Diesel Engines Love & Hate List Features and Problems

[oldtom]

Originally Posted by zeehag

love my perkins 4-108. covet a 4-236, but formosas donot plane ha ha ha ha ha
is simple and easy. rebuilds are not difficult--parts available world wide.
got no clue as to year originally built, rebuild completed 2014, august, and less than 200 hours on currently.
it is perfect.
i have no urges to gain more power by turbocharging--the turbos run too hot, and in at least 2 instances within the past year have caused total loss of boat due to fire. engine bays in boats do NOT have the air flow necessary to keep turbos cool.

Hi if you go on line search perckin's engine you can look up year of it was made by looking at the Engine ser No coding U-being uk Us + usa + ind,marine ,tractor, automobile. the old 4-236 4-248,6-354 may be getting old but parts are easy and fairly, cheap by Diesel prices my 4-236 was made in 1980

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Just came across this thread so a quick post is in order

I love decompression levers on a diesel, they make life SO much easier - whether it is for diagnostics, hand starting or even helping a semi flat battery / lazy stater motor to spin the engine over.

I have been lucky, all of the five small engines I have had has been fitted with decompression levers (Arona, Buhk and 3 Yanmars).

I am sorry I missed your posted comment earlier.

Thanks for adding your "LOVE" comment. Good to know.

That's the kind of opinion, fact, comment I was hoping to see in this discussion (along with all the other good stuff posted so far).

[Steadman Uhlich]

TO: ALL on CF:

Who else has a LOVE/HATE story they want to share?

With all of the new boat owners out there, I would like to see some first impressions too. Feel free to add your first impressions here in this thread.

[charliehows]

Love: little donkey that can - low maintenance, sits out on the ocean year after year where everything else just rusts away; big tanks of diesel, enough to get 400-500 miles if the wind flops without having to worry about the stove 5 feet away causing an explosion, always starts, runs all day...
Hate; the way clumsy mechanics and negligent owners give the humble diesel boat banger such a bad reputation...

[Mirage35]

Nanni 3.30 (Kubota base engine)

- Reliable so far (would hope so, it has under 200 hours on it)
- Attached oil pumpout sure simplifies things
- Parts you need access to are generally accessible - partly thanks to boat layout and intelligent installation
- Oil filter is horizontal but at least placed so you can get it off quickly and manage the mess with well-placed shop towels

But (for me at least) ... try to find spares ...

Wasted a year (seriously) trying to get some out of my “local” dealer - only a five hour drive away. Now have to try a couple more, ten hours away or only eight hours but in a different country. Good thing the engine’s new and reliable.

[Bruce K]

They go on to talk about a variety of small marine diesels, including Yanmar, Volvo, Beta, Lister, DAF, Westerbeke, Gardner etc giving merits and ratings as appropriate. But I found it interesting that 30 years later we’re still asking the same questions about basically the same motors.[/QUOTE]

Please do not mention Gardner in the same sentence as any other engine, Gardner owners always take a breath before mentioning another engine. Unless you have owned a Gardner you do not know what love for an engine is! I no longer own a Gardner; but will never stop loving.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

They go on to talk about a variety of small marine diesels, including Yanmar, Volvo, Beta, Lister, DAF, Westerbeke, Gardner etc giving merits and ratings as appropriate. But I found it interesting that 30 years later we’re still asking the same questions about basically the same motors.

Please do not mention Gardner in the same sentence as any other engine, Gardner owners always take a breath before mentioning another engine. Unless you have owned a Gardner you do not know what love for an engine is! I no longer own a Gardner; but will never stop loving.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like LOVE..

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Steadman Uhlich

Please do not mention Gardner in the same sentence as any other engine, Gardner owners always take a breath before mentioning another engine. Unless you have owned a Gardner you do not know what love for an engine is! I no longer own a Gardner; but will never stop loving.

Sounds like LOVE..

Sorry, but we were talking about diesel ENGINES.


Gardeners aren't engines. They are works of art.

[Compass790]

Yanmar ysm8 1980 Hours ??? 750 on hr meter but think it's a fantasy
Likes, Starts easy, burns very clean, only burns a little over one litre per hr. Simple to work on, light enough to manhandle. Would last a long time with good maintenance.
Dislikes: noisy as hell, need earplugs inside cabin ( & outside if over 2000rpm shakes like hell too. Exhaust elbow a very bad design but easily changed. Not enough power even for our light 26 ftr if you have to fight wind, waves or strong current.Parts prices are hard to believe e.g. $630 for a conrod in NZ about 1/2 that in USA but still ridiculous for a 8hp engine. Sistership along the dock has a 3 cylinder Kubota that I lust after just for the sound.
But I much prefer it to having an outboard hanging off the stern or even in a well.

