CaspersCruiser
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 11, 2016
- Messages
- 868
- Fluid Motion Model
- R-27 Classic
- Hull Identification Number
- FMLT2709G112
- Vessel Name
- Cookie
- MMSI Number
- 368203460
I was motoring along at the beginning of the “miserable mile” near Ft. Myers enjoying a Florida cruise in my 2012 R27 when two GIANT sport cruisers came down the narrow channel, one right behind the other, with the hammer down creating the largest wakes I have ever seen a non-commercial vessel make, at least three feet.
I throttled back and turned into the first boat’s wake. While we were pitching up and down over that wake, the wake from the other boat hit us on the beam throwing everything on a flat surface in the cabin onto the floor of the boat. As the violent rolling moment caused by the second boat was happening, the engine quit. It did not gradually lose power or sputter. One moment it was running fine, the next it stopping running. The engine alarm sounded which added to the chaos.
After things calmed down, I tried to start the engine. It would turn over vigorously, but not start. Normally, the engine started the moment the key was turned. BoatUS towed us four hours back to our starting point, Burnt Store Marina. Thank goodness for Unlimited Gold towing insurance.
From Burnt Store at Punta Gorda, we trailered the boat to River Forest Yacht Center at La Belle, a Yanmar dealer. They had computer diagnostic tools, but could not interface their equipment with my engine. That was a disappointment. At the suggestion of Ranger Tug Guru Mike Rizzo, we traced the flow of fuel from the tank to the engine and changed the filters. See separate post about Yanmar fuel/water separating filter. All that checked normal and the fuel drained from the filters was completely clean.
We checked that power was getting through the ECU relay to the pump and it was, but the pump did not run. A new pump and relay was ordered from Yanmar. As I expected, the pump was just stupid expensive— $918, but it made the engine run. My problems weren’t over since in the process of replacing the pump, it was discovered both clamps that fasten the pump to the back of the ECU were broken. There is a previous post about that.
In Florida, I checked the windings of the failed pump motor for continuity and there was none. I called my EE buddy and he said unless there was some sort of internal breaker or fuse in the pump motor, that test indicated the electric motor in the pump was dead. To double check that after I got back home to Kentucky, I made a test rig and applied 12V to the pump and it did not run.
The pump taken off the boat is a straight-up automotive unit made in Poland by TI Automotive, part # 7.50051.60. I’ve done a pretty exhaustive search for a cheaper alternative. I took the pump to a well-respected local independent BMW specialty shop and they found two numbers for the pump— a BMW part # 16126756157 and a Bosch part # 0986580131. If you do an Internet search on the BMW part number, Amazon Prime comes up with a source for $54, shipping included. The shipping time is up to a month, so it certainly is coming from overseas.
Did the wake incident precipitate this failure? Who knows. I have a hard time believing that it was just a coincidence. Maybe the broken clamps allowed the pump to move and short out during the event. Maybe the ECU relay was the cause. The relay was functioning during troubleshooting, but area underneath it was lightly discolored indicating high temperature. One of the mechanics suggested the high temperature may have been caused by high current draw of a failing pump.
Anyway, that’s my story. I’m going to keep searching for cheaper alternative for the pump sourced in the U.S. I used fly to Germany once or twice a month, but I stopped that about nine months ago. I may try to get a colleague to see if they can find a reasonably priced source for the pump over there. I’d like to have a spare.
I throttled back and turned into the first boat’s wake. While we were pitching up and down over that wake, the wake from the other boat hit us on the beam throwing everything on a flat surface in the cabin onto the floor of the boat. As the violent rolling moment caused by the second boat was happening, the engine quit. It did not gradually lose power or sputter. One moment it was running fine, the next it stopping running. The engine alarm sounded which added to the chaos.
After things calmed down, I tried to start the engine. It would turn over vigorously, but not start. Normally, the engine started the moment the key was turned. BoatUS towed us four hours back to our starting point, Burnt Store Marina. Thank goodness for Unlimited Gold towing insurance.
From Burnt Store at Punta Gorda, we trailered the boat to River Forest Yacht Center at La Belle, a Yanmar dealer. They had computer diagnostic tools, but could not interface their equipment with my engine. That was a disappointment. At the suggestion of Ranger Tug Guru Mike Rizzo, we traced the flow of fuel from the tank to the engine and changed the filters. See separate post about Yanmar fuel/water separating filter. All that checked normal and the fuel drained from the filters was completely clean.
We checked that power was getting through the ECU relay to the pump and it was, but the pump did not run. A new pump and relay was ordered from Yanmar. As I expected, the pump was just stupid expensive— $918, but it made the engine run. My problems weren’t over since in the process of replacing the pump, it was discovered both clamps that fasten the pump to the back of the ECU were broken. There is a previous post about that.
In Florida, I checked the windings of the failed pump motor for continuity and there was none. I called my EE buddy and he said unless there was some sort of internal breaker or fuse in the pump motor, that test indicated the electric motor in the pump was dead. To double check that after I got back home to Kentucky, I made a test rig and applied 12V to the pump and it did not run.
The pump taken off the boat is a straight-up automotive unit made in Poland by TI Automotive, part # 7.50051.60. I’ve done a pretty exhaustive search for a cheaper alternative. I took the pump to a well-respected local independent BMW specialty shop and they found two numbers for the pump— a BMW part # 16126756157 and a Bosch part # 0986580131. If you do an Internet search on the BMW part number, Amazon Prime comes up with a source for $54, shipping included. The shipping time is up to a month, so it certainly is coming from overseas.
Did the wake incident precipitate this failure? Who knows. I have a hard time believing that it was just a coincidence. Maybe the broken clamps allowed the pump to move and short out during the event. Maybe the ECU relay was the cause. The relay was functioning during troubleshooting, but area underneath it was lightly discolored indicating high temperature. One of the mechanics suggested the high temperature may have been caused by high current draw of a failing pump.
Anyway, that’s my story. I’m going to keep searching for cheaper alternative for the pump sourced in the U.S. I used fly to Germany once or twice a month, but I stopped that about nine months ago. I may try to get a colleague to see if they can find a reasonably priced source for the pump over there. I’d like to have a spare.
