Question about suction line air leaks and engine strain

For years I thought my old 8-inch cutterhead dredge just ran rough, you know? The engine would surge and bog down in what felt like a random way, especially when we were digging in that thick clay over in the Mobile River channel. I was always messing with the throttle, thinking it was a fuel issue or just the nature of the beast. The tip off was last Tuesday when my new deckhand, a kid fresh out of trade school, pointed out the constant tiny bubbles in the clear section of the suction hose right before the pump. I'd seen them forever but wrote it off as normal. He asked if we had a leak on the intake side, and it was like a light bulb went off. I spent the next hour with a spray bottle of soapy water and found three small cracks in a hose clamp fitting I hadn't checked in maybe two years. Sealed them up, and the next run was smooth as glass. No more surging, and the engine held a steady RPM like it was brand new. I felt like a total rookie for missing something so basic. How often do you guys check your entire suction line for air leaks?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ryan26d ago

Man, we've all been there.

the_holly26d ago

That "we've all been there" feeling is the most common human experience there is.

martin.tyler20d ago

So we're all just stuck in the same three rooms of life, huh? The one where you're staring at the fridge knowing nothing's in there. The one where you're trying to find your phone while you're holding it. The one where you read the same tweet twice and still don't get it. Real deep connection there.