[mikeod]

I own a 2010 Volvo d2 75, 100 hrs when I got the boat in 2015. It now has just under 1200 hrs. Before I get into the problems I must say it's been a good running engine and I blame Volvo not the engine for the problems. Heading south last fall I started smelling exhaust and tracked it down to where the turbo bolts to the manifold. Upon inspection I found one of the studs had broken off. When I disassembled it I found they used stainless studs to mount the turbo which I believe work hardened and broke. I've always thought exhaust studs should be hardened steel. A broken stud wouldn't have been to bad but the turbo cracked from being unevenly torqued after the stud broke. Volvo wanted 3100$ for a turbo plus gaskets and studs totalled about 22% of the cost of a brand new engine. When I removed the adapter between turbo and manifold I found that Volvo assembly never removed a piece of scotch tape on a gasket that holds a rubber insert to a metal gasket with a coolant passage through it which should have been removed before assembly . Which had been weeping just enough to cause lots of corrosion between the flanges. Luckily Volvo doesn't make the turbo and I could get an exact replacement minus the green paint from a turbo shop for 1000$. That's some mighty pricey paint. They don't even make the engine thank God it's also used by cat, perkins, Cummins and possibly others so I hope to not have to deal with Volvo for parts. Sorry for the long post, kind of venting.

[NYSail]

Originally Posted by Paul L

I hate horizontal oil filters on Yanmars. Its a mess everytime I change them.

Before I give my love hate assessmen....., on my previous Yanmar 3HM35f I cut a 6 inch price of 1/2 copper pipe longways making a troph..... it would fit under the filter / engine lip perfectly and balance itself. I would slowly unscrew the filter until the oil would start to come out..... it would run into the pipe and go into the container I was holding. I would slowly unscrew filter as flow slowed until no more oil was in there. Never a mess...... I am sorry I didn’t take a video or picture.....

Greg

[Stu Jackson]

1986 Universal M25, Kubota D850 block.

3,505 engine hours.

Over our twenty years of ownership of our 1986 boat, we have replaced the muffler, exhaust hose, all engine hoses, exhaust riser (twice), in addition to "normal" maintenance work.

Recently had an oil leak thought to be seal on the rw pump. Rebuilt the rw pump (with new seals, had done this once before 800 hours ago).

Leak persisted. Traced down to deterioration on metal surrounding the lower stud on the rw pump on the engine aluminum gear case cover.

See photo.

That started in March 2018, I'm still workin' on it!!!

Love the engine, still. Pushed us up the coast from SF to BC in 2016 (165 hours in six weeks), and two great seasons "up here."

Purrs, starts with the starter solenoid I installed eons ago. Has glow plugs.

Parts availability? My local Kubota tractor dealer, five minutes away by donkey here on the Island.

I'm no diesel "mechanic", but I would never trust one who said he was. I can, and have done, all the regular stuff. I also comment occasionally on topics about bleeding diesel engines. Usually about those idiots who use "squeeze bulbs" instead of fuel lift pumps. Those skippers who choose to refuse to find "the easier path."

OK, I USED to live in California...

Easy to work on: Catalina provided great access on our boat. Even built a small door to access the oil dipstick. We did a bareboat charter on a Bendytoy that required disassembling the entire aft cabin to get to the dipstick on that engine. Wanna bet how often that owner checked it?

Love: access, access, access.

Don't like: I can't see the port side of the engine aft of the alternator, but that didn't stop me from installing a new alternator bracket and upgrading my alternator and charging system. Other than that, access is almost as good as my old Dodge Dart with its slant six. And my 1971 VW Super Beetle. Loved those puppies too.


Thanks, Steady.

[danielamartindm]

My Yanmar 3YM30's:

I love their reliability, smooth running, and fuel economy; and they're not too noisy as engines go.

I hate how difficult it is to extract the old oil during changes, and that broken impeller vanes pass right into the heat exchangers, necessitating their disassembly.

[Bruce K]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Sorry, but we were talking about diesel ENGINES.


Gardeners aren't engines. They are works of art.

Gardeners dig dirt!!!!! Gardners sing sweetly to those who know.

[sandy stone]

Volvo model 2003 in my 1986 First 375, so a bit over 30 years old. Starts right up & acts like it will run forever, never a hiccup. Oil, filter, fuel filter, & raw water impeller changed every year whether it needs it or not. Oil retains its amber color for months after an oil change. Burns a little oil (1/2 qt a year?), but after 30 years I think it's entitled to.

Loves - the cold start feature. No glow plugs, but in cold weather you advance the throttle lever and cycle the fuel cutoff handle, which sets the injector pump to deliver extra fuel, like the choke on a gas engine. Works great. Not necessary in moderate temps.

All regular maintenance items right on the front of the engine, easy to reach.

Not exactly part of the engine, but I love the Volvo dripless shaft seal, too.

Hates - a known design fault (no damper plate) causes the splines in the flywheel adapter plate and transmission input shaft to strip out after some undetermined time. It took my engine 30 years. A good machine shop in addition to a Volvo retrofit kit can remedy this, but it's a pain.

Oh, and the horizontal oil filter, as mentioned previously.