Kibitzing, The $360 Fuel Pump, and The 8mm Wrench

We make it into Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas without incident, using both engines, with the port engine doing what it could. Of course, getting a replacement fuel pump here is unlikely. Mike, Howard, and Sam go looking for a NAPA store while I go off to Customs and Immigration to do our check-in to the Bahamas. They are unsuccessful in their search, so we plan to depart the next day to Emerald Bay, 13 miles up the island chain. There are no maintenance facilities in Emerald Bay, so we just enjoy the marina, which is a part of the Sandals Resort there. I am able to post a request to the Leopard mailing list and get replies before we leave Emerald Bay. One other Leopard cat owner had found drilling shards in his fuel tank. Another suggested a hole in the pump diaphragm, since it is a diaphragm pump.

On May 22, we overhear a conversation between Synchronicity and Perfection about a generator diesel problem. So we join the conversation and describe our symptoms. Some interesting ideas result from the conversation. Perfection had heard of ex-charter boats finding pieces of paper towels or oil absorbent towels in fuel tanks from sloppy work when refueling. Of course, a faulty fuel pump was one of the possibilities, as was an air leak, based on the air found in the filter canister.

Inspecting the fuel pump at this time was out of the question. We had brought tools, but the metric set only went to 9mm and the fuel pump bolts were smaller. So we continue to use the starboard engine and nurse the port engine and ponder the possibilities. In such a scenario, there is always the temptation to start swapping parts between the working engine and the non-working engine in order to troubleshoot the problem. We have enough experience to avoid that temptation. [definition: "Experience" 1. What you get when you don't get what you want.] We also avoided the temptation to attack the bolts with channel locks or other tools. Damaging the bolt heads would only make a workable situation worse.

A 5-7 pound tuna caught on our Cuban Yo-Yo

We sailed to Black Point Harbor (our actual destination was Staniel Cay, but it was starting to get late and we wanted to get anchored before dark). We also caught a small tuna on the Cuban Yo-Yo during this day's trip - fresh sushi and tuna steaks!

Mike studies the engine; why isn't it running smoothly?

May 23, we moved from Black Point Harbor to Staniel Cay, motoring in overcast and rainy skies. Mike tightened the hose clamps and the screws on the top of the fuel pump. These screws hold the diaphragm in place and an air leak on the pump would be a big problem. No success; the port engine still didn't perform as it should. All the hoses feel good and don't seem to have any air leaks. Mike also used a wire to run down the pickup into the tank. It hits the bottom of the tank with a solid sound, suggesting that there's no rag that might clog the pickup. We're starting to spend a lot of time looking at the engine and trying to think of tests that we can do that will clearly identify the problem so we can fix it.


May 24, we moved from Staniel Cay to Rock Sound Harbor, Eleuthras. We anchored a couple of miles from the main settlement and early on May 25, we motored over to the Rock Sound government pier where we tied up for a few hours for a re-provisioning trip. It was raining, but that didn't stop six of us from walking to the store. There is a NAPA store here, and that was the destination for Mike, Sam, Howard, and me. Well, a NAPA store in the islands isn't nearly as well provisioned as it is in the States. A small electric fuel pump was $360. Stateside, it would be less than $80. But, they did have 7mm and 8mm open/box wrenches, which we purchased. Back at LUX, Mike promptly removed the fuel pump (8mm bolts) and found a small amount of engine oil under the diaphragm. His diagnosis was that the seal around the plunger was defective and that the teaspoon of engine oil was keeping the diaphragm from achieving a full stroke. The engine seemed to like it and we thought that the problem was solved.

To Be Continued…