'THERE IS SMOKE EVERYWHERE!!' not what you want to hear 40mi offshore....

[rustybucket]

Awesome job on a huge undertaking. I noted that you didn't remove the crank. I was really wondering how that would be done with the engine in-frame.

One question from your post. You mention "short shutdown" (which I believe means, not holding the shutdown button in long enough to completely stop the engine). I didn't realize doing so could create any major problems. What issues can doing this cause?

Anyway, after doing this by accident twice, I've now been pretty diligent about making sure I hold those buttons in for at least 10 seconds.

Luckily the crankshaft was in very good condition, no cracks, no scratches/galling..etc.

Short shutdown can cause an engine to roll over backwards and make the engine run in reverse rotation. Think of when cranking a pull cord lawnmower or dirt bike and they kick back and about jerk your arm off or rip your foot off. That is basically the engine trying to crank or fire in reverse rotation. Being 2 stroke engines detroits can and will run backwards for a short period of time until lack of oil flow (oil pump pumping backwards) seizes the engine.

[rustybucket]

Got the port engine back together and ready for breakin/seatrial. Went ahead and put in rebuilt (locally) injectors in both engines.

During the first 30ish mins of running the boat we lost some power and picked up some black smoke on port (the rebuilt engine). Port and stbd engines seemed good but we def were down in power.

Limped back to the dock, engines were running good, but the idle speed had jumped from 500 to 700-900ish. Very odd, I was thinking. Questioning my idle setting, buffer and gov adjustments, back at the dock I started the idle setting procedure again. But whenever I would approach 500ish rpms the engines would roll/stumble and were not acting the same reliable way they were when I set idle earlier. Lots of rolling, lots of sumbling/surging, basically making it impossible to set idle. (on warm engines btw).

So we pulled the gov cap and noticed the action on the fuel rods was not as silky smooth as it was prior to seatrial. We pulled the valve covers to look for binding...etc and found one injector on each engine stuck. Stbd´s plunger was stuck in the down position and fuel about halfway. Port´s plunger appeared to be free but the fuel control arm was stuck about 3/4 throttle.

I pulled the two injectors out and took them back to fuel injection place this am. They pulled one of them apart while I was there, plunger was galled, tech (non-detroit) said it looked like fuel contamination and sediment. Later on the detroit guy called me back and says it looks like the injector hold down clamps were over-torqued. I know we torqued the hold down clamps, but memory slips me now as to what we torqued them to but it would have been as per manual specs (unless we read/did it wrong).

Any suggestions or guidance? Seems like the shop is pointing blame back at me for fuel contamination and/or improper holdown torque. I could kinda buy the fuel contamination, but we were very careful with the fuel rails, injectors...etc by keeping them bagged, capped and cleaned...etc. Not sure I´m buying the over-torqued idea.

Either way, 2 injectors are on their way, hope to have them in this weekend and run her again and see what we look like.

[Avenger]

I don't buy the over torque idea either. I'd consider a few possibilities, primarily contamination, but also poor fuel flow leading to poor cooling, or maybe just cr@p parts.

[Captain Ralph]

Here is why I always fix my injectors, including pop & match and don't buy rebuilt POS.
Yes, I have had supposed rebuilt injectors bind when captured correctly years ago and learned my approach the hard way..
So, Yell B S at the guy trying to sell you junk.

Don't feel pregnant; rebuilt injectors from shops in the next town or the next country, most suck.

You need a local shop that fixes what you have, and pop/matches them.

[Bob Quinn]

That is quite the undertaking! I'm impressed

[rsmith]

There is a screen filter in the injectors that should keep any contamination out of the injector. Unless their was crap in that unless water got in the system I wouldn’t buy any of that. When I rebuilt my engines I rejected more than half of the injectors due to brand new out of the box spray tip erosion. When you say fuel rails you mean the jumper tubes? They are one time use and should be replaced and not reused. A cracked one will fill the engine with fuel.

Got the port engine back together and ready for breakin/seatrial. Went ahead and put in rebuilt (locally) injectors in both engines.

During the first 30ish mins of running the boat we lost some power and picked up some black smoke on port (the rebuilt engine). Port and stbd engines seemed good but we def were down in power.

Limped back to the dock, engines were running good, but the idle speed had jumped from 500 to 700-900ish. Very odd, I was thinking. Questioning my idle setting, buffer and gov adjustments, back at the dock I started the idle setting procedure again. But whenever I would approach 500ish rpms the engines would roll/stumble and were not acting the same reliable way they were when I set idle earlier. Lots of rolling, lots of sumbling/surging, basically making it impossible to set idle. (on warm engines btw).

So we pulled the gov cap and noticed the action on the fuel rods was not as silky smooth as it was prior to seatrial. We pulled the valve covers to look for binding...etc and found one injector on each engine stuck. Stbd´s plunger was stuck in the down position and fuel about halfway. Port´s plunger appeared to be free but the fuel control arm was stuck about 3/4 throttle.

I pulled the two injectors out and took them back to fuel injection place this am. They pulled one of them apart while I was there, plunger was galled, tech (non-detroit) said it looked like fuel contamination and sediment. Later on the detroit guy called me back and says it looks like the injector hold down clamps were over-torqued. I know we torqued the hold down clamps, but memory slips me now as to what we torqued them to but it would have been as per manual specs (unless we read/did it wrong).

Any suggestions or guidance? Seems like the shop is pointing blame back at me for fuel contamination and/or improper holdown torque. I could kinda buy the fuel contamination, but we were very careful with the fuel rails, injectors...etc by keeping them bagged, capped and cleaned...etc. Not sure I´m buying the over-torqued idea.

Either way, 2 injectors are on their way, hope to have them in this weekend and run her again and see what we look like.

[cww]

I have never replaced a complete set of injectors and not had one or two bad ones. This is par for the course. Quality control ain't what it used to be. Don't buy the BS from the shop, make them give you functional replacements at no charge.

[rustybucket]

There is a screen filter in the injectors that should keep any contamination out of the injector. Unless their was crap in that unless water got in the system I wouldn’t buy any of that. When I rebuilt my engines I rejected more than half of the injectors due to brand new out of the box spray tip erosion. When you say fuel rails you mean the jumper tubes? They are one time use and should be replaced and not reused. A cracked one will fill the engine with fuel.

Yes, the fuel jumper lines. I updated both engines to the new o-ring style a few years back, I believe those are reusable (and MUCH easier to install, and never leak). All jumpers got new o-rings. So my jumper lines are approx 2yrs old, all new at that time.