Engine cannot start

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Merlyn
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Merlyn »

Just idly wondering on this one, could it possibly be a Sub. and it's rigged for silent running?
Could be a reason for not hearing anything perchance?
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Revolver
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Revolver »

So...lube, fuel, air, cooling...no alarms....

Did you check to see if there are conrods and pistons in the engine? Lol
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Merlyn
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Merlyn »

Revolver,
Beware, I fear we must excercise caution here, this could well be a rebadged round and rounder/ hair drier Ge2500 series type jobby whereby it wouldn't have conrods or Pistons fitted.
Could be a setup mind.
Worst things happen at sea as we all well know.
You know, grind off the rivets/ bolts and pop rivet the manufactures plate onto the round and rounder.
Possibility not to be discounted methinks.
Hate for you to get caught out.
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Revolver
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Revolver »

...Sounds about as likely as what I said ha
Strange things happen indeed...
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JK
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by JK »

I saw an incident report on an engine failure, once upon a time, where it was stated that one of the liners and conrod was missing. I thought it was rather strange at the time... but then again I wasn't privy to the details
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Merlyn
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Merlyn »

Could be the Doxford one that came back to uk from the other side of the world way way back .
Crosshead, piston and liner removed to get her home.
They boasted about it for years I well remember.
Remembering The Good Old days, when Chiefs stood watches and all Torque settings were F.T.
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JK
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by JK »

I sailed with a guy who talked about hanging the piston and rods in a Doxford so they could carry on. but it has been years since I heard the story.
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Merlyn
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Merlyn »

I well remember marvelling in awe when this happened way way back .
Thinking about it now, if the bottom end was let go on the crank how was the OP kept up?
Must have made up an expanding mandrel type device for the oilhole to prevent it pumping against no resistance and endangering the mains/ bigends etc etc
Might be somewhere on line?
Remembering The Good Old days, when Chiefs stood watches and all Torque settings were F.T.
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JK
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by JK »

We need a Doxford guy to enlighten us. I remember the story but fuzzy on the details. It must have been an all-nighter over a few pints.
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Merlyn
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Merlyn »

I well remember from school days concerning the Dutch boy who saved his town by plugging the leaking dam with his finger but I suppose its to much to ask if that was how the journal oil hole was plugged in this case
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Big Pete »

When I was a Junior Engineer, back in the 70's, I joined a ship called the Strathleven, (ex Middlesex, ex Jellunga) that had been built in 1953 with twin RSG Sulzers. Before I joined, the Third on watch had heard a knocking noise from one cylinder and gone to get a screwdriver to use as a stethoscope, on his way back to the engine, the crosshead, the piston rod and conn rod came out of the side of the engine. That gave him a nasty shock, he stopped the engine quicker than he ever had before!

It turned out that the nut on the bottom of the "J" bracket from the crosshead, where the scavenge pump piston was bolted on, had worked loose and was bottoming out on the ledge inside the crankcase door at the bottom of each stroke, which was what the Third had heard, the force became too great and ripped the crosshead out of the side of the engine.
They continued to Sri Lanka on one engine and got a shore squad in, in Colombo, to rip out the debris, and clean up. Put in a new cylinder liner to make everything water tight, blanked off the fuel, lube to that unit and continued running the engine on 9 cylinders for about a year in total, they tried to complete the repair in Singapore soon after I joined, I think Metallock had to make a repair to the entablature first, but Sulzer delivered two new crosshead guides which were both handed the same instead of being a pair, they re drilled one but couldn't get it to the tolerance for being parallel, so had to remove all the internal pipework that they had made and fitted, blank everything off again and waited 6 months for a matching pair of guides to be supplied while the ship went to Australia and back.
Eventually got the crosshead guides fitted and new Xhd, piston rod, connecting rod and piston fitted in Singapore Northbound, discharged all the cargo in the Persian Gulf and came south as far as Karachi where the ship was sold for scrap and run up the Beach.
BP
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Merlyn
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Merlyn »

Looks like another one DITWJ.
( Dead In The Water Jobby)
Now we will never know.
Unable to further ones career yet again.
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Atlantic »

Maybe they didn’t fill out the right checklist? Try arrival departure and DP checklist? :roll:
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Merlyn
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by Merlyn »

What like opening isolater shut off valves maybe?
I always reckoned that air was good for supporting aircraft etc but never did fit in very well with fuel systems.
Bit like being offered water really when out on the ale.
My take on that stuff is it's best used for supporting fishes and the like.
Can't think of much more to add on this one.
Just hope it's running the right way.
Remembering The Good Old days, when Chiefs stood watches and all Torque settings were F.T.
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Re: Engine cannot start

Post by popeye62 »

This does sound like a fuel problem. Presuming there is compression, the engine is reaching ignition speed and the low LO press. is not an issue. Is the fuel supply pressure on the local panel correct (between the blue marks)? crack the connection to the back of the gauge (it's a good idea to do this when on gas oil as it will remain in the gauge line even when running on heavy) to release air. Crack open the vents or an erosion/deflector plug on each of the fuel pumps and make sure the pumps are full of fuel, any air in the hp side will be forced through the injector but will take some cranking with the indices on 10. By-pass the governor but do not disconnect it just operate the rack against the spring link on the governor arm. With the engine stopped what happens when you put the lever to 'Run', does the governor put fuel on with a mechanical link or an air reservoir or does it require the governor oil pump to be running? Either way the test can be done stopped or during cranking. The governor is not stated but in my manual it is given as Zexel RDH6 and 'can be equipped with an auxiliary starting booster' is it? Regarding the fuel pump overhaul, were the discharge valves changed for new? They cannot be overhauled. If the v/vs are leaking the hp fuel will just go up and down in the hp pipe and not open the injector.
Personally I would not spray tri-chloro-carbons or tetra-chloro-carbons, ethanes or ethenes into the T/C (don't mix them up). Neither would I spray ether based (low flash, high cetane number) 'Easy start' products in, somebody will blow up the exhaust manifold/trunking. Regarding the embarrassing f**k ups, yes, when trouble shooting on a vessel hold your hand up, it saves so much time, it stops other people from making it and you will have more respect from the others trust me, I know. On here I suppose it is up to the individual.
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