Clean/replace all your fuel filters and let us know
what happens.
Diagnosis based on "started up and made power after
sailing in rough seas" probably shook enough trash off
the prefilter/filter media to allow full flow.
If the prop failed to fully deploy you would have a
overspeed condition due to lack of resistance.
--- Dimitris <dkra@pcsystems.gr> wrote:

I am facing continuously the following problem
which annoys me very
much and can even become dangerous.

I am starting the engine and everything is ok. I can
increase the
revolutions and the power without any problem. I go
out of the
harbor and I stop the engine for sailing every time
I am starting
the engine (after sailimg and without furling in all
sails ) I have
to wait 10 minutes until the engine increases
revolutions and the
power and as you can imagine I never know if this is
going to happen
when I am approaching land I start the engine well
before hoping
that the engine will work. I think that it could be
that the
autoprop is starting to unfold but to me it is not
normal that the
engine can not increase the revolutions. It never
happened when I
start the engine after leaving with the boat from
the harbor. I had
a technician onboard and he told me that propably
this happens
because the tank was half empty and the fuel went
out of the engine
back to the tank and the fuel pump needs time to
refill the engine
and increase the revolutions and the power. I filled
the tank but
the same happens. I even tried to pump by hand the
fuel pump on the
engine but I could not see any improvement when the
problem arise
after sailing and starting the engine.

I was suspecting air in the fuel circuit as I had
also when the boat
was delivered to me but the technician is not
convinced. He proposed
to put an electric fuel pump after the Racor filter
but I am not
very keen of doing that. . Could it be a fuel filter
problem?


This week-end I made a test suggested by Amel . As
always you never
have the problem when you are trying to find a
solution for that. I
sailed for about 45 minutes in a pretty rough sea of
about 25 Knots
apparent wind and when I started the engine it
worked normally. I
really do not know what is going on. I believe that
it is a problem
of the propeller but I do not know how long it takes
to fold and
unfold the blades. What I have done is that I furled
in the sails .
Normally when I started the engine I continue
sailing with the sails
in place and perhaps this speed is not allowing the
blades to
unfold.

Has somebody had a similar problem?

__________________________________
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Message text written by INTERNET:amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com

<

Thanks Eric for the bad news that there is an inaccessible filter built in
to the bottom of the fuel tank. The engine problem is similar to the one I
had years ago on my Oyster 435. This I tracked down to "secret" filter in
the bottom of the fuel tank which started life as a sandwich about 6"x 3" x
2" thick. The tank was GRP and the fuel lines were connected through the
top of it. The 2" sides were made of fine brass mesh and as my fuel had
suffered from a bacterial infection which I may have made worse by using a
bactericide thus putting a lot of corpses into the tank. I limped into
harbour by blowing down the fuel line for the heater which gave very
temporary relief with full power. When I opened the inspection hatch I was
able to pull the filter above the fuel level to find that the filter was
now only about one inch thick as the vacuum from the fuel pump had
collapsed the filter which was clogged with black sludge. I removed the
filter and threw it away, bending the two pipes (one was for an oil fired
heater not installed) back so that the fuel line did not reach the bottom
and the spare pipe down to the bottom so that I could suck out condensation
water from the bottom of the tank from time to time.
I am sorry to see that Amel put an inaccessible filter in the bottom of the
tank as well as mounting the Racor filter so low down that it is hard to
service. I now plan to run my tank nearly dry so that I can empty it and
throw away that internal filter.
When I was in Fiji I had the injector pump serviced (after about 12,000
hours) and the Bosch agent there suggested that he should "polish the
fuel". What this involved, and may solve the present problem without
draining the tank, was that he came along with a trolley fitted with two
very large Racor filters and an electric pump. The pump inlet was a long
tube on the end of a hose so that he could move the suction around the
bottom of the tank. The polished fuel was of course returned to the tank
making a nice swirling movement to stir up all the detritus of deceased
bacteria etc.. The process took several hours. If this solution is taken
then the only other precaution neccessary would be to blow air or fuel back
down into the tank to purge that silly internal filter whilst the polishing
is being done.
It will be interesting to hear the outcome in due course !

Best wishes from Croatia, John, Bali Hai, SM319

John,

If your tank is anything like mine you cant get to the back of the strainer
from the inspection port there is a baffle in the way.. I would suggest
pumping the tank out into Gerry can or a few drums and remove and inspect
the filter it is very easy..



I have a jabsco vane pump and a large racor filter that I made up for my old
boat that I use on the Amel. I have a long soft piece of copper tubing
leading to the racor filter. From there to the jabsco pump. then to fuel
rated hose. I "polish" my own tank with this gadget once a year to clean the
crud off the bottom of the tank. It works like a charm. At Ian Jenkins
suggestion (Pen Azen) I also had Amel install a humongous racor filter and
50 liter per minute pump. As I fill the tank the fuel is pre filtered
through the racor and the fuel goes in extremely clean.

Fair winds,

Eric







_____

From: Anne and John Hollamby [mailto:hollamby@compuserve.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 5:11 AM
To: INTERNET:amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Amel Yacht Owners] Engine-Autoprop problem



Message text written by INTERNET:amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com

<

Thanks Eric for the bad news that there is an inaccessible filter built in
to the bottom of the fuel tank. The engine problem is similar to the one I
had years ago on my Oyster 435. This I tracked down to "secret" filter in
the bottom of the fuel tank which started life as a sandwich about 6"x 3" x
2" thick. The tank was GRP and the fuel lines were connected through the
top of it. The 2" sides were made of fine brass mesh and as my fuel had
suffered from a bacterial infection which I may have made worse by using a
bactericide thus putting a lot of corpses into the tank. I limped into
harbour by blowing down the fuel line for the heater which gave very
temporary relief with full power. When I opened the inspection hatch I was
able to pull the filter above the fuel level to find that the filter was
now only about one inch thick as the vacuum from the fuel pump had
collapsed the filter which was clogged with black sludge. I removed the
filter and threw it away, bending the two pipes (one was for an oil fired
heater not installed) back so that the fuel line did not reach the bottom
and the spare pipe down to the bottom so that I could suck out condensation
water from the bottom of the tank from time to time.
I am sorry to see that Amel put an inaccessible filter in the bottom of the
tank as well as mounting the Racor filter so low down that it is hard to
service. I now plan to run my tank nearly dry so that I can empty it and
throw away that internal filter.
When I was in Fiji I had the injector pump serviced (after about 12,000
hours) and the Bosch agent there suggested that he should "polish the
fuel". What this involved, and may solve the present problem without
draining the tank, was that he came along with a trolley fitted with two
very large Racor filters and an electric pump. The pump inlet was a long
tube on the end of a hose so that he could move the suction around the
bottom of the tank. The polished fuel was of course returned to the tank
making a nice swirling movement to stir up all the detritus of deceased
bacteria etc.. The process took several hours. If this solution is taken
then the only other precaution neccessary would be to blow air or fuel back
down into the tank to purge that silly internal filter whilst the polishing
is being done.
It will be interesting to hear the outcome in due course !

Best wishes from Croatia, John, Bali Hai, SM319





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