Sludge in the tank definitely has to go, but I had an interesting situation one time that may be relevant to the engine stopping problem.
One time while motor sailing on a starboard tack, trying to get back to port before a nasty squall line came in, the engine quit without warning. I had a quarter of a tank of fuel, but the fuel lines had to be bled to get it started again. I went through all the gyrations of fuel filter changes, looking for leaks, etc. It turned out that the fuel dip tube in the tank is located close to the starboard side and only goes down to about an inch from the bottom of the tank. With the boat heeled over at least 20 degrees on a starboard tack and only a quarter of a tank of fuel, with the fuel sloshing around, the end of the dip tube was exposed often enough for air bubbles to enter the fuel lines causing an air lock. There are probably a number of elegant solutions to this issue, but I never let the tank get below 1/2 full now and have never had the problem since. Robbie Epstein C&C 40-2 TMDK Thorfinn Sent from my iPad _______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
