Diesel Bug

How to avoid diesel bug and knowing your diesel system
Sailing Swallow

[@geomatrix6481]

Nice

[@DirkJacobsz]

loved it - the diagram at the end was great - learnt heaps thanks

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Brill 👍

[@Thesailing_chef]

Leaned a lot in that video! You made everything very simple! Thank you and keep up the videos they’re great 😊

[@sailingcosiloveit]

More than welcome my friend, I’ll do me best mike

[@allanjames9672]

Really helpful, thanks Mike. Just wish I'd seen this, before I had to learn the hard way! 😞

[@sailingcosiloveit]

I’m sorry to say but learning the hard way is often the best as the mistake will never be made again in error. 🫣

[@sigma436]

Hi Mike, Thank you for another nice video! You are using a filter funnel to refueling the dieseltank. note: there are also funnel filters that not only collect dirt but also collect water.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Now that sounds like a useful bit of kit. I shall go check that on out cheers mike

[@outthereactive939]

this is the first video that's ever helped me start to understand diesel engines - thanks for all the info and the diagrams were really helpful

[@sailingcosiloveit]

You know your welcome 👍

[@jamesmowat1397]

Another great video where I learned a thing or two. Great filter wrench! I am going to have to look for one of those!

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi James, not a common wrench 🔧 but definitely a good one for old hands 🥴cheers mike

[@simontaylor4873]

Really good explanation, took a screen shot of your diagrams for future reference 👌

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi Simon, that’s good to know. I hope they may come in handy one day. Cheers mike

[@johnlockhart5889]

NWS for this, Mike, very informative. Have a great sailing season.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Back at ye John have a good one 👍

[@lanceleader8891]

You always manage to make your videos interesting.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Cheers Lance, and I thought my drawing weren’t up to scratch, thanks for your kind words mike

[@mikehood6079]

Excellent as always Mike, my last boat had the bug, didn’t know it when I purchased it, the last owner missed that bit out, it let me down out by the Fairway managed to sneak back with a 6HP aux boats eh 👍🏻

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi mike, just as well you had the outboard or you would have to employed ye anchor while you sorted stuff. Happy sailing mike

[@sailingaphrodite4189]

Informative as ever Mike. I had the dreaded bug about 5 years ago and gave it a great deal of thought about how I caught it and came to the following conclusion. I had purchased best part of 100 litres of red from a very small boat yard and suspect that I picked it up from there. My solution has been to move to white from one of the local supermarkets as their turn over is huge compared to any marina and I can get it on the way to the boat. Don't expect anybody has looked at where people who have the bug purchased their fuel. All fuel is filtered via a Mr Funnel. While slowing the process down I can see if anything ls filtered out, I no longer use metal jerry cans as they are great at depositing stuff in the filter! I've moved from a CAV, horrible fiddly things, to a Racor copy primary fuel filter as it is easier to change and has some centrifugal filtering effect. To date no problems. As an experiment this winter I placed an open topped plastic bottle with a litre of fuel in the cockpit locker to see if it absorbed any atmospheric moisture. To date no water is present in the bottom of the bottle, so I am not convinced that this is a problem. I am in Cornwall, but we have had some rain this winter. This winter's refit includes empting the half full fuel tank and see if any H²O is present. I've seen some water absorbent filters for breather tubes and might consider fitting one of those if I find any H²O in the tank. The jury is out on additives as we will never know if they work or not. Sandy

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi Sandy, I agree with all you have to say. In some respects we sing from the same sheet. I use garage white diesel also 90% of the time. This I do because cars never seem to get diesel bug. Anytime I’ve filled with fuel why out on passage I’ve used a filter where possible. I’m sorry to say it but it’s mostly the marina fuel stops where your going to pick up the bug. Here’s hoping that we have a great season, all the best mike

[@sailingaphrodite4189]

​@@sailingcosiloveit May see you on the water Mike I am planning a wee jaunt up and down the Irish Sea this summer. Don't get me going on the subject of horizontal filler caps on boats. Grrrrrrr

[@SCCFORUM]

Brilliantly explained.👍🏻⛵

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Thanks 👍

[@jcfgh]

That was great. Thank uou. Looking forward to seeing you get out on the high seas this year! Best wishes

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Thanks James, looking forward to getting out myself, nearly there. Regards mike

[@Dulce-Phil]

Some very good tips in this episode. Thanks for sharing.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi Philip, my pleasure mike

[@ratusbagus]

Thanks Mike. I was totally ignorant of all this fuel management stuff because I used fractional boat companies and OPB's and just hope that others know what they're doing. Now I'm hoping you've raised me to a level just a tad higher than "a little bit of knowledge is dangerous".

