The work goes on...

Ile Jeudi
Bob and Lin Griffiths
Tue 27 Sep 2011 15:49
Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 September
 
 
The work on the rudder bearing was difficult in that the engineer decided he wanted to change the design and find another way to eliminate the excess play.  We had a long debate and my limited Portugese and his limited English didn't help but the engineer was adamant that he knew best.  In the end I went off to see the Sopromar MD who spoke good English to explain why I felt this new design cannot work.  He eventually saw my point and we went back to the boat where the engineer had finally also reached the same conclusion and had backed off because he wasn't convinced it was working.  Sometimes pride and ego gets in the way and no doubt I will find the extra time taken for the experiment on my bill.
 
To instal the rudder the boat has to be craned well above the supporting cradle to allow enough space to for the rudder and the stock to stand on the ground underneath.  The rudder is then forklifted slowly upwards and guided through the centre of the refitted bearings.  I was impressed by the speed of the engineer's technique compared to last time in Torrevieja.  That was until we found much later that he had knocked a gasket out of position inside the boat.  This means the boat should be lifted again and the job re done.  The second use of the crane is something which requires explanation to 'management' if it is not charged for.  The engineer accepted this was his mistake so wouldn't charge us but as he cast a furtive glance around the yard he saw one of the MD's on a nearby boat.  Realising that using the crane again would be noticed by one of the 'high ups' he decided to find another way.  This involved some fork lift work and a lot of dismantling of the steering assembly inside the boat.  This of course took more time.  This engineer is a very nice chap but is seriously adding to my stress levels so is not my favourite person at the moment.
 
In the meantime another engineer had removed the heat exchanger and the exhaust elbow and turbo from the engine.  They showed me the crud in the heat exchanger - including bits of impeller from the saltwater pump which had broken off and passed around the cooling system until they had become trapped in the small bores of the heat exchanger.  This is always a problem.  If for some reason the pump runs dry the impeller gets hot and blades break off.  You then dismantle as much of the cooling pipework as you can to retrieve the broken bits and make up a jigsaw to see if you have found everything.  Evidently I have not always found all the pieces!  This together with the build up of muck would definitely have contributed to the engine overheating.  The bits were removed and the cooling bores cleaned and the unit tested for leaks.  All OK.
 
The turbo and exhaust elbow was not such good news.  There was considerable wear in the walls of the elbow which erode in the heat over the years.  The expensive bit - the turbo - was fine but it is an integral part of the elbow which comes as one unit.  We need a replacement one and Sopromar got a quote of about €1750 from Volvo for a refurbished elbow, net of a credit for our old one.  Gulp.  Oh, and it will not be here before the end of the week so can't be refitted until next week!  Oh good.  Time is whizzing by and we still need to fit the satphone and AIS before we can sail for the Canary Islands.