Review of the Engine Issue

One of our last Bocas Sunsets

The engine issue that has had us sidelined actually began in 2021. But, at the time we replaced the injectors and that seemed to solve the issue. Then in 2022 after returning back to Bocas from our trip to the San Blas I found that we couldn't run our engine at full rpm and when increasing the throttle it resulted in heavy black smoke.

The back of the engine compartment with the muffler out. 

Before calling anyone I did as much self-help as I could conceive.  I started by changing the fuel filters, cleaning the air filter (our engine doesn't really have an air filter, it is a "silencer") and running the engine with the compartment open to check if it was air constrained. I sprayed turbo cleaner into the air intake. Examined the mixing elbow but nothing helped. 

The new exhaust hose connected.

In this part of the world one is forced to either do it yourself or trust in someone. Shortly after we arrived in Bocas we happened upon a mechanic named Martin who was South African. After using him on several tasks I determined that he was 1 step better than doing it myself which is still a value. So, in 2021 he correctly diagnosed the injector issue and then in 2022 he checked the injectors and found them to be working well so he concluded the next step was the fuel pump. He also checked the compression and the valve clearances. With all that fine he removed the fuel pump for me to have rebuilt, advised me to take an oil sample and that when he reinstalled the fuel pump he would need to remove the front of the engine to set the timing after reinstalling the fuel pump. So on his guidance I bought all the gaskets and seals necessary to remove the engine front.

The engine after installing the new turbo.

We did the oil sample analysis and had the pump rebuilt. The oil sample didn't show anything too unusual. But, when I was trying to text Martin from the States the texts weren't going through. When we returned to Bocas we found that Martin was gone. He had been chased out of Panama by the immigration officials because he didn't have a visa and as a South African he needed one and that was problematic to get. 

 

The new turbo before installation.

When I discovered that, I immediately saw our future slipping away. Martin had taken pictures and would have had an edge up that others didn't have. A day or so later the marina manager said he had a good mechanic that could reinstall the fuel pump. He did show up and install the fuel pump but the engine didn't run right. He came back once or twice and did some adjustments but he never set the timing. The engine ran ok, but we had the same problem as before.

The muffler out on the dock soaking with brake cleaner in it.
 

After reinstalling the fuel pump the previous issues persisted and it began a 2 year-long hunt for the cause since it seemed like the fuel pump wasn't it. 

The mechanics that actually fixed the problem working on the timing.   

We sought advice from many people. But, my long-known knowledge of diesels was that black smoke meant insufficient air. After talking to many people and so-called mechanics I finally agreed to pay for a Yanmar mechanic to fly in from Panama City to diagnose the issue. After spending a day he suggested that it was the turbo, Others had suggested it as well. If the turbo wasn't spinning properly it wouldn't be pushing enough air into the cylinders. So, that made sense.

We agreed with him on a course of action and costs, but, then he decided he wanted more money so we told him no. We did buy a new turbo from him that I installed myself. But, that didn't resolve the issue. 

The timing gears of our engine with the front off. In the lower center with the protruding shaft is the crankshaft, on the far right is the the water pump, next to it on the left is valve gear (camshaft), then an idler gear, then the fuel pump. on the bottom below the crankshaft is the oil pump. 

Some thought that back pressure on the turbo could be causing the turbo not to spin properly. Having replaced the turbo that idea gained more credibility with me. After we flew back from the States I decided to replace the entire exhaust hose to address the back pressure issue. So, I removed the exhaust system up to the tail pipe. I thoroughly cleaned the mixing elbow and the muffler and replaced the hose between them to no avail.  Because of a nationwide protest in Panama getting the exhaust hose was delayed by about 2 months.  After replacing the hose the problem persisted and we decided to spend the holidays in Bocas.

Out of ideas, I contacted another Yanmar dealer in Colon and began coordinating with him to work on our engine once we moved further east. So in the beginning of February of 2024 we moved east to Shelter Bay Marina after doing a seatrial to get confidence that we could make it. In another blog article I talk about that trip. But, even though the trip was uneventful, when we got into our slip in Shelter Bay the engine was having issues.

