Tanks and tappets

With moderately fine weather first thing, we motored over to Oundle marina to do a few more winterising tasks.  The diesel tank was topped up to reduce the likelihood of condensation over the winter.  We were reassured by Mark in the office that he pre-treats all the marina biodiesel, so we don't have to worry about any additives.  In the short journey to the fueling stage we managed to pick up a short length of rope (someone else's) around the prop shaft, although it didn't seem to slow Patience down too much.  We also noted that the o-ring on the filler cap needs replacing, so it was measured up to get a replacement.

Having returned to our mooring, it was off with the rocker cover to check the valve clearances.  According to the BMC manual. 1.8 litre engines with a 'later type' camshaft should run with a clearance of 0.014 in, measured hot or cold.  You can tell if you have a later type camshaft by looking at the side of the lower engine block - if it has ribs you have the later type camshaft.  Turning over the diesel engine to close each of the valves in turn is difficult, as the gearbox doesn't engage if there is no hydraulic pressure and you can't apply enough torque on the nut on the front end of the crankshaft to turn it.  In the end, we turned the engine over briefly on the starter and tried to avoid it firing.  Note for next time: this would be easier with the engine cold so that it doesn't fire. Most of the clearances seemed to be fine, but three needed adjusting to reduce the clearance to the designated 0.014 in.

We checked the gas fridge, which had been giving problems failing to ignite in the summer, but today seemed to fire up first time.  That may be because it's much easier to see the pilot light in the gloom of a winter's afternoon. We don't want to spend £500 or more on a new fridge if we can avoid it.

Finally, we measured up the effluent tank as a prelude to possibly investing in a resistance type depth gauge.  It's the one tank on board where a little technology would pay dividends.  Unlike the fresh water tank (which you can see into) and the fuel tank (which you can put a dipstick into), those solutions aren't a pleasant option for the black water tank!