The digger saga continues - 18 months without a working machine

We have been without a working digger for about 18 months now, which has been beyond frustrating. Today we share how we finally get the engine back from being redone, and putting the machine back together again.
Thanks to Bluetti for working on this video with us.
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Music: Epidemic Sound
New here? My name is Lea and I live with my partner Maarten, our daughter Puck and toddler Bo on our land in Central Portugal. We left the rat race in the Netherlands in 2018 and moved south in our old campervan. Two years ago we bought land in Portugal that had been abandoned for several decades. After lots of hard work we now live in a beautiful yurt and keep ourselves busy growing our own vegetables as well as producing olive oil, wine and honey on a small scale. This channel documents all the different jobs we have to do, and sometimes some nice footage of this beautiful country we now call home.
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Chapters:
0:00 How it all started

[@hardyvonwinterstein5445]

It's a rough life. I grew up in the fifties and it was harsh then. But no comfort or money can buy the peace of mind, the happiness of your children, pets and chicks. My mom used to say 'you should have a better life than we had'. And it worked, in a material way. Today I'm richer then ever before, but I still would go back to the life you live in a heartbeat.

[@deehalpern8988]

Martin looks like he should be a professor in a classroom at a university, not a mechanic. But he’s tackling the problems like a pro so we’re all looking forward to all your future projects. The kids are growing so fast too.

[@ourhighlandhomestead]

When Marten was measuring for the thermostat I half expected him to look up and say it was 53mm 😂 Seems like that might be the next challenge the digger would throw at you 🤣 Good job guys, love your videos - your honesty and authenticity is refreshing.x

[@tonypereira1484]

Marvellous Martin is back with his mechanised machine of massive machinations 🚜 lol 😅

[@NoneOfyourbusiness-ob2yz]

Julie zijn te jong waarschijnlij, maar ik moet altijd aan een boek "vandaag beginnen" denken als ik jouw videos kijk. Een boek van de jaren zeventig, vol ideeen hoe je een betere leven kunt maken. Mijn vrouw kocht het in a tweedehands winkel voor mij toen ik in Wageningen studeerde. Jullie met vallen en opstaan zijn goed op weg, ik leef ook van mijn land in Deutschland. Landleven is niet makkelijk maar stadsleven in a rijtjes huis is ook lastig.

[@SonyaTainton]

Oh my, you've made my day...missed you guys, thank you for sharing Your soothing voice. Fabulous videography. Lekker music You are ALL looking fabulous (love the look Leah), the kids are so grown up....How long have I been following? The land has come a long way - you probably don't notice...day in & day out....from afar...WOW 🫂

[@josephinebrinkman9942]

I am so happy to see you back and I enjoyed the video. In another lifetime, I too lived off grid, never had indoor plumbing but water, a spring nearby. Your videos make me calm and take me back to my other life long ago. Keep the faith, your videos are awesome!

[@Bennie32831]

Get fuel to the top of the injectors so there's no air in your fuel lines it really makes a difference ✌️

[@thizizliz]

Good to see you both learning about how the equipment works - homesteading means you learn SO many skills and work so very hard. It's awful when your tools go on strike.

[@laelgatewood3899]

But you are building your children, and your gardens. All are thriving, what joy. Pepper those stories with another veggie recipe or two, so good. Many thanks for sharing your sagas.

[@andrewelliott1022]

110% of my support and appreciation for your sharings. I very much enjoy seeing your efforts and progress. I does seem that your most important 'plantings' - your children are thriving and in the end that is what matters. Much love.

[@deranocasper]

It's brilliant to see you back working on the excavator family all good i am making my adventure to Central Portugal from Ireland soon

[@oakolive]

The real question is how many tarps covering the digger will be destroyed by the sun before it works again lol props to your patience, I would have given up on it already 😅

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

We’re still on tarp #1

[@oakolive]

@@ourportuguesehomestead that is a miracle I swear we go through one of these a year before they start shedding microplastics…

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

There are different grades of tarp. This is the thickest tarp they sell and it lasts an extra year or two.

[@skaraborgcraft]

Is it a rotary fuel injection pump? Any dirt or water that passes a filter can stop one, especially if it has been left standing. If you are not getting the right pressure in the pump, it wont open the injectors.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

The rotary injection pump works again after some love. It had seized during the repair but with some engine oil soaking it now works super smoothly again. According to the service place the injectors themselves need new nozzles but their price to do the service was just insanely high. So I opted to buy new ones for a third of the price they quoted.

