SIX WEEKS IS A VERY LONG TIME... Happy New Year ?
Well since our last trip back on December 9th not much has really happened on the fishing front. The rain continued to fall for what seemed days then weeks. The river just remained full to bursting, chocolate Brown and largely un fishable for us although we did grab some lure rods and walk the banks of the river Yare one Sunday. It ended up a just "a walk" though. Beach casting rods and 4oz leads would have not been out of place that day.
The joys of Christmas soon came and went. Lots of nice fishing related
presents and warm clothes ready for a real concentrated effort after the Turkey had gone down.
With a couple of nice frosty cold snaps just after the new year, things were starting to fall into place. We planned our first trip for Sunday 6th Jan and i started getting things organized during the week. Various bits of tackle and equipment that had come home were all replaced onto the boat ready for Sunday. One of the last things i did was to check the engine, battery and fuel tank were all ok. As i fired up the engine, something did not seem right. Normally there is a nice steady jet of water coming out of the engine, showing the cooling pump is working. No jet of water ! After a quick check all the pipes were ok everything pointed towards the impeller failing. This the little blade inside the pump that circulates the water.
As soon as i get home im on the internet to look up the symptoms and solutions and the new part is soon ordered. I contact Neil and give him the bad news that we wont be fishing this Sunday. Instead we will be lifting engines off repairing it and then lifting it back on.. I spend the rest of the week getting all the tools, engine stand and everything else ready for the weekend.
The part arrives lunchtime Saturday ! talk about cutting it fine.
Anyway at least we can do the job and move on.
Dean joins us on the Sunday and after about an hour, 200 wires disconnected and most of the engine in bits, we lift it out and place it on the stand in the back of the boat. We drop the lower unit (Gearbox) off the engine and soon have the water pump apart. The new impeller is fitted and while we have the engine apart, I also change the oil, plugs and filter. Putting everything back is always more tricky and everything is checked and double checked as it slowly goes back together. Its an awkward lift to get the engine back on but after a few choice words and scuffed knuckles its back in place. I spend the next hour
re wiring and bolting bits and pieces back on ready for the test.
Well since our last trip back on December 9th not much has really happened on the fishing front. The rain continued to fall for what seemed days then weeks. The river just remained full to bursting, chocolate Brown and largely un fishable for us although we did grab some lure rods and walk the banks of the river Yare one Sunday. It ended up a just "a walk" though. Beach casting rods and 4oz leads would have not been out of place that day.
The joys of Christmas soon came and went. Lots of nice fishing related
presents and warm clothes ready for a real concentrated effort after the Turkey had gone down.
With a couple of nice frosty cold snaps just after the new year, things were starting to fall into place. We planned our first trip for Sunday 6th Jan and i started getting things organized during the week. Various bits of tackle and equipment that had come home were all replaced onto the boat ready for Sunday. One of the last things i did was to check the engine, battery and fuel tank were all ok. As i fired up the engine, something did not seem right. Normally there is a nice steady jet of water coming out of the engine, showing the cooling pump is working. No jet of water ! After a quick check all the pipes were ok everything pointed towards the impeller failing. This the little blade inside the pump that circulates the water.
As soon as i get home im on the internet to look up the symptoms and solutions and the new part is soon ordered. I contact Neil and give him the bad news that we wont be fishing this Sunday. Instead we will be lifting engines off repairing it and then lifting it back on.. I spend the rest of the week getting all the tools, engine stand and everything else ready for the weekend.
The part arrives lunchtime Saturday ! talk about cutting it fine.
Anyway at least we can do the job and move on.
Dean joins us on the Sunday and after about an hour, 200 wires disconnected and most of the engine in bits, we lift it out and place it on the stand in the back of the boat. We drop the lower unit (Gearbox) off the engine and soon have the water pump apart. The new impeller is fitted and while we have the engine apart, I also change the oil, plugs and filter. Putting everything back is always more tricky and everything is checked and double checked as it slowly goes back together. Its an awkward lift to get the engine back on but after a few choice words and scuffed knuckles its back in place. I spend the next hour
re wiring and bolting bits and pieces back on ready for the test.
Plenty of Wires
The engine fires up fist time and the water jet is back. Job done pats on back all round etc etc etc so a quick "Road" test before we go home.
Everything looks fine as i reverse off the mooring and slowly head out onto the river. Just as we are thinking about next Sunday, filling the boat up with loads of Pike, i take the power off only to carry on in forward motion !!!!
The boat is stuck in forward gear. I manage to turn it round so we are at least heading back towards the mooring and use the on/off key to manage the engine to get us back in. Once on the mooring im scratching my head as to what's happened but its soon obvious the whole bloody thing will have to come off again. After a few more choice words we decide to do it there and then while the tools are on board and the weather is good. It didn't seem so hard the second time around and ive soon found the problem. Its a completely separate fault from anything i had touched before. The gear selector rod had popped off its mounting leaving it stuck in forward gear. Once i had located the rod we fitted a solid pin in place instead of a plastic clipped pin that was clearly not strong enough.
Part No. 9
Was the Problem
We seemed to get it all back together in record time and a quick test on the mooring shows its all working ok again.
If nothing else, i know the the engine, wiring and many other bits inside out, which might come in handy one day.
Got to thank the guys on You Tube for the great guides on outboard maintenance and repairs, saved me a packet !
So, fishing this Sunday ??? Well as im sitting here writing this up, the snow is falling in big soft flakes, settling on the ground to about 10cm so far....
Not looking good at the minute, fingers crossed .....
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