40 sedan bridge forum

My port engine 3116 is slow to turn on. The starboard catches immediately. 1/2 a second maybe. Whereas I have to hold the port start switch for maybe 5 seconds while the engine cranks before it catches. This engine is new with 150 hours from cat. Also I notice with the port the low oil pressure alarm sounds until the engine catches. No alarm on starboard. Thoughts?


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ZZ13 said:
We are playing with an idea. We needed a work area for my wife to do her yarn spinning and weaving with her portable loom. So, I took out the inward stateroom bunk, pulled up the crappy factory carpet, and cut a piece of Infinity flooring to fit. We selected the pattern that we thought best would go with the "woodwork" in the boat. I still have to build a cover for the ductwork that is hidden behind the folding bike there. And I have to figure out what to do with the gray wall. I may just paint it to match the rest of the wall. But, anyway here are some pictures of where I am so far. I put the disassembled bunk in storage at my house and I also plan to pull up the hall/master stateroom carpeted floor as well and replace it with this stuff.
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Finally got around to replacing the carpet on the master stateroom/hall with the same Infinity flooring.
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mjmason1 said:
How do you get at you forward and mid bilge?
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I just roll back the carpet. It has backing and stays in place by itself. When/if I get tired of rolling back the carpet I'll cut out the openings and cover the lids separately.
 
Shayne Epstein said:
My port engine 3116 is slow to turn on. The starboard catches immediately. 1/2 a second maybe. Whereas I have to hold the port start switch for maybe 5 seconds while the engine cranks before it catches. This engine is new with 150 hours from cat. Also I notice with the port the low oil pressure alarm sounds until the engine catches. No alarm on starboard. Thoughts?


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Hi there. I think you'll have better luck if you post this question to the Diesel page on this forum. I can tell you that mine acts similarly. One engine starts right up (1-sec), and the other takes a couple seconds (maybe not 5, but at least 3-4). I'd be curious to see what you learn.
 
Shayne Epstein said:
My port engine 3116 is slow to turn on. The starboard catches immediately. 1/2 a second maybe. Whereas I have to hold the port start switch for maybe 5 seconds while the engine cranks before it catches. This engine is new with 150 hours from cat. Also I notice with the port the low oil pressure alarm sounds until the engine catches. No alarm on starboard. Thoughts?


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Are you bridging the batteries when you start each engine, so that you have all four batteries active when starting each engine?
 
Shayne Epstein said:
My port engine 3116 is slow to turn on. The starboard catches immediately. 1/2 a second maybe. Whereas I have to hold the port start switch for maybe 5 seconds while the engine cranks before it catches. This engine is new with 150 hours from cat. Also I notice with the port the low oil pressure alarm sounds until the engine catches. No alarm on starboard. Thoughts?


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Diesel engines are compression fired which means they develop compression to explode the fuel charge by spinning them over; there is no ignition. They develop compression with cranking speed. If your batteries are weak and the cranking speed is slow, then they are slow to ignite the fuel charge and usually put out a lot of blue smoke when they do start.

The typical cause for this is one weak cell in one of the batteries, or even a generally weak battery in the slow cranking bank. Separate the batteries and load test them. At rest with the surface charge dissipated, the batteries should show 12.6V…..if they don't, then you probably need to look at replacing batteries.

If your batteries check to 12.6V and pass the load test, the problem could be with the injection system since this is a newly rebuilt engine. It should be under warranty os it the slow cranking isn't identified as a voltage problem, then you need to get your Caterpillar dealer involved and diagnose the problem. Slow cranking is very hard on an engine……..wears starter bendix, flywheel ring gear, starter motor, floods the engine with raw diesel fuel which washes lube oil off the cylinder liners and can lead to premature wear, etc.
 
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Thank you so much guys. I did try the emergency start and it did not seem to help. The voltage reads almost 14 at the helm. I will check each battery individually before calling cat. I did notice after the engine is warm it restarts more easily. Not sure what that indicates.


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Each bit of information adds to the picture.........

With over 13V at the helm, there is adequate voltage to spin the engine fast enough to start it quickly.

Since the engine starts normally after it is warm, that rules out fuel delivery issues. So, try this: With the engine cold, advance the throttle to about 1/3 throttle when you start it, as soon as the engine catches, immediately bring it back to the idle stop.......don't let the engine run over 800-1000 rpm. That takes the pressure off of the governor spring in the pump and should aid in starting. If you don't manually remove the spring pressure, then the engine has to turn over enough for the fuel pump to develop enough pressure overcome the governor spring before fuel is delivered to the injectors.

Since this engine is a fresh rebuild, it could just be that the fuel pump just needs some hours on it to start like the other one.......but at 150 hours, I would think they should be starting nearly the same.
 
Did the steps today. Now only one flooring project left - Allure Ultra in the salon. Then all my floors inside and out will be 100% vinyl/PVC. Counting gelcoat, I will have a plastic boat!
6f4f35cb8e0c4dc6d60eb7fadb1c621d.jpg
 
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ZZ13 said:
Did the steps today. Now only one flooring project left - Allure Ultra in the salon. Then all my floors inside and out will be 100% vinyl/PVC. Counting gelcoat, I will have a plastic boat!
6f4f35cb8e0c4dc6d60eb7fadb1c621d.jpg
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Did you remove the old carpet? How did you attach the new carpet to the steps? I am waiting to see the salon project.
 
mjmason1 said:
Did you remove the old carpet? How did you attach the new carpet to the steps? I am waiting to see the salon project.
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Mike, I did pull the old carpet off the steps. The top was glued (not very strong glue, very easy to pull off), and the curl over was stapled to the underside. I then made templates and cut the new steps. I used a contact cement to glue both the top and the curl over on the underside.

Salon project is next week.
 
I am interested I your transition on the steps to the galley. I assume your salon ac is under the steps like mine.
 
mjmason1 said:
I am interested I your transition on the steps to the galley. I assume your salon ac is under the steps like mine.
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Yup. I have that transition as well as two engine room hatches. I am going to have to make some pretty precise cuts
 
Has anyone removed the sliding salon door? Looks like if I remove the black spacer at the top I will then have clearance to lift it up off the bottom track. Thought I'd check here before I dive into it.
 
ZZ13 said:
Has anyone removed the sliding salon door? Looks like if I remove the black spacer at the top I will then have clearance to lift it up off the bottom track. Thought I'd check here before I dive into it.
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Yup, thats it. I had to tighten the handle screw, and the only way was to remove the door. Very easy job
 
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