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Sorry matey 😳

[@markgrinter3228]

Very informative. Luckily i can lift my whole tank out to clean

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi mark, you maybe able to take it out but do you? Bet ye don’t! See ye soon mike

[@markgrinter3228]

@@sailingcosiloveit yeh had it out couple of times in couple of years . Nice access hatch in the top . Gives you peace if mind

[@sailawayteam]

I'm glad you're already preparing for the season. I will still have to wait for two months to get rid of the ice and snow but this gives me hope.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Ha we’ve had the snow I hope. One cold snap to go nest week and then with a bit of luck I’ll get my first sail of 23 in. Cheers mike

[@brennigjones]

Great video, thanks for the info, Mike

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Glad you enjoyed it, cheers mike

[@sligeach]

Great video Mike. I fitted a new 42ltr plastic Tek Tank about 14 years ago and at the same time fitted 2 of they cav type filters both with glass bowls and down stream of that lives a clear inline filter before lift pump, have never had any problems. Wish Sam Holmes would do the same!!!!!😂😂😂😂

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi Sligeach, I hope they aren’t famous last words! Have a great season mike

[@DrewBritten]

Thanks for the detailed explanation of your diesel system. I learned a lot. I don't know what part of Ireland you hail from, but one of my favorite parts of your channel is that it sounds (to my Irish-American ears) like all the videos are narrated by Frank McCourt.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi Drew, your hearing must work through time cos my family goes back to Cork but I wasn’t! Born in Liverpool and lived my life in Wales I’m only of Irish decent. Glad to hear you are enjoying my accent though! Kind regards mike

[@peterwatson6975]

Good explanation Mike, the bug can be an unseen enemy. I went for an integral handprimer on the CAV, (but you can get a separate one). One of our guys had a inline squeezy type bulb that developed a small split. It took him ages to diagnose why the engine would start and then fade under load.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi Peter, I use the hand bulb because I look at it as a service item. I will change it out every few years, certainly before it starts to harden which is normally when cracks start to develop. Don’t want to say the next bit now but here goes, I use to you the cav with integral primer but mine leaked air and was a devil to find. Same problem your friend had but other way around. Aren’t air leaks a b**ch? Here’s hoping all goes well mike

[@captlarry-3525]

I went through my fuel system with a fine tooth comb. Eventually coming to the conclusion that a weak lift pump was causing the engine to starve after a couple of minutes at mid to high throttle. New one cured it.

[@erbster200]

Informative as usual. I’ve changed my fuel filter, but it reminds to check the drain on the tank. Great tip about fuel cans - sadly I’ve just bought a black one…

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi Erbster, black will be ok with the filter funnel, just can’t check contents while in tank. Have a great season mike

[@rogerdinnis3816]

Thank you for that explanation, one of the best I have seen! No oil change?

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi Roger, thanks for that. Ye did do oil and filter as well but thought it was going off topic too much to air. Regards mike

[@solentlifeuk]

Just a shortie .... Cold air holds less moisture than warm air. Second - FAME which is the usual Bio content of diesel - yes it loves water .... but once blended into diesel actually has a hard job taking up water .......... I've been blending fuels for over 30 yrs.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Keep up the good work 👍

given density of distilleries in your area, I would also expect a fair amount of 'angel share' ethanol to be ending up in your diesel.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Moonshine 😋

[@ratusbagus]

What do you think of this idea Mike? I wonder if you'd do a vid about that legend "water line" in your engine compartment? Just musings on why it's important and all the things that depend on it or work better below or above it around the whole boat. I expect the comments would add loads too. My contribution is that the rudder and prop both work better below.

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Ye Ratus them two and the weight 😁

[@chrisyarnold6205]

Cleaner filters, and diesel system generally than my car, and that is unusual for a boat. I shall have to stop running the tank on a tenner's worth of fuel!!!

[@sailingcosiloveit]

🤣

[@StemtoSternSailing]

Nice one Mike. I also prefer the cav type filters too. There is a short clip of me cleaning my fueltank on my previous sailboat on my older videos, at the and of them, (season 1 and earlier) i could lift out a big hand sized blob of diesel bug out of the tank. It was hiding behind one of the baffles /walls. As i tilted the tank and hosed the inside with clean diesel it came sliding down across the bottom of the tank like a stranded black jellyfish. The tank on my Bavaria dont have an inspection hatch in it so i cant clean it. I will mout one later on, but for now I have just built in a diesel polishing system that i run when I'm sailing or motoring in heavy seas. I havent foune any stuff yet. There are a few glimpses of the fuel polishing system in this video ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIawZKuhaNmhrac ) there is a water and sediment trap on the starboard side of the front engine access and the cav filter and water trap unit on the portside. After that there is mounted a Hardy pump that sends the fuel back to the fuel tank. Separate fuel pickups, but return is T'ed into the engine's fuel return system. Thanks for shearing this important video. Best regards from Jarle

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hiya Jarle, you have certainly experienced it at it’s worst. You seem to have the maximum levels of protection. I’ve only had a stopped engine with the bug once, around the year 2001 in a folk boat. Once the tank had picked the black starfish (quoting you) up it made its way to the top only of the first cav filter. Never got to the bottom of it and starved the engine. The tank was built into the boat with no inspection point. I remember changing the cav filter about half a dozen times before the engine would run. After that I always had a box full of cav filter on board. A lesson I will carry forever. Great to hear from you mike

[@Antipodean33]

I haven't seen a clip from you in ages is this why?

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Hi Dean, no I’m sorry just had a lot on me plate at present. Cheers mike

[@sailingsheriff3349]

Just done mine hate that job. Should have watched you first it would have helped

[@sailingcosiloveit]

Ye but at least once it done you have confidence which is better than doubt! Have a good season hope to see you about mike