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Another good reason to go with an electric fuel pump

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bogdenz

Regular Contributor
On the last run of the season in late fall, my boat simply cut out on me. With no time to spare or trouble-shoot, I pulled it, winterized as best I could without running it and put it in storage.

In trying to get it going this afternoon, it became apparent that the fuel pump wasn't getting anything to the carb (only a 5-year old mechanical). I chalked it up as an ethanol-related diaphragm failure. As I unbolted it, I discovered it was much worse. The bolt/cam that the lever pivots on had failed or come loose and the lever had become disconnected from the pump. I was able to snag the spring and one small piece of debris with a magnet. Unfortunately, as I did this, I heard the wonderful clinging of other broken pieces falling down into the chain cover. Despite some makeshift magnet snakes and an oil drain out, I was unable to recover any other pieces.

I'm now left with the option of rolling the dice that these pieces will find their way into my oil pan (and stay there) before getting chewed up in the sprokets/chains or yanking the motor and tearing off the oil pan and cover to locate the pieces.

If anyone has any good tricks for strategically directing shrapnel out of an engine, I'll take them.

By the way, there was no excessive wear on either the lever or the lobe to indicate that the failure was to do a bigger issue. I'm actually amazed that the lever didn't get chewed upon failure.
 
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Boy, are you (actually) lucky!

I'm afraid the only way to be totally sure is to pull the timing case cover off (as you are already aware. Sorry.)

A few pointers:

1. Drain the block and manifolds thoroughly before beginning! THere's a drain plug on both sides of the block.

2. Make a diagram of the timing cover and note (measure) the length of each bolt as they come out. If not, you'll go batty trying to determine which goes where (and each of the little b*st*rds is a different length!)

3. You might change the front crank seal while it's off--good insurance.

Good luck!

Jeff
 
Thanks Jeff. I've had a stringer job in the cards and it looks like it may happen sooner than later! I've also been building a 340 so maybe that's what'll go back in the boat.

The only other last-ditch I thought of last night (as I lay sleepless dwelling on it) is taking a mega magnet and running it, on the outside, from the bottom of the timing cover up to the pump opening to see if I can drag any pieces up. May also do the same from the front/top of the oil pan down to the drain plug area. Given some of my efforts with a snake magnet, I suspect that the pieces fell into the front of the oil pan (becuase I was able to get a magnet almost to the bottom of the timing cover and didn't get anything).

Thanks as always for your quick response. I'll follow up on this one.
 
You're not going to pull any metal up that way, for the magnet will simply clamp itself to the iron timing cover. Neat thought, though. Hell; you want that 340 in there anyhow, right!

Jeff
 
Let that sleeping dog lie !!! :p

Finish the season out and put the 340 in during winter layup.

I don't think the metal will ever find it's way back up. If it does the chain a sprocket are so beefy, it would chew it up and spit in out to the bottom again.

This is my uneducated answer :eek:
 
Fine if he had twin engines, so he could get back on one. Nobody likes taking a chance the motor could self-destruct any second.

Jeff
 
"If anyone has any good tricks for strategically directing shrapnel out of an engine, I'll take them."

A borescope may help locate parts.

Adapt small i.d. tubing to a shop vac?
 
After successuflly snaking some makeshift magnets and probes all the way down to the bottom of the timing cover, I'm pretty certain that the pieces fell into the oil pan......at which point they're far less of a worry to me. So, as tundrarules said, I'm letting it lie and hoping to get the season out of it.

Fortunately, to your point Jeff, I'm on a fairly small lake so, if it does self-destruct, I'm in a very different situation (safety-wise), than you ocean-goers.

Thanks, as always, for the opinions and ideas.
 
I was wondering the same thing JJ but, when I checked an old one I had lying around, it didn't. That said, I have a mish/mash of street and marine small block parts so they pan I checked may not tell the tale for all. I also checked the drain plug to see if that could be magnetic (like a differential)......no such luck.
 
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