Repowering with 2007 Beta 28 hp. Anything I should be looking for?

[Guitar Frank]

I'm replacing the old Westerbeke 30 in my 1979 Allied Seawind 32 with a 2007 Beta Marine 28 hp. diesel. The Beta looks very clean and runs great. Fires right up and virtually zero smoke from the exhaust. I'll need a new instrument panel but other than that, should I be aware of any problems or issues with this year or any years of the Beta engines?

[The Way]

Originally Posted by Guitar Frank

I'm replacing the old Westerbeke 30 in my 1979 Allied Seawind 32 with a 2007 Beta Marine 28 hp. diesel. The Beta looks very clean and runs great. Fires right up and virtually zero smoke from the exhaust. I'll need a new instrument panel but other than that, should I be aware of any problems or issues with this year or any years of the Beta engines?

I replaced my Westerbeke 30 in 2010 with a new Beta 28. Been good for 5 years now, except the following:

1. A friend talked me into having a higher custom-made riser made -- the welds broke 3 times. I replaced with a riser from Beta and no problems. (I'm using the high riser, not the one in your picture.)

2. A wire running between the starter and block chafed thru. Rerouted the harness to avoid this.

3. Raw-water pump nuts came loose. Replaced nuts using Loctite Blue. No problems since, but I check before each startup.

4. Tachometer stopped going down to 0 after a while (went to about 500 when engine was off). New tach (since a lightning strike) -- same problem.

5. Taking out and replacing the heat-exchanger core is a real pain. It's cleverly located to spill sea-water into the alternator (so remove the alternator first, another pain). Draining the heat-ex also spills coolant everywhere, such as onto one of the senders.

Also replacing the heat-ex caps without mashing the o-rings is very tricky. Leaks there will erode the aluminum seats, which you then have to epoxy back into condition, so re-do it until you get it right. This took me 6-8 attempts before I could do it semi-easily. In fact, the easiest way is to remove the entire heat-exchanger so you can see what you're doing. Beta told me I was using the wrong o-rings (which I got from the hardware store), but theirs are identical in size as closely as I can measure. Anyway Beta's are cheap, so use them.

6. Front-operating oil pump (for changing oil) very awkward in my configuration, not helped by the pump being stiff and binding. But better than reaching under the engine for a drain.

7. Cheapo air-filter cover comes off when engine running -- the solution is duct tape, which looks ugly.

8. "Weather-proof" housing for instrument panel (3d-party, but sold by Beta) is anything but, and the warranty doesn't cover damage caused by faulty housing. I relocated my panel into the cabin. The panel costs a thousand bucks!

9. I have to replace the engine zinc every few months. Beta says this is way too often, but we can't find any reason for it. In another design flaw, removing the zinc spills sea-water onto the engine and mount, encouraging rust.

10. I had heavy buildup of white jelly inside the heat-ex, and under the end-caps when the o-rings leaked. And white powder packed solid into the drain petcock and the overflow. Beta recommended a low- or no-silicate antifreeze, which seems to have solved the problems. I'm now using Shell Rotella ELC NF, which my Advance Auto carries. The container doesn't say "low-silicate" but Beta tech support checked some website and determined it's silicate-free.

11. Hard-to reach areas of engine and rough surfaces are hard to keep clean, such as under the injector tubes, in cracks and crevices. Maybe this is inevitable in any engine, but apparently NO thought was given to this consideration (like the incised word "Beta" on the heat-ex that collects dirt and moisture).

12. Oil filter cannot be removed by a strap wrench, as there is no clearance under one of the hoses. I had to buy the kind of wrench that grips the indentations at the end of the filter. Oh yeah, oil will spill when removing the filter no matter what you do, as it's right above one of the mounts so you can't lay anything flat under it. I don't know why the filter couldn't have been designed to have the opening up -- but that's a Kubota design decision, not Beta's.

To summarize, I've had more problems than I think I should have, but they appear to be solved now (or I've gotten used to them). I can't rate Beta high on design, but Westerbeke was worse, so maybe it's just the realities of marine conversions. Design problems alluded to above make it very hard to keep your engine clean, dry, and well-painted.

On the plus side, the engine always starts and runs perfectly, except when the problems above occurred. Good block and generally good marinization. It's fairly quiet, low vibration, easy on fuel, and reliable.

Also the people at Beta (North Carolina) have been very helpful and responsive to my problems, with a few exceptions in the beginning (they are proud of Beta, so any criticism is taken badly -- but how can a company improve without listening to complaints?). A visit to the shop is fun and educational.


I don't know anything about marine engines except the 3 I've owned -- a very old Volvo, a very old Westerbeke, and this new Beta. So I'm not qualified to make recommendations. Just sharing my experiences. I'm in St Pete if you want to see my installation.

Fair winds,
Jack

[Guitar Frank]

Thanks Jack, very informative.

[Sailmonkey]

In my experience, the "problems" related above are common on any marinized engine that's shoehorned into an impossible to access hole.

We also have an allied seawind II, the PO had repowered with the Phasor 28. Same block and general overall design as the beta. It's got plenty of horsepower, however be sure your prop is RH, if it's LH you'll end up with your gear running astern and burn it out in short order. We're running with a 16RH10 fixed prop and it's more than adequate.

[The Way]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

In my experience, the "problems" related above are common on any marinized engine that's shoehorned into an impossible to access hole.

We also have an allied seawind II, the PO had repowered with the Phasor 28. Same block and general overall design as the beta. It's got plenty of horsepower, however be sure your prop is RH, if it's LH you'll end up with your gear running astern and burn it out in short order. We're running with a 16RH10 fixed prop and it's more than adequate.

Thanks, Sailmonkey -- I suspected as much, although I do have excellent access on my Dickerson 36 ketch. It's wonderful to be able to sit on either side of the engine to work, and to reach the stuffing box. But I still think cleanliness and room to swing a wrench are the LAST thing engine manufacturers think about -- if they think about it at all!! They work on engines in a shop, on a bench, so don't see our problems.

Frank -- Please let us know what you decide to do! My RH prop was altered to 14x12 to suit the Beta 28 by a wonderful firm, Murphy's Propeller Service in Norfolk, VA.


Fair winds,
Jack