The front of the engine laying on top of the engine. The alternator belt is also laying on it.
 

One of the issues I noticed on the trip from Bocas was the accumulation of debris and water in the fuel filters so I immediately replaced the primary filter along with draining the bowl to remove the dirt and water that had accumulated in it. 

It took a few days before our mechanic arrived and after his review he thought the issue was in the fuel pump. So he removed it again and took it to somewhere to work on it and later came back and reinstalled it. I asked him about setting the timing and he said he didn't need to do that. The engine actually seemed to run fine so we prepared and left. However, we didn't get far and now black water and carbon were coming out of the exhaust and we turned around and went back to the marina.

This was no doubt the problem all along The two "B" marks have to align and it finally is. The "B" tooth on the idler gear needs to be in the "B" groove on the fuel pump gear. Although the gears may have been in line, the fuel pump wasn't synched. So the pump had to be synched to the gear and the gear then aligned to the gear assembly.
 

The owner of the mechanic shop came by shortly after we returned because he was looking to get paid but we told and showed him where we were. He said he would send his guy back out. The guy came back out and said he needed to adjust the timing. He said he needed special tools and would come back. He came back and I'm not sure what he did but after a day the engine wouldn't start at all. I gave him 3 days to fix it and after the last day when the engine still didn't start I told him not to come back. The next day his manager came by and wanted another chance. I told him we went from not right, to bad, to worse. He had several days and he looked clueless. So, I told him no mas.

The fuel pump is at the center of the picture. The new lab marked all the service points in green.
 

A friend who had used another mechanic and was very pleased with him contacted the mechanic for me and the mechanic agreed to come look. He came and evaluated the situation. After several hours he concluded no fuel was getting to the injectors and said the fuel pump was the problem. They pulled the fuel pump a third time and we took it into Panama City to a lab he suggested. The next day they sent a video of the pump working and said they had to replace all the seals because they were bad and did a full rebuild. The price was a fraction of what I paid in the States.

After a delay for Semana Santa, the mechanics reinstalled the fuel pump but found the engine wouldn't start and they found fuel wasn't going through the injectors. They removed the injectors and took them for testing and said they were all clogged. I had a set of rebuilt injectors on board which they installed and still the engine wouldn't start. They now determined it was the timing.

During our working the red stop button broke. I'm going to replace the whole panel.   

For our mechanic we were either an extra job or not high priority because he told me they would be there at 9 and usually showed up at 4 or 5 when he showed up. We sat in the boat everyday waiting for them.

When they left that night after determining the timing was off, he said no problem they would come back the next day and fix the timing. Later that night I got a text from him that said they would need to remove the engine front to set the timing. I don't know who turned on the light but we were back to what Martin told me 2 years ago and everybody else poo-pooed. The circle had finally come full turn. 

I check the other gears and they were all properly aligned. You can see the other timing marks.

It took them 2 visits to remove the front, adjust the timing manually and reinstall the front. I had the new gaskets and seals that I had previously bought and they were finally used. They put the engine together and it started. We were ecstatic. There was some initial coughing from all the non-starts but it ran fine in the slip.

We took the boat out for a seatrial and it overheated. Immediately 2 things came to mind. The first was the thermostat and the second was that we sat in our slip for over 2 months and the growth on the bottom would be incredible and could contribute to over heating.

Enjoying our night in Panama City waiting for the fuel pump to be fixed.
 

My first thought was that I had a thermostat on board but later when I checked I found the thermostat for the generator. I checked my records and I had replaced the thermostat in the engine 3 years ago. So, I dismissed the thermostat as the cause.

But, we got a diver to clean the bottom and we also had the fuel polished that removed hunks of sediment. So after that, we again tried to leave but the engine was running hot and we turned back again.

