tank. Just about everyone will tell you, if you have this, to take that screen off and let the filters do the screening; its much easier to do that then take the tube out when you pitching and heaving at sea.
If you've never removed the pickup tube, its a rigid tube about 2/3 of the way into the tank, then a flexible tube attached to that running further down. In my case, I found that someone had pulled on the tube yanking off the bottom 1/3. I could easily have picked up air in the line in rough sea shutting down the engine even though the gas gauge might read 1/3 full. Something to check during the off season.
—
Chuck Parker HelenRita 2072 Mk II
2002 Tall Rig - Winged Keel
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Rick did you check the filter in your fuel pump? If you look in the online manual you will see there is a screen in the fuel pump that may be clogged. Just a thought.
Tom Irwin
North Saanich, BC, Canada
1983 Catalina 30 - #3134
Until June 10, 2013
Future Catalina 36 MK II owner
I'd check the fuel tank vent, too. Though it would probably take awhile with the small amount of fuel the diesel uses, if it's blocked it would eventually starve the pump.
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay
Fuel pump is good? Mk II's will gravity feed and run without a pump if they're more than about half full but might start to starve below that, or above that under heavy load.
[url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5078.msg32616.html#msg32616[/url]
Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)
Rick, I went thru the same problem last month. Try first disconnecting the hose from the fuel tank to the Racor inlet and if you get gravity flow, then the inlet of your Racor might be plugged.I contacted Racor about this and they said there might be a plugged screen at the inlet ahead of the priming pump. I don't know if there was a screen at my inlet, but it was sure plugged with grit.
Jack F Stewart
1993 C36 #1233 "Windancer"
Port Clinton, OH
Rick-
I'm still learning about my C36, but I had two fuel starvation issues with my C30. The first was discovering that my fuel shutoff lever in the cockpit appeared to be pushed all the way down, but wasn't. The other involved the fuel pump malfunctioning. On the C 30, the electric fuel pump emitted a clicking sound while the glow plugs were being activated to start the engine. It also clicked when the engine was running, but it was difficult to hear. The pump was cycling fuel to build pressure in the lines. When it failed, the clicking noise was not present. I would check that you have voltage to the pump and note if you hear any change to its operational noise.
Paul Keyser
First Light 2005 C36 # 2257
Paul & Wendy Keyser
"First Light"
Rye NH
2005 C36 MKII #2257
Wing, M35B
.
Those are all good suggestions!
Yes, I thought about the partially closed petcock valve.
But now the engine runs along without stalling, so I guess it was just a bit of residual air in the system that had to find it's way out.
What I'm learning is to change Racor fuel filters early and often.
.
Captain Rick Powers
(USCG OUPV)
1999 Catalina 36 mk II
Hull#1745
Std Rig, Fin Keel
Palo Alto, California
San Francisco Bay
Glad the problem seems to be solved, but I had the fuel line going INTO the Racor water separator filter clog up.... changing all the filters had no effect, so keep that in mind.
Another point no one has mentioned re fuel problems is that people still find they have a screen on the pick-up tube in the fuel tank itself. If this clogs there is no way to easily clean it other than to take out the tube from the tank. Just about everyone will tell you, if you have this, to take that screen off and let the filters do the screening; its much easier to do that then take the tube out when you pitching and heaving at sea.
If you've never removed the pickup tube, its a rigid tube about 2/3 of the way into the tank, then a flexible tube attached to that running further down. In my case, I found that someone had pulled on the tube yanking off the bottom 1/3. I could easily have picked up air in the line in rough sea shutting down the engine even though the gas gauge might read 1/3 full. Something to check during the off season.
Chuck Parker
HelenRita 2072 Mk II
2002 Tall Rig - Winged Keel
Atlantic Highlands, NJ