Clean Fuel Essentials

7 tips to ensure a smooth running engine all year long

BY DENNISON BERWICK

Lack of clean fuel is the main cause of engine running problems—and the most easily avoided trouble! Diesel engines require very clean fuel because the fuel acts as a lubricant inside the injection pump and injectors. Tolerances between metal parts are very small (down to 0.2 microns in some pumps, compared to 100 microns for a grain of sand).

These seven tips, or precautions, can help ensure that only scrupulously clean fuel reaches the injection pump and injectors: 2

1

Buy Clean Fuel From A Reliable Source

Avoid refueling within three hours of a fuel delivery at a service station; waiting allows any debris and water stirred up in the station’s tanks to settle. Contamination should be suspected if buying from fuel drums, which may leak rainwater; fuel barges, which may have a leak; or in many smaller communities outside North America and Europe. If necessary, fill clean jerry cans with the fuel and allow to stand overnight. Any debris and water will settle to the bottom and clean diesel can be syphoned out.

USE A FILTER FUNNEL TO PRE-FILTER FUEL BEFORE IT

GOES INTO THE TANK(S)

Filter funnels are inexpensive and take out water and larger sediments. Using a filter-funnel will slow the process of filling the tank, so best done when the marina pump is not busy! Check that the O-ring of the deck fuel fitting is not kinked when tightened.

3

ADD A PREVENTIVE DOSE OF BIOCIDE TO MIX WITH THE DIESEL WHILE FUELING

Biocide kills hydrocarbon utilizing microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and yeasts—collectively known as “HUM”) which live in the fuel/water interface and feed on the carbon in diesel. HUM can grow very fast in warm conditions. HUM slime will plug filters and hoses, starving the injection pump of fuel and stopping the engine. The entire fuel circuit will need to be cleaned out after a HUM infestation; prevention is easier.

4

CHECK IF THE FUEL PUMP (LIFT OR TRANSFER PUMP) HAS A WIRE GAUZE SCREEN

This information should be in the engine manual. This screen is coarse (typically 70 microns) but can clog with gunge over time. Checking and cleaning should be part of an annual inspection.

5

REPLACE THE SECONDARY FUEL FILTER (ON-ENGINE FUEL FILTER) AT LEAST EVERY SECOND CHANGE OF THE PRIMARY FILTER

This is the last defense to prevent dirt or HUM slime reaching the injection pump. The filter either uses a replaceable element or a canister (similar to a small oil filter). The filter element should be two microns; however few manufacturers state the micron size on their replacement canisters.

Hands On Boater

6

CHANGE THE PRIMARY

Fuel Filter Element Regularly

The primary fuel filter, fitted between the tank and the engine’s lift (transfer) pump, is the main defense to prevent dirt and water reaching the engine.

This essential filter is not provided by engine manufacturers and must be installed by the boat builder or boat owner. Filter units come in different physical sizes and different sizes of fuel filtration. Some units have an easy-to-change top-loading replaceable element, others a spin-on disposable canister. The filter element should be 10 microns. Centrifugal force separates water from the fuel in the filter bowl which should be inspected regularly and drained, if necessary.

Do not wait for the filter element to look dirty; most of the particles the filter is removing are too small to see with the human eye. Changing once a season, or more often if contamination is suspected or the engine is running many hours, is an inexpensive precaution. Keep a few spare filters on board. A vacuum gauge fitted to the filter unit will give an accurate indication of when the filter needs to be changed. Be careful not to kink the O-rings on the filter assembly—air can be sucked into the system.

In general, the larger the primary fuel filter the better—if it fits in the space available. A small filter can be quickly overwhelmed by sludge stirred up in a seaway, potentially stopping the engine at a critical time. A larger filter that’s easy to access, with a filter element that’s easy to change, makes regular inspection and maintenance more likely and can be a worthwhile upgrade.

A good time to do this is after you change a fuel filter. Open the bleed screw half a turn on the top of the secondary filter. Most lift pumps have a small manual pump to move fuel. As the handle is pumped, air and some fuel will bubble out of the bleed screw. Wrap a rag or paper towel around the filter to catch the fuel. Pump until only fuel, and no air, comes out. Then retighten the bleed screw. (If the pump handle will not move, the engine needs to be manually rotated half a turn to allow the pump diaphragm to move.)

Some engines bleed air automatically. Older engines will require manual bleeding. This is a useful skill to practice. Even a little air can stop any engine from starting or running. Make sure all hose clamps are tight. A small leak between the tank and the lift pump will allow air into the system. A leak after the lift pump will show as a fuel drip; it can also allow air into the system when the engine is stopped.

The injection pump and injectors will also need to be bled if, a) the engine ran out of fuel, or b) the engine was hunting for fuel before stopping. Both conditions mean there could be air in the injections.

TAKING A LITTLE extra care when adding fuel and changing filters, on a well designed and installed fuel system, goes a long way to ensuring reliable running.

We make getting out of boat ownership a breeze.

We make getting out of boat ownership a breeze.

Donate your boat in support of our local community of sailors with disabilities and receive a tax receipt for its full market value.

Donate your boat in support of our local community of sailors with disabilities and receive a tax receipt for its full market value.

We call that a win-win.

We call that a win-win.

BY ALEX FOX

Thoughts on helming Finding the Groove Again

Ah yes, the groove, it’s part of most every sailboat racer’s vocabulary. But if we were to ask 10 sailors to define it I suspect the answers would range considerably. I find myself jumping back on the

Ahelm of a Martin 242, close to a year since I last helmed the boat in a regatta. It felt familiar of course, but I’ve found it a little difficult recapturing the groove consistently, so this month I thought I’d take a little time to revisit that somewhat vague space, where everything is going well, the boat’s fast and things just click and make sense. That’s finding the groove!

