Genset running out of fuel

[MyPleasure]

Thanks Bud37.
Yes there is a Fuel/water separator in the generator fuel line which I replace at least once a year, and I put a new fuel pump on earlier this year. The new pump sounds just like the old fuel pump, so I’ll keep the old pump for a spare.
It’s funny that the generator will sometimes shut down from lack of fuel, then other days in will run and not ship up down at all?
After I cleaned the anti siphon valves, I blew them out with an air compressor. They made a fluttering sound when I did this, but I don’t know if that’s normal or not?

[MyPleasure]

As far as the downloading of pictures, I put the pictures in the ‘add files’ and there’s a jpeg file that goes into there, but then do I just hit the submit button?

[MyPleasure]

IMG_0382.png

[MyPleasure]

I think that I finally figured out how to add pictures!

[MyPleasure]

I don’t know if it had anything to do with the fuel starvation or not, but when I removed the fuel filter in the lift pump, I found that the filter had come apart. I bought 2 new filters (at $40 each) and installed the new filter and O rings, and the generator didn’t starve for fuel when we were out for 5 days last week. Didn’t have to use the generator that much thanks to the solar panels, but it didn’t shut down.
That might have been our last trip for this year, so I’ll try running the generator for 30 minutes or so this weekend when I go to the boat.

[Kruggy88]

Did you ever confirm what the problem is? I had this happen to me, I ran my generator out of the port tank over night and it was fine but in the morning I switched it over and the generator died 10-15 minutes later. I don’t have a label for the valve and just the previous owner drawing a sharpie mark for the two tanks on the mounting plate.

I took out the filter and made sure it was clear, I disconnected the fuel line into the carb and cranked to see if pump was working and it pumped fuel but wouldn’t start. I tried removing the line and cranking again but let it crank longer and it pumped fuel or a second or two than stopped. At this point I was stumped but than remembered switching the valve. So I turn it back to the port tank and it ran just fine.
Another annoying thing is non of my fuel selector valves have detents so if you are slightly off, you will be limiting fuel flow. I figured the selector valve was just off but haven’t had time to play around with it.

[MyPleasure]

Hi Kruggy88,
I never did figure out what the original problem was, but I now draw fuel for the geneator strickly from the starboard tank. The generator hasn’t run out of fuel while running off the starboard tank, but now after 3-4 days at anchor, the main engines crank forever before starting. Sometimes I even have to prime the engines before they will start. I would have thought that the anti siphon valves would stop the fuel from going back towards the tanks.
It might be that I have the valve selector switch for the generator fuel supply in the wrong position and it’s letting the fuel draw back from the engines, but I’ll keep trying different settings on tye fuel supply valve and see if I can fix this new problem.

[bud37]

FYI...the anti siphon valves stop the fuel from being siphoned from the tanks into the bilge in the event of a fuel line leak if they are working as designed. Safety device.

Once the engines are running do they run fine ?

[MyPleasure]

I thought that they were running fine, until the port engine started missing last weekend! I pulled the distributor cap and rotor off and found that the advance weights were frozen solid and the springs were broken right off!
Luckily there’s a fellow in town that has been rebuilding distributors and carbs for the hot rod community for the past 65 years. He’s rebuilding and mapping my distributors now. The distributors are Pertronix that someone replaced years ago, and I’ve never checked them since I’ve owned the boat. Now I find out that both engines have been running with no mechanical advance this whole time!
It will be interesting to see if the engines run better, and hopefully get better fuel consumption with the rebuilt distributors.

[waybomb]

I think it will be like a new boat for you. Wow.