Retirement Age of a Diesel Engine

[Sandero]

My MD17D runs quite well although it probably needs a ring job so it's a bit smokey at cold starts. 4,500 hrs original owner and it's well maintained...

[Kiwi303]

Not purely boat related, but some tractor diesels form the basis of boat engines. (Lugger/John Deere in Nordhavens etc) and contractors regularly put on 40,000+ hours on a tractor before trading in. My families little 35Hp Iseki 3cyl diesl tractor wtha 1980 plate had the hourmeter die at 8800 hours years before we bought it. Dairy farmers regularly trade in at 15,000+ hours, which while less hours than contractors, is a few years longer time wise.

A diesel which is USED will last along time, a diesel which is ABUSED will die an early and painful death.

How is that different from any other piece of equipment?

[charliehows]

come to think of it my yanmar 2qm20 was fitted in 1978 or 79 making it 33-34 yrs old - running pretty good. parts still easy to find (bloody expensive from the dealer mind) no plans to replace it anytime soon.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Bluewaters2812

Yip, that is what reckon having read all on here. Just a question: what are all the service items that one should attend to regularly?

Here's a start...

DAILY
Check coolant levels, and oil levels in both engine(s) and gear(s)
Inspect drive belts
Check for water deposits in the primary water-separating fuel filter (e.g., RACORs) and drain as necessary
Visually inspect the whole engine/gear/engine room

ANNUALLY
Change oil and filter in both engine(s) and gear(s)
Service primary fuel filter (drain water or sludge; may or may not require new filter element)
Change secondary (spin-on) fuel filter
Change coolant filter
Service air "cleaner" (e.g., AirSeps)
Change impeller in the raw water pump (can sometime last longer...)

AT MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED PERIOD (e.g., every 3-500+ hours)
Replace drive belt(s)
Flush fresh water cooling system and replace coolant (antifreeze)
Flush raw water cooling system (includes heat exchanger)
Service (or rebuild) raw water pumps
Adjust overhead set (valves)
Service aftercoolers and turbochargers (if installed)

Timing on many of the "periodic" service points will vary depending on use. And over time, you'd also be inspecting and eventually replacing some of the various hoses, especially those that route raw water from water pump to engine block to exhaust to overboard.

I've probably forgotten some, but that'll get you started...

It helps if you can buy or otherwise find a copy of the manufacturer's service manual.

-Chris

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Here's a start...

DAILY
Check coolant levels, and oil levels in both engine(s) and gear(s)
Inspect drive belts
Check for water deposits in the primary water-separating fuel filter (e.g., RACORs) and drain as necessary
Visually inspect the whole engine/gear/engine room

ANNUALLY
Change oil and filter in both engine(s) and gear(s)
Service primary fuel filter (drain water or sludge; may or may not require new filter element)
Change secondary (spin-on) fuel filter
Change coolant filter
Service air "cleaner" (e.g., AirSeps)
Change impeller in the raw water pump (can sometime last longer...)

AT MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED PERIOD (e.g., every 3-500+ hours)
Replace drive belt(s)
Flush fresh water cooling system and replace coolant (antifreeze)
Flush raw water cooling system
Service (or rebuild) raw water pumps
Adjust overhead set (valves)
Service aftercoolers and turbochargers (if installed)

Timing on many of the "periodic" service points will vary depending on use. And over time, you'd also be inspecting and eventually replacing some of the various hoses, especially those that route raw water from water pump to engine block to exhaust to overboard.

I've probably forgotten some, but that'll get you started...

It helps if you can buy or otherwise find a copy of the manufacturer's service manual.

-Chris

Thanks Chris. I will need to learn how to adjust valves but I am sure I will bump into a kindly and knowledgeable fellow sailor who will be happy to impart his knowledge to assist me?

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by charliehows

come to think of it my yanmar 2qm20 was fitted in 1978 or 79 making it 33-34 yrs old - running pretty good. parts still easy to find (bloody expensive from the dealer mind) no plans to replace it anytime soon.

