I finally managed to stem the many small leaks in our skintanks and, after resoldering all of my copper pipes and then pressure testing them, we decided to take a shortish test trip out on the Nene.
So, we headed downstream, but the temperature gauge shot up to over one hundred degrees and Glenda said that the inverter wasn't working. so it was that we only got as far as Ringstead Lower Lock.
There, I found I'd mixed the battery connections and quickly fixed that. I topped up the coolant and, after consulting Paul Johnson of PJ Marine (who also has a Sabb 2J and who convinced me to get ours) I blocked the calorifier feed so that water would be forced around the engine.
Then, it happened! The Sabb was chuffing away...Duff, Duff, Duff, Clank, Clank, Clank! EEEKKK! What the hell? Am I now going to have to rebuild my engine? At this point I was very low, months of slogging and expense to only get one lock downstream!
Right! We'll get someone to tow us back. So, I decided to slowly wind her downstream so we'd be pointing in the right direction.
But after winding, and just before we reached the lock landing, there was a PING! and she went back to her comforting Duff, Duff!
We decided to take her through the lock and then as she seemed happy, back to the marina.