This time I pulled the thermostat and tested it and found it indeed failed. I tested it in a pan of boiling water and it failed to open. I checked with the store in the marina and of course they didn't have any. They called the local dealer who didn't have any but he ordered one for me. It took a week-and-a-half to arrive. I tested it and it opened. I installed it and after some bad weather we finally left Shelter Bay for good.

The thermostat in boiling water not opening. 

Looking back over the whole sorry episode I'm convinced that had Martin reinstalled the fuel pump and set the timing in 2022 the issues of 2 years would have been avoided. It's been almost 50 years since I worked on tank diesel engines and most of that memory is gone. What I've relearned in the past 13 years is still increasing. Also, having a language barrier with people doing the work makes progress difficult but, the first thing is they have to show up. 

So, in the final analysis the issue was always the fuel pump and then the bad timing. The clogged injectors no doubt resulted from the over-fueled engine and the thermostat issue and stop button were totally unrelated.

Key lessons learned is always have the spares and don't believe all the "experts".

Our first sunset after moving past the issue.

 

 

 

The Morning After Groundhog Day

Full moon rising shortly after we returned home. Taken from the Cantina at Bocas Marina

After our two months in the States we got back to Amekaya with 16 boxes that we shipped, 300 lbs of luggage and additional provisions that we bought in Panama City. Our freight bill was high because in addition to the boxes shipped from Miami we had our bags shipped from Panama City to Bocas. This is all part of the logistics enterprise we need to continue our life in the condition to which we are accustomed.  The freight as I've discussed in previous posts consists of boat supplies (spares, replacements and upgrades), health supplements, specialty foods that aren't available in Central America and some specialty liquor that also is only available from a few sources.

 

Our dinghy loaded of luggage and our car loaded before shipping.

When we return to Amekaya each year with our goodies we always spend several days getting it onto the boat and then getting it away. One of the nice things about our boat is the generous storage and it just consumes hundreds of pounds of stuff easily. Unpacking is not an easy job as we unpack everything on the dock because we don't allow cardboard on the boat and the luggage is too heavy to lift on so we move it from the bags to the boat while checking our shipping manifests to be sure it is all there. Then, as we put it away we add it to our inventory. 

We left the marina when we could to get out on anchor.

We continued to live in Groundhog Day. The movie, a story of a reporter who is stuck reliving the same day over and over until he redeems himself and becomes happy. For about 2 years our engine issue has kept us from moving ahead. We make a repair hoping that will solve the problem but it doesn't and we're back to rethinking a plan. 

A beautiful sunset at anchor.
 

We planned to leave many times and each time our plans were dashed. 2022 slipped away and we stayed in Bocas. After returning we were determined to leave Bocas in November and seek solutions elsewhere, I decided that maybe we should continue the purge of the exhaust side of the engine in case there was back-pressure on the recently replaced turbo.  To do that I would need exhaust hose. I search around Bocas and nobody had 3" exhaust hose so I went online and thought I would order it from a West Marine Store in south Florida. Shipping to our freight forwarder would be overnight and we would have it very quickly so I could complete the job and we would be on our way. Well, as they say Murphy is an optimist. 

A full moon rising over the anchorage.

The convoluted West Marine online system which leads you to believe you are buying from a particular store decided to ship our hose that I was in a hurry to get, not from South Florida but from Charlotte, NC and instead of shipping it the next day they waited about a week before shipping. As a result of West Marine's incompetence the hose arrived in Panama about the time the Suntracs Labor Union organized a nationwide strike to allegedly protest a new mining contract (there's a whole bogus story about that) that shut down routine operations in Panama for about 6 weeks. So, instead of having the hose in about a week to do the repair it was about two months thanks to West Marine. Also as a result of the strikes food shortages occurred. We went into town frequently and bought what we could as we could and between those purchases and our boat stores we were able to get through fairly well. The biggest challenges were waiting for the supplies we ordered before the strike that we needed to do boat tasks.

Full moon rising over Bocas.

