Several people all recommended the same man, Jerry, as the best marine diesel mechanic in St. John's. I had tracked him down by about 0800 this morning. He spent two hours with me over Tazzarin's engine. Clearly the problem is a fuel supply issue. Plenty of diesel in the tank, we changed primary and secondary fuel filters and fuel is flowing through them nicely. But, somehow, fuel i not making it to the injectors. The fuel pump seems to be working. The engine is supposed to be self-bleeding to get air out of the fuel line. jerry, the mechanic, ran out of time available in his schedule. He said, " sometimes you run across a new type of problem in this business. He is stumped on just why and where the fuel is getting stopped.
So, good news that there is no serious mechanical problem. Good news that my spare parts kit is quite complete. Bad news that in two hours a good mechanic can't solve it. Also, bad news trying to find another mechanic. I have been trying to track people down, even hitching a ride to go to one mechanic's home and track him down. So far, I can't find anybody else to tackle the job and it seems more complex than I can solve. And, diesels aren't really all that complicated.
Tomorrow the hunt for a mechanic continues. I really need the engine before continuing north. Not only does the engine move us in and out of tight harbors and forward when there is no wind; it is our main source of electrical power for lighting, GPS, navigation instruments and other items.