[@douglasworkman2788]

Hang in there Martin, you will get it repaired and we can't wait until tart the new house build, hang in there, love from usa

[@rnggall9640]

Oh no! You are really working out your problem solving muscles!

[@coppertone711]

Wonderful to see you all today. The beauty around you as lovely as ever. It seems the digger will be all new inside when you are finished with the rebuild. I will always remember helping my dad rebuild grandpas old M&M tractor as the snow surrounded us. I cut out cork gaskets for him. I was not big enough to reach the peddles, but we baled hay that summer. The gardens are looking really good, and the trees are so improved. Take care, see you soon.

[@joyguthrie964]

I love your positivity! Thank you for your example to those around you of how hard work and perseverance pays off. 😃😊

[@suepittel426]

It is lovely to see you and your family again. I like your new mics. Patience is a virtue, so we should all be extremely virtuous. Thank you for your excellent videos.

[@HowardRice]

Very clear audio these days. Makes a big differenece much appreciated.

[@inabates8919]

Oh my, the trials and tribulations of the excavator, hopefully you fix it, fingers crossed for you. Yay new mics, 👏👏

[@DanielSkinnerDETTPKS]

Sounds Great, Travel At Your own Pace; Always Glad to see your progress Forward. Peace, Long Life, & Health to All.

[@deranocasper]

Awesome video on your digger and your off grid set up free electric 📹💚😊

[@candynewton4945]

The family looks healthy and happy. Good to see the children growing so fast, sweet angels with dear parents, congratulations to teaching them self reliance. Thank you for the update. 🇺🇲

[@lieuwina]

Martijn and Leah, was so nice to see that a video had been uploaded, missed you guys. Well patience is one thing you are both certainly learning and you are doing a great job with all the frustration. It is frustrating when something wont work and I do hope it will work soon your digger, for you both it is mentally draining. I think your garden is beautiful Leah and you have come far with your vegetable growing, the children are very happy and have grown so much. Have a lovely day and see you both in the next one and hope for Martijn's sake he can find the problem and that the digger works soon.

[@AmusedPineTrees-wh1ed]

Nice to see your video. I agree Martijn, owning your own property and equipment does take years off one's life. Remember your most precious project, the children are thriving. All the best until next time and news on the Digger.

[@chloeuntrau4588]

Exciting news! there will be a day where you'll look back at all those frustrations and laugh...Have a good time!

[@another8125]

oh goodness me you guys are so resilient to all the problems man, i just couldnt, that digger would have ended up getting kicked down to the bottom of the hill long ago if it was me, awesome vids.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Little heavy for that 😂

[@sgrvtl7183]

So nice to see the Family again! You have SO MUCH patience! 💚💗 I look forward to whatever you post. Good Luck with the bean & pea patch in your second garden area!

[@teedub1990]

Once you finally get the digger running, it had better run without problems for the next 20 years. I hope you have words with it. 😉

[@thefarawayhollow]

We're still preparing for our own Digger saga and you guys have me SCARED 😆

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

When it works it's fucking amazing though!

[@dropshot1967]

I hope to see the result of the digger rebuilt and other news and of course, the house built. When collecting your raw footage for the build, please make sure you have at least 1 and better 2 backups of said footage. Just last year, two channels I watch lost a lot of footage because they lost a computer or a drive. Groeten uit Nederland.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks, I’ll remember that!

[@higheriam]

Hope that digger gets up and runs soon and does the work you need doing.❤

[@Tubroos_Bz]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear the digger is still giving trouble! I'm sure you'll get there in the end, and it'll be so handy for building your house etc. I have an old Massey Ferguson tractor and, despite being one of the most useful tools on the farm, I swear it spends as much time broken as usable!

[@jeanettefrancis6473]

Sounds good. But I think we need a special celebration video (even a few minutes) of when the digger actually starts and you drive off up the mountain. Ha.

[@bboice08]

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful!! so glad to see you again!! Even the digger looks great so glad you are on digger troubleshooting mission. Go team we can do it!!

[@AnneHeyns]

You always have lovely vegetables and I've learned a lot from you over the past few years- thank you for sharing.

