Yanmar 2GM20 v 2GM20 (YEU) engines - Surprise with "E" serial numbers.

[Wotname]

Have you got a Yamnar 1GM10 or 2GM20 (or perhaps a 3GM30)?

Does you engine serial number begin with "E". If it does, you really have a 1GM10 (YEU) or 2GM20 (YEU) (or perhaps a 3GM30 (YEU)).

And does it matter? Yes it does, there certain parts that are not interchangeable between these series, like water pump impellers and bottom water hose for starters.

Perhaps you already knew this; if so, you are smarter than me.

About 25 years ago, I purchased an new 2GM20 and all was fine.
About 12 years ago I purchased another new 2GM20. I got a nice receipt with it stating I had a 2GM20 and the model decal on the engine clearly says 2GM20 so foolishly I thought I had a 2GM20.

But after buying some parts like the bottom hose and water pump parts recently for a 2GM20, I was surprised to find they didn't fit. The dealer assured me they were the right parts from the Yanmar catalogue for the 2GM20.

Further investigation shows that if the serial number starts with an "E" as mine does, it is really a 2GM20 (YEU) and as such has a different part catalogue. This is apparently a European assembled engine and both variants have been sold in Australia. I don't know about other countries and I don't know if this affects the F models (freshwater cooled). I also don't know the full extent of the differences between YEU and non-YEU. I believe this may include the 3GM30 but I can't be sure - you will have to your own legwork if you have a 3GM30 with a E serial number.

Again, many may already know this but I'm posting for those like me who didn't know

[Cowboy Sailer]

Thank You,
I wish everyone would share important information like that. I have had a similar problem but I had to bite the bullet and buy new parts as I defaced the first ones trying to make them fit. I think that I also defaced my hands!
Cowboy

[DotDun]

I discovered early on that I had the YEU models of the 3GM30FC, the parts book I purchased showed a different water pump">raw water pump than I had. Short investigation and a call to the Yanmar distributor (Mastry), and they exchanged my parts manual for the correct one. The only thing I've found different is the raw water pump, the YEU model has a pump without a changeable cam, but it costs about 1/2 the price, so I'm not complaining. I haven't found any other differences, but ordering from the correct parts list doesn't give that opportunity to find such.

[phantomracer]

yup makes a difference!!

[sailorchic34]

Got to love yanmar. There are differences from the earily gm series to the later GM series engines and between US and EU versions. Yanmar made some value engineering changes in the design but kept the models the same.

So care is needed. Impellers are different, as are piston/rings and a few other things. Plus they love changing the part numbers every so often too, just to keep us on our toes.

[Seymore]

Here there's a 3GM30F-YEU with serial number Ennnnn. I've lived with it for 13 years, nothing to it.

Yanmar has factories assembling engines in different parts of the world. There's a manufacturing plant in, I think, the Netherlands that started producing marine 3GM30-YEUs in about 1985.

Each factory produces engines that are identical except for minor details--raw water pumps, heat exchanger tube bundle patterns for example that the factory buys locally, probably because they're cheaper than the Japan sourced ones.

Again, there's nothing to this whole thing. When you need a part, give the Yanmar dealer the complete model number and serial number--3GM30F-YEU and E12345--and he'll give you the right up-to-date parts.

As is my practice, here there is a factory maintenance manual and a parts manual for my 3GM30F-YEU. The maintenance manual is for them all(?) and the parts manual is labelled a GM-YEU manual. I like to give the dealer the model number, serial and part number, and he then checks that the part number is current.

[phantomracer]

Originally Posted by Seymore

Here there's a 3GM30F-YEU with serial number Ennnnn. I've lived with it for 13 years, nothing to it.

Yanmar has factories assembling engines in different parts of the world. There's a manufacturing plant in, I think, the Netherlands that started producing marine 3GM30-YEUs in about 1985.

Each factory produces engines that are identical except for minor details--raw water pumps, heat exchanger tube bundle patterns for example that the factory buys locally, probably because they're cheaper than the Japan sourced ones.

Again, there's nothing to this whole thing. When you need a part, give the Yanmar dealer the complete model number and serial number--3GM30F-YEU and E12345--and he'll give you the right up-to-date parts.

As is my practice, here there is a factory maintenance manual and a parts manual for my 3GM30F-YEU. The maintenance manual is for them all(?) and the parts manual is labelled a GM-YEU manual. I like to give the dealer the model number, serial and part number, and he then checks that the part number is current.

good in theory.. not so good in practice. I have the factory manual and part manual..took a class at mack boring..engine was bought from mack boring... bought parts from mack boring using pictures of the plate on the engine..they still got me an incorrect part (heat exchanger gasket). Most of the part #s are useless because they have superseded part numbers.. you hope the dealer is right! The oil filter part # has changed at least 3 times since I have owned this boat!

The few parts I have ordered (mostly maintenance items)...using part# from the yanmar book.. every time.. the dealer says.. yea that number is old.. here is the new #.

The moment the parts book is published.. it is out of date.. useful still .. but many part numbers are out dated.

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by phantomracer

good in theory.. not so good in practice. I have the factory manual and part manual..took a class at mack boring..engine was bought from mack boring... bought parts from mack boring using pictures of the plate on the engine..they still got me an incorrect part (heat exchanger gasket). Most of the part #s are useless because they have superseded part numbers.. you hope the dealer is right! The oil filter part # has changed at least 3 times since I have owned this boat!

