Diesel engine - shutoff pops up ??

[annamill]

I have a 1967 Robertson and til now it was running beautifully. I'm new at this and no nothing about Diesel engines. I hope some of you can help.

The little engine shutoff lever popped up and we can't get it to go down, and the engine won't turn over. It cranks nicely, but it won't start.

The lever isn't hard to push down. It can be pushed down, but then it pops right back up again.

Any ideas?

Thank you. Annamill

[Ian McColgin]

Does it start when you hold the lever down?

Anyway, find the other end - one person moving that lever and the other poking around the engin.

If the cable from lever to engin is still hooked up and working, if the engin can be started with the lever held down, then you may have a problem in the cable. Maybe something shifted in the bilge putting a sharp bend on the cable or maybe something is pressing against the cable just inside the panel - especially likely if you've a locker there.

To really check that, try disconnecting the cable at the engin end and see if the lever still pops up.

Er - that's one thought anyway.

G'luck

[WWheeler]

I've had a similar problem with an Italian one-lunger. On this engine, there's two wires that put tension on the shut-off lever. One wire connects to the shut-off switch, and the other provides positive tension to the other side. It looks like one of the wires is a bit out of place, so that tension is not even. The cable is a bit like a bicycle brake, remember when the cables wear out? I'm thinking I'll have to replace the entire cable, and put new sleeves around it.

In the meantime, the workaround is to put the engine in gear (forward prop), somehow that overrides the tension in the wires.

[Donn]

I had to replace my shut-off cables last year, and following my diesel wrench's suggestion, I used morse control cables instead of the cheapo ones that were there.

[annamill]

Everyone, thank you for your responses. WWheeler, I don't understand the work-around. I should put the engine into gear before I start the engine? My son-in-law is working on it right now. I hope he can do it. If not, $60 bucks an hour it is.

Annamill

[WWheeler]

Yes, that's right. The engine has a gear lever for forward/neutral/reverse. We put here into a forward gear (slow revs.) and she turned over. The problem is, I don't know why it works!

[Ian McColgin]

WWheeler, I think you're looking at a different phenomonon. What you describe is more likely with single shaft throttle/gear. Most such have a nubbin or something that allows you to advance the throttle without engaging the gear.

G'luck

[annamill]

OK! It's fixed. All it needed was some grease. We spent all yesterday afternoon and later into the night out on the water at the end of Sandy Hook, NJ. A wonderous place and the weather was perfect.

Thank you all for your help.

(I love my boat)
Annamill