Throughout the six week strike we still went out to anchor 3 or four nights each week between boat projects where we could enjoy being away from the marina, we could make water and enjoy the beauty of being on anchor.

The new exhaust hose and where I had to work to connect it.
 

Finally, the strike ended and we were able to finish our boat projects. The key projects that I did was to completely redo all of our exterior teak and clean/replace the exhaust system of our engine. I removed the entire exhaust system from the turbo back to the tail pipe. I replaced all the exhaust hose and cleaned the muffler and mixing elbow. With that we still had the underlying engine issue but it was better.

Perspective on the previous photo.
 

By the time I was finally able to get the work done we were into the holidays. We could have left, but we were happy to spend the holidays among friends. For Thanksgiving the marina provided turkeys for dinner and everyone brought a dish. It was wonderful. For Christmas, the Cantina had special dinners and we had a New Year's Eve party.

Christmas in Bocas.
 

One of the biggest challenges before leaving was to gain confidence in the boat for an offshore passage so we planned an offshore shakedown cruise and several nights on anchor. We also had many friends we wanted to say good-by to before we left. So, by late January we were ready to leave. Our shakedown went well and we thought the boat would make it to Shelter Bay Marina where we had a mechanic standing by that would work on our engine.

Celebrating our 29th Anniversary in Panama City.
 

On January 31, we left Bocas Marina for the final time and went to anchor in the Red Frog Anchorage. That night we had dinner with our old friend Louis and the next night we had a happy hour with several friends and on Friday 2 February we hauled anchor to leave our 4 year home, Bocas del Toro, and left for the future not knowing what lay ahead.

 

 Our boat on the dock at Shelter Bay.

 

 

 

 

 

On the way out of the Bocas channel our Chartplotter shutoff. I headed toward the breaker panel to reset it. But, it came back up on its own and we continued. The last time we did an overnight passage in 2022 we had problems with our auto-pilot shutting off. This time, however, I decided to set the course but nor connect the auto-pilot to it. The result was we had the auto-pilot the entire trip and it didn't shutoff. This will be important later.

Bocas in the rear view mirror.
 

When we left the channel the wind was strong and favorable for us to sail and we did. For about 4 hours we had a great sail until the wind died. Between Bocas and Shelter Bay where we were headed there are 3 distinctive weather patterns. The first is from Bocas to around Chiriqui Lagoon, the second from there until several miles before the canal and then the system by the canal. 

We were able to sail for a few hours. But, it was rough so I stayed in the cockpit to take the photo.
 

A few words about these weather patterns. Bocas is in the extreme southwestern area of the Caribbean. The east winds come into there, bounce off the mountains and turn into a west wind. Then as the shore falls away on a heading of 90 degrees the weather is typical of the prevailing offshore weather. We have found the wind and waves go down in this area. Then when you get near the canal there are multiple diverse effects resulting in confused seas, including conflicting currents, fluctuating winds and the multitude of ships anchored in front of the canal that makes traversing that area a challenge.

Sunrise approaching the canal.

As you come towards the canal it's required to call the approach control and ask for permission to pass through the canal breakwater. In the past there's been lots of traffic and we were delayed. But, this time with the reduced traffic due to low water we were easily allowed through. 

The starboard breakwater in the approach to the Panama Canal. A very welcome sight for us on this trip. The breakwaters were built as part of the original canal construction.

A huge Panamax container ship awaits, along with others for its passage through the canal.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know I posted about this before, but, Shelter Bay Marina is on the grounds of the former US Army Fort Sherman. Fort Sherman was built over 100 years ago as one of the US Coastal Defense stations to guard the Caribbean side of the Panama canal from invasion. After WW2 when the defense mission became overcome by technology, Fort Sherman became the US Army Jungle Warfare Training Center right up until it was turned over to Panama. Now, most of the post has been abandoned. Some has been turned into a National Park of Panama and a little slice of it is now Shelter Bay Marina.  

Some of the old abandoned military housing that Panama took over in 1995.