The few parts I have ordered (mostly maintenance items)...using part# from the yanmar book.. every time.. the dealer says.. yea that number is old.. here is the new #.

The moment the parts book is published.. it is out of date.. useful still .. but many part numbers are out dated.

Why not check the part numbers yourself??

Sailboat Supplies, Engine Parts and Boat Parts

[phantomracer]

Originally Posted by DotDun

Why not check the part numbers yourself??

Sailboat Supplies, Engine Parts and Boat Parts

I was replying to the post about the (paper) parts manual.. its often fiction. yes some online sources are more up to date..

[Dulcesuenos]

Didnt think it was a big deal really on the 2gm20. I had to replace a raw water pump (wanted a spare anyways so rebuilt the old one) The raw water pump takes a different impeller, hoses were the same either way. So i have 2 types of spare impellers, its quicker to swap the entire pump with my spare and replace the impeller at my leisure.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[tinkrman69]

Small price to pay for a good engine though. other engines may have better parts systems but you'll pay a higher price. and that price is in the form of money ;-)

Thanks for bringing that up. it'll save others time by being prepared for that surprise.

[duefocena]

Don't know who all this may help but I ran into a related situation with the Volvo 2030 and the Perkins M 30 ( Parama). One of my Perkins M30's was non rebuildable when I purchased my cat and the only similar motor was the Volvo 2030. Come to find out Volvo had bought the plans from Perkins and with a flywheel change and a few small differences it was the same engine. Needing to replace an exhaust elbow on my other Perkins I found a difference in price of $300 buying the Volvo. Also many of the Perkins M30's were used as generator engines for Northern Lights and others making the pool of used and NOS parts grow immeasurably.

[Djarraluda]

Big difference I found was the YSE against the YSB - Aluminium or Iron gearbox

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Seymore

Here there's a 3GM30F-YEU with serial number Ennnnn. I've lived with it for 13 years, nothing to it.

Yanmar has factories assembling engines in different parts of the world. There's a manufacturing plant in, I think, the Netherlands that started producing marine 3GM30-YEUs in about 1985.

Each factory produces engines that are identical except for minor details--raw water pumps, heat exchanger tube bundle patterns for example that the factory buys locally, probably because they're cheaper than the Japan sourced ones.

Again, there's nothing to this whole thing. When you need a part, give the Yanmar dealer the complete model number and serial number--3GM30F-YEU and E12345--and he'll give you the right up-to-date parts.

As is my practice, here there is a factory maintenance manual and a parts manual for my 3GM30F-YEU. The maintenance manual is for them all(?) and the parts manual is labelled a GM-YEU manual. I like to give the dealer the model number, serial and part number, and he then checks that the part number is current.

I agree there is nothing to it when you know exactly what model you have.

My point (or rant) was more about how Yanmar fails to clearly mention that there are differences. Until one knows the serial number "code", one is unaware that the 2GM20 does not use the same part catalogue as the 2GM20 whose serial numbers begin with "E".

I accept that I might have been stupid not to realise this from the get go but I am comforted by the fact that the Yanmar distributor for Australia also failed to know of this quirk. When they supplied the engine brand new, they included a bunch of spares as a sweetener but guess what - yep, they provided an impeller for the 2GM20 rather than the correct one to suit the engine they sold me (2GM20 (YEU)).

Surely it would have been easy enough to provide a different model number identification plate rather than put the "code" into the serial number or perhaps do both. The model number and serial number are on the one plate after all.

Well rant over

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Didnt think it was a big deal reallyon the 2gm20. I had to replace a raw water pump (wanted a spare anyways so rebuilt the old one) The raw water pump takes a different impeller, hoses were the same either way. So i have 2 types of spare impellers, its quicker to swap the entire pump with my spare and replace the impeller at my leisure.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

I find this surprising as the hoses aren't the same on my 2GM20 (YEU) compared with the 2GM20 engines I've seen in Australia. To be more accurate, one of the three hoses are different - the bottom one is longer and has a different shape on my 2GM20 (YEU) than the one Yanmar supplied for the 2GM20.

[bobnlesley]

"Yanmar...assembling engines in different parts of the world. There's a plant in, the Netherlands ...Each factory produces engines that are identical except for minor details...factory buys locally, probably because they're cheaper than the Japan sourced ones."

Sorry, I was a bit late in spotting this thread; the E-engines are indeed built in Holland, though 'built' is perhaps stretching a point; as my understanding is that they arrive fully assembled except for the water-pump and by sourcing/installing that one part in the Netherlands, the engine becomes European, rather than Japanese for taxation/importation purposes.

Whilst the impellers are not interchangeable, do bear in mind that the water-pumps themselves are - I did a detailed post on the subject here about a year ago, though wouldn't know how/where to find it - so if the pump on your USA/Japanese Yanmar 20/30 is knackered, you can install the E model's unit for half the price, or better yet the Johnson 'E' pump which is about 1/4 of the cost; on the downside, this unit wouldn't be painted a pretty shade of grey, nor would it say 'Yanmar' on the outside of the face plate.