[@petradenbleker8633]

Ik vind jullie heel dapper (en vindingrijk)!

[@sueantoine3855]

I'm sure it is very frustrating thinking your digger would work after being rebuilt. Patients and keep on working on what you can. Always look forward to your videos.

[@jeanelliott7491]

So happy to see you back. I check every day to see if there's a new video. You certainly have a lot of patience with that machine. Hopefully it will start running and you can get back to digging out the mountain side for your new home. I love seeing your children ...they are getting so big and when we don't see them for a while they really look much older. Hopefully everything will go smooth after you get the new parts.

[@chantalcottontnvplastics8452]

Leah, loved this vlog, and so great to see you looking happy and calm. Martijn and you will for sure get that digger up and running & the nicest part is you will know the engine inside & out for the future. Your gardens are amazing and so looking forward to seeing your journey with the house building🩵🩵🩵

[@stephenmoss9842]

Thanks for sharing , glad to see everyone again. Hope you get the digger up and running again.

[@srenloe43]

Chipping is intense but will have long term benefits

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

It is one of the hardest jobs to do, especially on those undersized ones. I needed a week to recover from it.

[@srenloe43]

Spread it out as a winter project god exercise

[@srenloe43]

How are the potatoes?

[@elainekaufman2264]

What A tribute to your patience and perseverance 😊

[@beeheart6324]

you are amazing! It's so hard to get used to the slower pace and to learn to allow it all to happen in it's own time. I know this from my own process the last few years: even though I thought I want to slow down, it then took time to get used to it and to particularly stay centred when challenges arise. You videos are always so very beautiful and I love the authentic way you do present your life to the world. Thank you! ;-)

[@robynclarke5274]

Your new plan of filming a series sounds great. Can't wait to see it. Hopefully your digger is completely fixed soon.

[@user-ih7zg4tf1w]

I have a lot of respect what you do. Strength and succes! Thank you for sharing.

[@johnsonr9]

Been following you all since you moved there. Love your ingenuity and perseverance. High quality video work too. Hope the digger is working soon!

[@denislegault9864]

Hello, I very rarely write but have to say I have been watching your channel for quite sometime and I know that you and your husband work your tails off to make sure that your family is provided for and that I had a feeling you were thinking of really slowing down with the videos, I am hoping and thinking you decided to keep the videos going when you can and I do appreciate all what your family does on here...I am an older man in late 70's and watch many homesteaders..yours is one I always enjoy watching and hoping that you can get your digger working so you can move on with your dream...and I will always continue to watch..thank you for sharing. P.S always found you interesting and your mics sound good..lol.

[@BreakingBarriers2DIY]

Great to see the excavator back and well done putting it all back in yourself. Great video format varying different types of action.

[@srantoniomatos]

Glad to see you guys keep on going and buildind and growing. One of the things i wanted the most at start was a chipper, to do woodchips...then i had a (professional) day s work with a chipper, and no longer want one! Now i just burn the excess. I also wanted a small tractor. Then i figured out that even the most basic maintainance (+ plus diesel, oils, and protection from elements, rats, and thieves, etc) was more expensive and trouble then just pay a pro guy to do the work i want... When it comes to big machinery a pro do it better and faster and at a lower cost. 1000 euros can be a few years of paying to professionals do the jobs we need on small homesteads, and much less work and worries. End up saving time and money much needed to other stuff. The same principle can be aplied even in the veggie garden. Exemple: growing beans its very easy, but the entire process of growing, harvest, drying, etc...just dosent ads up. There s a certain amount of specialization to makes things work , or it just becomes a burden, making homesteading a pain, specially a financial pain. Times is worth money. The homesteading permaculture way of "one man army" trying to do everything, and imense diversity, its a trap. Self suficience is a myth, killing many homesteaders dreams. One "have to know its limitations". Going small, smaller land, growing slower, acepting some specialization and trade, it homestead saving.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I totally agree! Thing with this digger is that we want to be the professional 😅

[@srantoniomatos]

Ahahahha hope you do it. Best way is to work for some else first. But even the guys i know who do it professionally suffer from the same (maybe not so much) troubles. Buying second hand to be affordable almost always end up being a problem. And you need a few thousand hours of experience to become professionally proeficient. I would double down on what you already are good (family, yt, off grid, olive.. etc?) Or at least on what you wanna do forever, most of the time.

