Help, water ingress!

The revitalization of the engine on our Katinka is progressing and, apart from the turbocharger, all parts can be fitted very easily. In the second book of the workshop manual, on one of the last pages, I also find the tightening torques for general screws of different thread sizes. According to the motto: Always know where. The turbocharger is almost impossible to fit because the bolts are covered by various attachments and cannot be screwed onto the fresh water cooler. After a lot of effort, I finally manage it. I change the oil again and top up the coolant. I then check the valve clearance and adjust the valves. Because I have changed the diesel filter and the lines to the injection system were dismantled, the whole system has to be bled. Using a hand pump on the second diesel filter, I manage this up to the injection pump. I loosen the tightening nuts on the lines at the injection nozzles and turn the engine by hand until the diesel comes out above the nuts. Gaby checks the outlet, but prefers to keep her hands off the diesel. Then I tighten the nuts again. Now everything is ready for a first test run.

Mussel remains in the pre-filter

I open the seawater valve and check the filter. Here I discover the cause that has completely destroyed the impeller. There are a number of mussels in the filter, some of which consist of thin capillary tubes. These were able to get into the pump housing by being flushed through the grille. The glass-like structures then cut through the impeller and spread throughout the cooling circuit. As part of the engine overhaul, I also completely cleaned the cooling circuit. So I clean the pre-filter, check the oil level and start the engine.

Impeller, destroyed

Impeller residue in the air cooler

Did I mention that I took a diesel engine apart and reassembled it for the first time in my life? Gaby kept smiling and saying, “Well, I hope there are no screws left.” Well, there was no screw left, and the engine started without any problems. I think to myself, what a great sound, and check the engine compartment for leaks. As is so often the case, the seawater pump is leaking, and I turn the engine off again. I was probably too optimistic about the O-ring that seals the housing, and I replace it. On the second attempt, everything in the engine compartment is tight. However, I still have the sound of a Formula 1 car instead of a marine diesel. From the starboard hull, I shine a light into the cross strut in which the water collector of the exhaust system is installed. The water shoots out of this cross strut like a torrent. Help, water ingress! I switch the machine off again and inspect the mess. The water is standing in the cross strut and running over the starboard hull into the bilge. What a mess. During dismantling, the water collector must have become twisted and cracked. Who knows how old it is? Anyway, it has to be replaced too, so I'm going to go out again and try to get a water collector in Papeete. Somehow, I can't shake off the impression that the story will never end. But we take a positive view and will overcome this problem too. After all, the engine started up again straight away, so I can't have done too much wrong. Now it's time to clean the bilge again and then get a water collector.

Pets in Papeete, Tahiti

Somehow, climate change doesn't seem to be catching on here in French Polynesia. Although you hardly see any electric cars on the island and, if you stop in front of a store, you often leave the car running because of the air conditioning while you run your errands. The temperatures, which should be slowly rising, are doggedly holding on to a maximum of 25 °C. The wind has a northerly component and therefore sweeps around the otherwise sheltered north side of the island. In addition, the ferry traffic makes the marina quite restless at times and the boats often sway back and forth alarmingly. Nevertheless, the marina is extremely busy. The few free berths are passed on to moorers from the airfield area. This surprises me a little, because the further west you go, the earlier the typhoon season starts. For yachts that still want to go to Australia or New Zealand this year, it's about time, but there's still no sign of departure here. So the boats will probably stay here in Papeete for another season. We are very excited and are looking forward to what is to come. For now, it's important for us to be able to move around, at least in theory, and to do that the engine has to run smoothly again. Until next week, fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.