Let’s begin with talking a little bit about the basics of sailing. For the non-sailor and those just beginning in the sport it all must seem a little magi- cal and mystical. Why does this invisible force, push, pull or even move a sailboat through the water at all? How does a sailboat even go upwind? These are two good questions, that I think if we can basically answer first, might help set some perspective for our groove discussion. I usually start this conversation with this: Sailboats are a unique vehicle in that they operate in two fluids, water and air. The underwater part of the hull and appendages interact with and move through the water, while the rest of the boat above the water, interacts with and moves through the air. The force that drives the boat in simple terms is air movement. The wind flows over, around and into the rig and the sails creating a driving force through pressure differential between the windward (high pressure) and the leeward (low pressure) sides of the sail. Sometimes the air flows quite smoothly and there’s a semblance of a consistent airflow across the sails, this would be when sailing upwind and reaching. Other times there’s more turbulent flow, what some call the barn door effect, the wind simply pushing against the sails and the rig. This force, lift, generated by the wind and the sails is counteracted by the lateral resistance, of the underwater hull, keel and rudder. Instead of the boat simply falling over or sliding sideways, it moves forward. It’s easier to understand if the wind is further aft where the forces generated push the boat forward. OK, so perhaps there are a few over-simplifications here, but this sets the foundation for our discussion.

Every racer has experienced being in the groove, consciously or not. Finding that thing can seem difficult or downright impossible at times. I think we should look to define just what being in the groove is. First off, I would say the signs of being in the groove could be a speed edge over the boats around you. Next, it might be when the boat just feels balanced and right, moving through the water smoothly and effortlessly. Perhaps the helm is perfectly balanced, or maybe there’s just a little bite to it allowing the boat to list and point a little higher. It could be when all the telltales are flowing evenly and the sails look perfect. Being in the groove then could be many different things, but the common thread is always going to be: The boat’s going fast! So, we’ve begun to define what being in the groove is, now the tricky part, staying in the groove.

This part of the puzzle is about recognition and understanding. Every racer may locate the groove from time to time, I dare say, the most successful racers are able to find and sustain sailing in the groove a higher percentage of the time. That begins and ends with recognition and understanding. I would go a little further and say that stumbling into the groove can happen, but staying in the groove consistently is not an accident. Knowing what fast sail trim looks like, having settings that are repeatable, these are two of the main contributors to tapping into the groove, the how’s and the why’s. Here’s an example of that. We’re sailing upwind, five boat lengths to windward of another boat. The first question is always, “How’s our relative speed?” If the answer is, “We’re a little slow,” that’s a call to action for the helmsman and the trimmers. The helm might ask for a slight ease on the jib and begin to put the bow down a couple of degrees. Perhaps an inch of mainsheet ease, a hair more twist. The boat accelerates half a knot. “How are we doing?” “Speed’s good, we’re moving forward slightly.” “OK, good, a little weight up, we’re slightly heeled. “Speed’s better, we’re moving forward nicely.” This could be a typical conversation on any upwind leg, it didn’t happen by accident. Finding the groove and staying in it takes observation, knowledge and application of known principles. Acquiring that understanding is always going to be about attention to detail, figuring out trim settings and being able to replicate them for a given condition. Easy? Not so much. Never be afraid to try different things, that’s always my advice. Discovery will always come from experimentation. Having an open mind will often lead you to find an extra gear that wasn’t so obvious and might not even be fully explainable. Sometimes staying in the groove is just about suspending what you think you know and staying in the moment.

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I think being in the groove could also be defined in other ways as well. There is no doubt that one’s state of mind is directly related to finding the groove. Confidence and belief are critical factors in any sport at any level. The groove is generally about finding a certain balance and a calm that allows good things to happen. Tension, worry, anxiety are the negative stressors that cloud judgements and distract from the sometimessimple elements at play. I think it’s important sometimes, when the groove seems elusive, or just impossible to find, to breathe deeply, push the reset button, clear your head of all those extraneous thoughts and enjoy the moment. Getting back to basics like pulling off a few good tacks in a row, putting the bow down upwind or the bow up downwind and letting the boat rumble (go fast). Two lessons I think about from time to time. Paul Elvstrom, arguably the most famous, successful racer ever, gave up racing for over a decade because he put so much pressure on himself to win, it literally made him ill. Dave Ullman, sailmaker and multiple world multiclass champion, told me a story of how he had just come off his third world 470 win in a row and he was favoured to go to the Olympics and win gold. He didn’t win the US trials and he attributed it to the fact that he was so stressed in his personal and business life that he sailed tight and he just couldn’t find his groove.

The lesson there for me is that finding the groove is about finding your happy place, enjoying the process and trying your best to sail freely and relaxed. A few other quickfire notes on what I think finding the groove is about. Let’s begin with having full control of your boat. This extends to the entire crew knowing the boat and each other. Sailing, and racing a sailboat in particular, is about synergy and it’s about being an active participant in the process. That’s the difference between being a crewmember and a passenger. Finding and staying in the groove is about moving your weight at the right time, it’s also about the mechanics of movement and working efficiently together as a team. I think there are other grooves to get into besides just the obvious boat speed groove, such as the starting groove in a regatta. How many times have you raced in a weekend regatta and had two good starts and four not so good? I think getting into a starting groove early in any regatta is really important! It begins with getting more than a few things sorted, beginning with crew work and communication. Having a good rapport on board and a clear back and forth between helmsman, tactician and trimmers is vital. The other important things to work on are spatial awareness and time and distance judgement. All of these things together, add up to having good control of your boat, and that’s what leads to finding a consistent starting groove.

I get the feeling we’ve only just touched on this topic. Until next time good, luck finding your groove on the racecourse, have fun out there. Take care all!

Setup for Stacking Lures

BY TOM DAVIS