[@JD-gz8ko]

The new sound is great. It adds a lot to the video. Good to see the digger almost fixed.

[@inabates8919]

PUK is beautiful with her umbrella ❤❤

[@odiliapereira7043]

Estou feliz de os ver de volta ,a love you guys dont givin up

[@michaelmcclown5593]

If smoke is not coming out the exhaust before it fires fuel is not getting to the injectors, bleeding all lines is essential.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Fuel was getting to the injectors but not passed them (no smoke) thanks for thinking with me.

[@sandgroper-ig9nk]

Tx for sharing your experience amazing how the Portuguese operate lol. The country side is looking absolutely picture perfect. Good to see the digger getting closer to getting back on the job

[@MAXandROBBIE]

Thanks Guys 👍

[@jerrielindsey5939]

The new mikes are amazing!

[@BMC-hl2uh]

Lovely video. Keep on truckin'.

[@Jaynes-Path]

Any time a gas or diesel engine sits unused for a period of time and it wasn't completely drained and prepared to sit unused, they don't just start again. The fuel in the tank and fuel lines will begin to evaporate. As it evaporates it creates a varnish like substance that will coat the tank, fuel lines, carburetor, filters and screens etc which will prevent fuel from passing through. The carburetor and filters must all be cleaned and new fuel added before the motor will work. This can happen to a simple lawn mower or weed wacker that gets stored in the fall and then won't work in the spring, to a seasonal vehicle like a golf cart or snow machine or even a car and yes, construction equipment. Remove and clean the carburetor and fuel filters very well. As long as all of the seals that are supposed to be air tight are and filters are not clogged then the new fuel should be able to get where it is needed.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks for your input. These are great tips for a petrol engine, but diesel doesn’t go off that quickly, doesn’t have a carburator and I’ve replaced the filters.

[@Bennie32831]

A stick was a sine off problems ✌️ so glad you took it out

[@aurick861]

Digger: make sure you bleed the lines properly... they don't self bleed. no smoke = no fuel. all the lines, from tank to high pressure pump, and from pump to each injector.

[@donbentley250]

The suspense has me on the edge of my seat. You guys will get this. Thank you for sharing.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks for the update

[@franceshurt3517]

Hello all, it must be really hard to maintain your patience with all those setbacks but you seem to be coping really well, I wish you all the best in your endeavours and your children are blissfully ignorant of the struggle which is as it should be, cheers!!😍😘💕👍👍🫒

[@LindaSchreiber]

I like your new approach. Works. I so wanted to hear the digger go **vroom**, and I know you did, too. The amount of engineering and mechanics that you all had to learn is incredible.... 'Self-suffiency' is a myth, eh ;) Always has been. Loved seeing you all.

[@richardteychenne3950]

Your patience is admirable. Good luck with the digger and start of the house build 😀

[@riczao2628]

Just found your Chanel and I am really enjoying!

[@ardsley2239]

Cool right??

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Welcome!

[@manolisgledsodakis873]

What you are doing is great!

[@srenloe43]

Solar panels are the cheapest option at the present time

[@thomascallaghan5988]

Great video

[@user-vw3hv9wi9n]

Nice video 😊

[@denisekoger904]

great idea!

[@Stormy-14-]

Yay a new video!!! I love your channel 👍👍❤️❤️

[@IvanKinsmanSDP]

Good to see videos are back. I have seen that chipper on other homesteading vids - can you just mention the brand/model as I need a bigger one like this. GIve me a mechanical engine and I know nothing so great job doing this on your own. Interesting that the winch is only 500 W - we erected a greenhouse this week and the drill for the concrete block foundation was 1,000 W so too much for our 600 W ECOFLOW PRO so had to use long extension cables from the house. And did you find out what was the problem in the digger's engine? And for non-techies: A fuel injector regulates the injection of fuel into an engine's internal combustion chamber where it is mixed with air and ignited. The combustion chamber is where the chemical energy in diesel, hydrogen, and natural gas is converted into power for the vehicle.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I really can’t recommend this chipper. As you can see in the video I removed the out feed (danger danger 😉) because it kept clogging, and material had to really be pushed down into the knives for it to go through (I’ve used a slightly bigger one in the past and that one had no such issues). The initial issue with the engine was that the timing chain had stretched and the tensioner was completely worn down. I.e. it was out of time, resulting in some bent valves as well. It sometimes pays to check the real draw of machinery instead of the listed draw as I’ve noticed that those can differ significantly. May the new greenhouse provide you with many veggies :). Cheers Maarten

[@IvanKinsmanSDP]

​@@ourportuguesehomesteadThx Maarten, alright good to know. Well you must know that engine inside out now so easier to tackle future issues. Ref. the chipper I will stick to my smaller one for the time being.

