Need help Northern Lights M843-12N won't start

[zigzag930]

Discovered my aft tank somehow got water, which was sucked into my Racor 500, then the Northern Lights genset which was running on that tank. The water got past the Racor and the generator shut down.
I had the tank pumped out today, removing all the water - then had the fuel polished for several hours.
I now have clean fuel in the Racor, have changed the NL's fuel filter, blown out all the lines, pulled the injectors - disassembled, cleaned and re-assembled them.
I had previously installed an electric fuel pump on this generator so I wouldn't have to pump the little hand plunger a 1000 times. So, I turned on the electric pump and bled the fuel filter on the genset, then the line to the high pressure pump.
Next I cracked the fuel lines at the injector one at a time to make sure fuel was reaching them all. I'm seeing fuel at each injector. So far so good.
But I can't get the genset to start. Sure sounds like it's trying to run, but just won't start. Sounds sort of like one cylinder is firing???
I pulled all the glow plugs and they are working.
Battery is charged, but I also added a jump starter to see if I could crank her faster. No dice.
Any ideas sure would be appreciated.

 

[MadHatter53]

Sounds like you know what you’re doing but have tried a shot of starting juice

 

[Captain Ralph]

Time for a compression check.
Water does not compress. In a gas engine water in a lung may pass or blow a head gasket or bend a valve/push rod.

Any water in a diesel lung,,, well it can get worse in a hurry.
But there is hope;
I got lucky last year and just had high carbon on my exhaust valve stems keeping them from closing completely and not starting (under-loaded operation caused this).
Water (steam) and exhaust carbon can make a glue to surpass epoxy.

Untill you check your compression, we are all just guessing.

My lifesaver tool was a pressure kit on Amazon. Screws rite in where the glow plug goes.
Came with near 15 adapters to fit most engine brands.
Also the gauge fits my injector pig (unused after 15 years) for checking 2-stroke Detroit.

Where is your ship?
I'm in 32189. Maybe I can help?
,rc

 

[divert00]

Sounds like yours might be a mechanical fuel pump, but I’ll share……I once had a similar problem on a Kilopak generator with an Isuzu 4 cylinder. It would crank some times and not others. After most of the diagnosis you performed, I determined the pressure from the electric fuel pump was intermittently fluctuating between 0 and 5psi. Replaced with $30 spare pump and all fine. The original pump had 1080 hours.

John McCarley - USCG 100T Master
Water Colors
Wrightsville Beach NC

 

[JD5652]

How old is the NL generator?

My 1986 vintage 20 kw NL generator is a bear to get reprimed once it loses prime. My 2024 vintage starts at the drop of a hat.

I've also had air get into the air filter "box". Is your glass or metal? If glass, you can shine a light to see if you still have air in the system to that point.
I've also had the little hand plunger o-ring to leak and inject air into the system. I also have an electric priming pump on both my NL gens.

As someone else also suggested, hit the air intake with a shot or two of starting fluid.

Best of luck!

 

[zigzag930]

JD, thanks for the suggestions.
My air filter box is metal, so can't see in - but shouldn't there just be air in there? I have a Edelbrock electric priming pump on this genset and it's pulling fuel from the tank. Ordered a new lift pump as I suspect it's weak.
I'll try the starting fluid also when I get back in town (6 weeks).

 

[CGHOST4]

DO NOT USE ETHER STARTING FLUID ON A DIESEL ENGINE. You can do serious damage to the rings, valves and pistons. If you need to spray something to help get it started, use WD40, but use it in moderation.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

DO NOT USE ETHER STARTING FLUID ON A DIESEL ENGINE. You can do serious damage to the rings, valves and pistons. If you need to spray something to help get it started, use WD40, but use it in moderation.

Funny you say that. We used either on trucks and heavy equipment for years. Many had attached ether bottles and a button to activate when cranking. Never did any damage. Can it? Sure can? Is a huge issue? I don't think so. I would however not use it on an engine with glow plugs. That really can do damage.

 

[Sadey]

Old drag car racer in our marina tried the ether trick on his 70' Roamer's 12 cylinder DDs. It started all right, in reverse. The hole they had to cut in the hull to replace that block was impressive.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I've started Detroits in reverse before. Its scary when black smoke is coming out of the air filter. On a truck, its easy to kill it, just pop the clutch in a high gear. On a boat, I guess I'd trip the air door.

 

[Bob Bradley]

You dont have to stop it, Sky. It will stop itself quickly. I watched it happpen on my daughter's boat. Starting a marine engine in reverse will cause catastrophic damage. Water is pulĺed back into the engine from the exhaust and thru the turbo and blower into the cylinders where it hydrolocks the engine and usually bends a connecting rod. It happened on ny daughter's 671ti two years ago and resulted in a complete rebuild.

I don't mean to take the thread sideways, but it's a big enough deal to not point it out.

 

[piripucha]

Take a look of the air filter. In my case, the plastic sponge like filter element degraded and it got stuck in the intake manifold shouting the air supply.

 

[Avenger]

Pull the injection pump out and check that the rack is free. Likely you've got at least one stuck plunger and the pump isn't delivering fuel to all the cylinders, or isn't delivering enough.

Do not try to start it if the rack shows any indication of sticking. The rack should move with light pressure and all the tappets should go up and down. If any of them are, pardon the expression, stuck up, you'll need to sort that out.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

You dont have to stop it, Sky. It will stop itself quickly. I watched it happpen on my daughter's boat. Starting a marine engine in reverse will cause catastrophic damage. Water is pulĺed back into the engine from the exhaust and thru the turbo and blower into the cylinders where it hydrolocks the engine and usually bends a connecting rod. It happened on ny daughter's 671ti two years ago and resulted in a complete rebuild.

I don't mean to take the thread sideways, but it's a big enough deal to not point it out.

Ha, didn't think about the water in a marine exhaust. Most of my experience is with trucks. That would not be good.