Need cylinder head for Westerbeke W52

[Av8r210]

My first post to this site, so please bear with me if I am in the wrong place. I need to find a good cylinder head for a Westerbeke W52 marine diesel engine. Part number 30978 from Westerbeke catalog 32416. Can anyone assist me in finding this part? Thanks in advance for your help!

[RabidRabbit]

Whats wrong with the old one? Is it beyond repair? Cylinder heads rarly get to the point of no return. Any good machine shop should be able to bring it back to 100%. It will need some parts like valve stem seals, valve guides, maybe valve and springs. Then a cleaning and plane it maybe. Good as new.
Is it steel or aluminum? Buying a whole head from westerscam would be very exspensive. If you do find a used one, any real mechanic would send it to the shop first anyway. Heads never get put on in a pro setting with being brought back to 100%. Whatever route dont buy the seals ect.. from wester. If you look hard you can source parts from the manufacture of the block/head. They didnt make it.
I have a W30 and have found all wester parts to be very expensive. W30s are british motor co.

[RabidRabbit]

I'v called marine diesel direct a couple of times. They dont list a head price but you could call. They list the gasket at $287 so thats not a good sign. It cost like 20 bucks to make a gasket so i prefer to pay only $100, not $300. I would net research the block maker and start there. Wester wanted $780 for a water pump, after a good bit of looking I found 1 for $200. and thats still to high, but less angering.

[Av8r210]

The cylinder head is cracked. Cast iron, of course. The machine shop tells me it is beyond repair.

[bobconnie]

Ahh Ive pinned and fixed a LOT of cracked cast Iron heads over the years, I would get another shops opinion on the fix !! you would go to another doctor if yours said you wernt fixable right ?? just a thought

[RabidRabbit]

Do you know who makes it? Find one that has no wester connection.

[RabidRabbit]

I guess you know everything I mentioned then. Where are the cracks? between the valves or exhaust valve area?

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Av8r210

The cylinder head is cracked. Cast iron, of course. The machine shop tells me it is beyond repair.

The Westerbeke W-52 is actually a "marinized" Mazda R2-type 2.2L diesel. The heads are likely interchangeable and this Mazda diesel was in tens of thousands of 1980-90s Ford Rangers and Mazda B2200s.

If everything else is good, the W-52 is well worth salvaging. Just don't buy stuff from Westerbeke...it'll kill your wallet.

[gatormcw]

I don't have that part, however I have a brand new Westerbeke oil cooler
24889CNW-40 Engine Oil Cooler - (11518) CuNi for sale.

[Av8r210]

RabidRabbit, thank you for the suggestion of getting it welded. The crack is in the water jacket. I have done some research online and there seem to be some good machine shops out there that specialize in welding repairs of cast iron heads.

These same engines were indeed an option for 82 to 84 Mazda and Ford small trucks. They had a reputation for being really economical (35 mpg) and way underpowered (59 hp). Finding one today is like finding a hen's tooth. Back in the 90's and early 00's they were scooped up as cheap used trucks and shipped to the Caribbean islands and South America where they brought a good price. I have searched junkyards for the head for two months with no luck. Also searched the forums for the diesel Mazda and Ford trucks with no luck. Looks like I will be sending the head to a shop in Iowa for a high temp weld repair.

[Boatguy30]

This engine is also a Perkin 4.154 but only the ones made in about 84 and 85. It is not exactly the same as the Ranger and Mazda diesel, but the gasket kit from Autozone works except the valve cover on the truck was aluminum not steel. I think it is just a slightly different bore and different pistons.

Anyway, there was a guy on one of the forums a few weeks back that had 2 complete engines for sale in AL somewhere. Perkins 4.154 but I think the older english version, but would swap out on your mounts, etc but head would not fit.

Try a place called Yachts and Diesels in Ft. Lauderdale. Talk to Oliver a few years ago he had a few Mazda/ Perkins on used generators and he may have a head around. Parts in general for these are expensive and hard to find in the US so might be better to consider a repower.

Good luck!

[S/V Alchemy]

I forgot about their rebadging as Perkins engines.

To the OP: Try Australian online pickup service places. The Mazda B2200 is still widespread there (no salt, little snow and high prices mean they can coax 400-500K out of their farm vehicles). That's where I was looking for gasket and rebuild parts for my W-52 before I decided just to re-engine with a more modern Beta 60.

I sold mine to my mechanic for $500. He sold it as a farm genset to North Carolina. I doubt it even got rebuilt, despite the fact it was 23 years old. Like most Great Lakes boats, it had low hours and a spotty winterization record.