2017 & 2018: Oh NO! Not the Generator...

Ongoing Saga: #10

Generator Not Starting and Fuel Line Fitting in Canary Islands.  In Portugal the diesel generator had been sitting for 9 months and wouldn’t start for reasons I could not understand, so I had a mechanic look at it – several as it turned out.  They replaced the gasket for the cover over the valves, checked valve clearances, adjusted them and eventually they started it and we ran it several times.  Great.  They did not think the injectors needed attention as ‘it runs so well’.  Anyway, off we went and it NEVER started again.  

When in the Canary Islands I discovered, while trying to start the generator, that a bleed valve over the fuel line was not seating properly as the thread would not allow full tightening.  Ah ha!  I thought, this must be the problem – allowing air into the fuel lines – a definite no no.  Fortunately, a visit to one of the marina chandleries proved fruitful and the very helpful gentleman there found a suitable fitting somewhere out the back of the shop which matched my fitting.   It cost next to nothing too and I was so grateful.  Even so, the generator would still not start.

I had two other mechanics check the generator over for me – in Antigua and then Sint Maarten – and they could not start it.  We didn't have time to wait in the Turks Caicos (the weather was a bit iffy) or I would have had a mechanic go over it there too.  The motor turns over fine but just won’t start.  

The consequences of course made themselves clear as we moved along the Atlantic ICW (US coast) where we anchored out rather than hooking up to electrics at marinas.  See comments on batteries.  The plan is to have our very sad generator checked out again when I'm back in the USA.  Another job for next year...