[@valeriaaxx]

Zo leuk! Geniet van dat mooie plek ❤

[@malcolmjarrett6310]

Thanks

[@bjornwennas7407]

I absolutely love your channel!!! ❤

[@mariavieiracruz8112]

Espero pelo próximo 😊 sejam felizes

Beautiful garden this year. Good job. 🙂

[@tomcartmill401]

Yes, Yes. Goed gedaan.

[@moreliving6047]

Hello, if you need help with the digger, I'll be happy to come and see if I can help, I don't think it's the injector, it's probably air in the fuel line, I'm used to old diesel engines, ok, if you want me to just come, I'll be happy to do so. have a good day with kind regards Reidar

[@francescamanca9378]

Love your idea of a television serie, looking forward to it. 🙂

[@sandrawray542]

ok cant wait!

[@brucedownunda7054]

Goed gedaan

[@metamud8686]

🤞dat die nieuwe injectors het gaan doen dan! Leuk dat je weer tijd had om een video te maken. Kalm aan, dan breekt het lijntje niet. Succes met de voorjaarsmoestuin!

[@richfiryn]

I would imagine that digger gave you many opportunities to practice colorful language to express your displeasure at the circumstances. Mechanical problems can be quite infuriating for certain. I admire the fact you haven't quit on it though.

[@kevinfaulkner9859]

You can weld a nut to the broken bolt....The heat helps too....

[@gerardvriend729]

Lieve mensen, jullie zijn geweldig. Wij komen ook naar Portugal. De motor had gewoon moeten lopen. Normaal maak je de leiding van 1 injector los. En start je de lucht uit de leiding. Lucht is samen persbaar en zal de injector niet open krijgen! Voor het hout wat jullie hebben. Maak er biochar van. Chippen kost energie en is minder goed als biochar. Groetjes Gerard Vriend

[@magnusnordqvist8755]

those rotary pumps use to get seized with biodiesel with high content of rapeseed oil....i used to "unclog" the pump with a heating gun pointed to it!...kind of melting the clog.

[@stephencrowther524]

I very much doubt that all three injectors are blocked. I would suspect that the diesel pump is somehow blocked or the pump is not receiving enough fuel. There maybe a filter that you have missed too. Also check the pump timing.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Two unclogged quite quickly, but the third one remained completely blocked that is why I sent them off to all be tested and cleaned. The shop confirmed they were all in a bit of a state. I borrowed some injectors from a friend and they worked perfectly.

[@klalthazuala7458]

More videos plz

[@SonyaTainton]

mein hemel....you are a tease😁

[@alittleheavenonearth]

Hard work pays off gf ❤❤❤❤

[@Jaantoenen]

Fiel and timing. Diesel pump may meed bleeding or injectors cleaming.

[@portugal1969]

❤

[@noudbernd4313]

De verstuiver leidingen ontluchten, je start en dan draai je de wartel van de verstuiver leiding bij de verstuiver een klein beetje los totdat er diesel uitkomt en draai je de wartel weer vast en dan stop je met starten en dan doe je precies hetzelfde met de volgende verstuiver leidingen, je begint altijd met de kortste verstuiver leiding en daarna pas met een langere verstuiver leiding.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Hebben we gedaan :)

[@punjabseth260]

Ni ce😊😊

[@gsmgsa]

Just use any inflammable spray on the intake while cranking!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

This is how I came to conclude it must be the injectors. I’ve also done a compression test after the rebuild.

[@NadiaGarrido-rh2hk]

Where did you get that wood chipper and are you satisfied with it?

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Borrowed it from the neighbour and not really. I removed the outlet as it would constantly get clogged and everything needed to be pushed into the chipper with a sacrificial stick so the knives would bite the material. It was the hardest week of my life haha.

[@NadiaGarrido-rh2hk]

@@ourportuguesehomestead good to know. I was hoping to find one that's a good review for this one already 😆