What is the best Color for an Engine?

[delmarrey]

The paint on a Yanmar it one of the worst there is. Either that, most yanmar owners let their motors get wet a lot.

[Hudson Force]

I have 6,447 hours & 50 minutes on this Yanmar.....



....and the original paint seems to be holding up.

[zeehag]

i like multicolors on a perkins without indented or stamped numerals.
before multicolor, i liked basic rust.
next engine...yes we think we need a replacement ....aarrgghh..... will use the pretty colored bits for luck.

seems the old `parts dont want to remove...we did good..mebbe a detonation would have been preferable..lol


more pink and purple...accented with fluourescent neon orange and chartreuse

[d design]

I would paint my engine a color that you cant even emagine lol

[ontherocks83]

I wonder if you can tie dye the engine. That for sure as hell would stand out. Especially if you rename your boat purple haze but I digress

[westwinds]

All the nuts and bolts a contrasting color. Chrome for the alternator and rocker arm cover. Black for starter to radiate heat, hoses and belts original colors; long curving strips of contrasting colors could be interesting on moving parts. Need to have at least one part as original base metal, even with a bit of rust to contrast with the rest of the colors. Head and block should be colors that are light to show leaks such as silver and gold. The pan can be a light purple with an orange racing stripe. The bell housing John Deere green and the transmission an International tractor red.

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

The paint on a Yanmar it one of the worst there is. Either that, most yanmar owners let their motors get wet a lot.

I've read this statement a bunch of times and still don't understand the point. What does this mean

I also notice pink is the 4th most popular color after grey. I wonder what this means, too.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by gamayun

I've read this statement a bunch of times and still don't understand the point. What does this mean

What this means is its not a good paint job for a salt water environment. The slightest chip or scratch that gets exposed to salt water it starts a rust that works/wicks its way under the rest of the paint, causing a rusty motor in a short time. It might be good for tractors but it's not for boats.

I'm real careful around mine. If any saltwater gets on the motor I rinse it off with fresh and spray with WD-40. Any chips or scratches I repaint.

I HATE dirty motors or engine compartments.


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[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by gamayun

I also notice pink is the 4th most popular color after grey. I wonder what this means, too.

Probably that there are a number of sailors that prefer Pink over a rather boring shade of grey (in the case of Yanmar grey). Though it is surprising hard to find hi temp engine paint in pink. Luckily, it seems that regular pink enamel paint works pretty well. Least wise on HP injection and oil lines. :-)

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

I HATE dirty motors or engine compartments.


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That is a really clean engine compartment. Love the valved cleanout on the seawater standpipe. Is that a CV joint on the prop shaft?

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

What this means is its not a good paint job for a salt water environment. The slightest chip or scratch that gets exposed to salt water it starts a rust...

Do you mean that the original Yanmar grey paint was not good? Or could it be the manufacturer's formulation that's causing the problem? I still don't see how color has anything to do with this. (If I am being particularly dense, I do apologize.)

[nimblemotors]

Here is my boat engine going together.
Matches the color of the boat, white and orange.

[Neptune's Gear]

A rotary in a boat? What's the boat?
White is my color of choice. Clean, reflects light, easy to see what's going on... :-)

Sent from my MB526 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Strait Shooter]

Originally Posted by gamayun

Do you mean that the original Yanmar grey paint was not good? Or could it be the manufacturer's formulation that's causing the problem? I still don't see how color has anything to do with this. (If I am being particularly dense, I do apologize.)

You are!
Apology accepted.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Neptune's Gear

White is my color of choice. Clean, reflects light, easy to see what's going on...

As I understand it white reflects heat both inbound and outbound therefore a white engine will be a hot engine while the same black engine will be cooler.

Willing to stand corrected on this....

My engine room ( aka 'Satan's Cave') has that lead/foam/whatever lining which is black faced... I would love it to be silver for vis purposes but think that may trap heat in the engine room rather than dissipating(sp) it.