Before we left Bocas we contacted a Yanmar dealer in Colon about our issue and asked for support which he promised. Instead of coming the day he agreed to he showed up 2 days later. The mechanic he sent only spoke Spanish so communication was a little difficult. His assessment was the problem was with the fuel 

This unusual bird nest belongs to the Oro Pendela that has a very unique set of calls and there were dozens of these around the jungle.
 

pump so after some discussions with the manager the mechanic returned and removed the fuel pump. A few days later the manager texted me that the lab found the governor was closed. It may have been an issue with translation and I never got to ask him but, my understanding is if the governor is closed it wouldn't run or wouldn't run more than idle. So after a few days he returned and reinstalled the pump. We tried the engine and it appeared to run fine so we made plans to be on our way. But, we had not done a sea trial.

Late afternoon in the jungle.
 

A few days later after clearing out of the marina we were waiting for the manager to come to collect payment, but we had to leave in order to get to our next port in daylight. So, we left. However, once out of the marina the engine was clearly performing badly and we returned to Shelter Bay. Shortly after we got back the manager of the mechanic service showed up and we talked. He said he would send his mechanic back out.

A frequent sight on our walks are the many Capybara that live in the jungle.
 

The mechanic came back and after several hours said the timing was off. Being Saturday he left early and said he would be back Monday. He returned and made some adjustments and now the engine wouldn't start. He tried for 3 days after that and the engine wouldn't start so I told him not to come back. Around the time we decided to fire them a friend gave us the name of a guy that worked on their boat and in fact he contacted him for us.

One of the many monkeys that visited us.

The following Monday the new mechanic arrived and did some tests. A few days later he came back and did some more tests and decided again it was the fuel pump. They came back on Saturday to remove the 

Atop this old barracks is a strange and rare cat known as a Jaguarundi. Small like a housecat with a huge tail and a mean temperament. After staring at us and hissing at us a while it ran off.
 

fuel pump (third time the fuel pump was removed) and he gave me the name of a lab in Panama City for us to take it to. The following Monday morning we had a driver pick us up early and we dropped the pump at the new lab. I asked the mechanic to call them and tell them what he thought the issues were since they only spoke Spanish. The next day the lab sent a video of the pump performance. They found that all the seals were bad and the replaced all of the replaceable parts in rebuilding the pump. 

 

    

                                                            Cotimundi are everywhere.

Because it was Semana Santa nothing happened after we got the pump back until the following week. The pump was reinstalled but still the engine failed to start. They took out the injectors and tested them. The mechanic said they were all blocked. I had a rebuilt set that they installed but still the engine wouldn't start. They then concluded it was the timing. Initially they thought they could adjust the timing externally but, after some discussion they agreed that the front of the engine had to be removed. The mechanic that removed the pump for us 2 years ago said that he would have to remove the front to adjust the timing so we had come full circle. 

We saw a troupe of monkeys crossing the road.
 

The next day they came out, removed the front and adjusted the timing gears so that they were all in line. Because of the first mechanics advice 2 years ago I had bought the seals and gaskets needed to pull the front and they used them when reinstalling the cover. Once everything was completed the engine started up as it should. We ran it at the dock and we got full power. Initially, there was some smoke that cleared up because of all the failed attempts to start the engine. Through all the attempts at starting I kept the water intake closed so that the engine wouldn't be flooded with seawater and result in a hydrolock.

Another friendly monkey.

During our trip from Bocas to Shelter Bay our fuel filters filled with dirt and water so I realized that even though we kept the tank full, lots of debris had accumulated in the bottom of the tank. Obviously, the injectors had become blocked from either dirty fuel or the incorrect injection timing from the fuel pump. Since the pump had been rebuilt and we put in clean injectors I decided to have the fuel cleaned. I wanted to do it before a seatrial but we decided to do the seatrial before cleaning the fuel.  

