Fluka's sick :(

[L.T.]

Mark, Has the mechanic found the problem yet? You need to burn some good Sicilian olive oil in that Diesel.

[Hunter 2]

Good luck Buddy. You can fish with me until the boat is back in shape.

[Treebeard]

Thanks again fella's for all the kind offers and support.. People don't come any better than the folks here  The Cummins tech  went to the boat during the week.. He checked the engine over and could find nothing too out of sorts.. he checked the fuel at the racor and he said it looked fine.. he was at first suspecting the throttle control unit..as I did have it kinda jury-rigged due to 2 of the 3 original shock absorbing  mounting bolts failing. I'm  waiting for the new bolts I had ordered but I have it pretty secure and it seems to be working properly when I work the throttle... but he was  thinking it was possibly faulty electronics within the unit.. however when I told him that the fuel filter made a sucking noise when we removed it out on the bay,  he had a major  "AHAA!!  moment.. and was then almost sure that was the issue. Either the fuel tank did not vent properly as it went from topped  to about 2/3  on my long run..causing a vacuum.. . or something else somehow obstructed fuel flow.. At any rate, he suggested we run it again and see if we can duplicate the problem.. if so, he suggested we try opening the fuel cap and see if that fixes it.. So,  I went down there yesterday, and the boat ran great all day.. had it out from 6am- 6pm running around the bay and a little outside..  and could not make it act up..   So I'm hoping that was the issue, but I still  want to try to figure out what happened and how to prevent it.. but as for now it seems we're up and running!     

[ChrisL]

Glad to hear she's feeling better.

[IrishAyes]

Good to hear. Now go out and catch yourself some fishies. 

[Treebeard]

In case anyone has wondered what has become of me lately, I guess this bump should give ya an idea.. I've been reluctant to post as it is all so depressing, but  This has been the season from hell for me and Fluka.. While we never got to the bottom of the issue that I described in my original post, other problems have kept us hi and dry since the beginning of July.. On the Sat. before the 4th, we where heading across the bay in the am, when alarms started to sound, and I realized the temp gauge was pinned..At first i thought i may have picked up a bag or something..  well, turns out the alternator bracket had broken, causing the alternator. to fall off into the bilge..  taking the belt that drives the raw water cooling pump with it.. After getting that re-welded, took it out the following week, but the engine would'nt make enough power to get it on plane, and keeping on the throttle had the temp gauge rising again..    Called Cummins who sent a tech out several days later on a friday.... He disassembled the water pump, and found a bad impellor.. only problem was the part was out of stock.. and apparantly, he was in a hurry to start his weekend..  because he left it in pieces, and worse left the intake hoses hanging in the bilge.. I get call from the marina sat morning telling me that one of my neighbors reported my pumps running constantly.. Yup.. he walked away from it with water pouring in.. I guess hoping my pumps would keep up in the ensuing  weeks it was gonna take to get the parts! I shoulda taken the hint when he  asked if my pumps worked during the call..    So we pulled it out,  Nice service for $135.00 an hr + travel eh?.. At any rate, I decided I'd had enough of these crack factory techs, and decided to let  a local mechanic take over.. On top of this, the impellor seems to be the missing link of boat parts, and was finally delivered yesterday after about 3 weeks.. Soo.. the hope is that we're back in the water in the next couple days, and the sea trial proves no further damage has been done to the engine during the overheat and it makes power like it should.. Maybe we'll even get to catch a few more fish before the snow flies.. stay tuned..   

[IrishAyes]

Wow, tuff luck Mark. I hope this finally solves your issue.

I'd certainly file a complaint with the factory on their rep. He certainly didn't do much to uphold their reputation. 

[Pfishingruven]

That's a rough summer...

Hopefully, you are all fixed up and ready to go!

 

[Still Running]

That stinks Mark   Hope it all works out for you. I know every manufacturer has a lot of stuff on back order. Guess money is tight and no one is stocking anything.

Hope to see you on the water soon.

[Luna Sea 5]

wow.. at least hopefully the problem will be resolved after this

[Treebeard]

Thanks as always for the support guys.   Rick, I kinda suspected that was the case... and I imagine in this economy stuff for the recreational end of things is way down on the production schedule.. Joe, I did raise a stink with the service manager... I mean everyone has a bad day, But in addition to them never actually solving any of my problems,  if you've  worked much on a boats, I would think you'd know better than to walk away from a slipped boat taking water..  I did'nt press as hard as I could have. I don't want to see a guy loose his gig in this economy.. i just wanna go fishin.. suffice it to say I think some guys should stick to trucks and generators  ...   

[Hotrod]

I hope all is well and your back on the water.

[IrishAyes]

I hear ya on the not wanting the guy to loose his job but he should be more responsible for his actions. You could have lost the Fluka. 

At any rate...if you need a fishing fix give me a call. Would be glad to have you aboard.

[kezsr]

Mark,hope all turns out right for you soon and you can salvage some of the season.  Kez

[PeggyLee]

Hi Mark, Hope this works out for you.Its been an unusual season for many.There is always an open  spot for you on the "Peggy Lee".
Good Luck.  

[Hunter 2]

Good luck Mark..

[wb]

some guys should stick to trucks and generators  ...   

ha! so true
good luck Mark

[hiking]

wow what bad luck for such a good looking boat. anyway friday is my last day of work for about 8 weeks. pm me if I can give you a salt water fix.

[Treebeard]

Thanks again for the support and kind offers fella's. Hoping to have Fluka back soon, but if not, I may just take ya's up on them     

[Treebeard]

And so it continues...  After 1 trip where the boat ran well fishing around the bay, I decided to run out to the SH reef Saturday.. well about a 1/4mi from my waypoint, the problem I described to start this thread re-surfaced.. the overheating issue appears solved, but experienced power loss, and was forced  to limp back to the bay.. with the boat running worse as I progressed.. almost made it.. about 200 yds from the K-burg pier, the engine finally stalled out.. crank, crank , crank,..acting like it was out of fuel..finally caught and started.. only to stall again a minute later.. starting to think a fuel issue/ obstruction, or maybe I pissed off a voodoo priestess without knowing  So..  SeaTow to the rescue.. again.  . If this thing was a horse, I'd shoot it..