We often saw Woodpeckers

We went out for a seatrial that revealed a nicely working motor but it overheated. Several things came to mind. The first was that the bottom was dirty after sitting in the marina for two months. Second was that it could be the thermostat and I thought I had a spare. I later checked and I found that I had already replaced the thermostat 3 years earlier so I dismissed that as a possible issue. I also thought it was possible that the heat exchanger might need cleaning.

 

One Sunday we biked out to the old Spanish Fort San Lorenzo. It's a very beautiful site and a robust effort at restoration is going on.

The main Parade Grounds

The back facing battery

An old cannon

The old barracks being reconstructed

View of the mouth of the Chagres River. For several centuries the Chagres River was one of the key entries into Panama.

                                                                   The moats.

The grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had the fuel cleaned and the filtering removed a very significant amount of residue in the fuel. With that done we decided to try and leave again. This time we left the marina and as we went into the large swells we weren't able to get the engine to high RPM's without the temperature gauge rising. So, we turned back to the marina again.

The mechanics working to reset the timing.
 

After returning I arranged to have a diver clean the bottom. But the more I thought about it I decided to remove the thermostat and test it in boiling water. It was bad. It didn't open. I went to the marina store in the off-chance that they might have one and of course they didn't. So I inquired about ordering one. The store manager called the Yanmar supplier who said they didn't have one so they would order it. I was encouraged by the updates about its arrival but each one failed. It finally came in about a week-and-a-half after it was ordered. I probably could have gotten it sooner if I had ordered it myself directly from the distributor in Florida. I considered having the heat exchanger cleaned but passed on that. I didn't have the gaskets for it so I wanted the mechanic to do it but he wasn't available. So, I didn't do that.

Once I received the thermostat I tested it in boiling water and it worked fine so I installed it. 

View from the roof of Casa Casco where we met a fellow sailor when we took the fuel pump back to Panama City,
 

We took the boat out for another seatrial and it ran fine so we started making our plans. 

The day our thermostat came in we went to Colon to check out at the maritime authority because our Panama Cruising Permit expired the next day. The next day we checked out of Panama at the authorities located at Shelter Bay. We planned to leave the next morning, Thursday 26 April but the weather was horrible. High winds, rain and storms that lasted all day. So we thought we could leave the next day and we did.

                                                I never tire of the beautiful views in Bocas.
 

The weather still wasn't good but it was better and we motored directly into big winds, seas and rain but we were out.

We had spent nearly 3 months at Shelter Bay Marina. We had many frustrating days. First of all we were exasperated with our badly and then non-performing engine but then we sat in the boat almost everyday waiting for the mechanics to come who some days never showed up and when they did it was several hours after they said. Our last mechanic often came at 4 or 5 PM and worked until 7 or 8. We were grateful for the effort but we sat here in the boat all day unable to really start anything or go anywhere for fear that they would show up at an inconvenient time. On those days they worked late we had gotten up early and ate breakfast and usually skipped lunch because we didn't want to get into it. Then dinner was after nine. And this routine went on for several days. 

We also never tire of the beautiful skies at anchor.
 

So, for the past 3 months our days were very frustrating although the final outcome was what we wanted. It was like living the same day over and over. Get up early and get the boat ready for workers that didn't come when expected if at all. They would work on the engine and it wouldn't start. Just like the movie Groundhog Day. When we could, we went for daily walks and saw some incredible wildlife in the jungle and somehow we managed to work around their schedule with occasional trips into Colon to do shopping. One day Linda went in by herself while I waited in the boat. Linda got back at 4 they arrived at 5. 

The one nice feature at Shelter Bay was the almost daily Jungle Walks.

When we finally left the marina and went to Linton Bay, we really didn't believe it. We had planned for over 2 years to make this move only to be turned back each time so when it finally happened it took a while to overcome the fears and anxieties of the failures. In the end, if the original mechanic had been able to complete the job we probably would have been gone almost 2 years ago. 

But, we're on our way to our next home in Colombia and it's the morning after Groundhog Day.

Our first stop after Groundhog Day, Linton Bay Marina and the start of our new experiences.