Didn't realise that Yanmar's have been going that long. Good to hear.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Bluewaters2812

Thanks Chris. I will need to learn how to adjust valves but I am sure I will bump into a kindly and knowledgeable fellow sailor who will be happy to impart his knowledge to assist me?

It's not all that difficult, but it's also often more easily solved by writing a check to your friendly local diesel tech. You need to know correct valve clearance specs, you need the gauges to measure and set the clearances to those specs, torque wrench, etc... and before you can start you need to remove the valve cover(s)... which in turn also means you need to be able to replace the valve cover gasket(s) when you put it all back together. Since it only happens once every so often, it usually doesn't hurt to pay a specialist.

-Chris

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

It's not all that difficult, but it's also often more easily solved by writing a check to your friendly local diesel tech. You need to know correct valve clearance specs, you need the gauges to measure and set the clearances to those specs, torque wrench, etc... and before you can start you need to remove the valve cover(s)... which in turn also means you need to be able to replace the valve cover gasket(s) when you put it all back together. Since it only happens once every so often, it usually doesn't hurt to may a specialist.

-Chris

If it isn't a too difficult job I think I would like to learn and gain a new skillset. Wouldn't hurt my pocket then either lol.

[Kalinka1]

When warming it up at the dock put it in gear at about 1000 RPM. diesels like to work and everything will warm up nicely and drive out the moisture. As mentioned before not getting them hot enough is the worst thing you can do. I have Westerbeke 30 boat built in 76 Engine? Still running did a rebuild at 6,000 hours probably up to 3,000 hrs since. think it might outlast me! have heard that the ist diesels were built as pumps and some still running. Something else i learned forget where, every second or third fill up add a litre of outboard 2 stroke oil to the fuel it helps to lubricate the fuel pump low sulpher fuel are too dry.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by Kalinka1

When warming it up at the dock put it in gear at about 1000 RPM. diesels like to work and everything will warm up nicely and drive out the moisture. As mentioned before not getting them hot enough is the worst thing you can do. I have Westerbeke 30 boat built in 76 Engine? Still running did a rebuild at 6,000 hours probably up to 3,000 hrs since. think it might outlast me! have heard that the ist diesels were built as pumps and some still running. Something else i learned forget where, every second or third fill up add a litre of outboard 2 stroke oil to the fuel it helps to lubricate the fuel pump low sulpher fuel are too dry.

Ok thanks, will bear that in mind.

[Cheechako]

"Anything you can do to lower the average temperature and max temperatures of an engine will contribute to longer engine life."

This is just plain bad info, and doesnt fit with modern engine design. Old engines ran cool, gummed up and suffered from sludge buildup, even though you were asked to change your oil every 1000 miles or so. Todays engines last far longer. A couple things off the net:

"Engines vary. The normal operating temperature for a modern (e.g., 1996+) automobile engine, will fall between 200 and 250 degrees F"

"Some newer engines will run in the 220 to 230 deg range."

"....engine designers have decided that engines should operate at approximately 210-215°F. Why, you ask? Well, it has to do with operating the engine at a high enough temperature to boil water out of the oil after the engine is cold started. If you have dew on the grass, it is certain that you have water in your oil, as the crankcase is open to atmospheric pressure!
Years ago, coolants weren’t as sophisticated and engines were run at 165-180F, but the oil was changed every 1000 miles or so. That’s why many old timers think engines should run at 165-180F. Have you ever noticed that Ford doesn’t put temperature marks on their gauges? They just mark C for cold and H for hot and write “normal” through the center. If you hook up a scan tool to a GM, you will often find that the gauge reads much lower than the coolant temp sensor. That is because they know most drivers don’t understand how hot an engine should run."

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Bluewaters2812

36 years! Now the record books are really being challenged in a couple of cases here lol. I wonder whether your bike engine is perhaps a Suzuki?

The last Clipper Marine was made in 1976. That was 36 years ago.

[Bluewaters2812]

[QUOTE=Cheechako;1065964]"Anything you can do to lower the average temperature and max temperatures of an engine will contribute to longer engine life."


I suppose the way to read the advice was to run it slightly cooler rather than overheat it. I cannot think that overheating any engine would be good for it. I do subscribe to the advice that it should be run in the "normal" range, whatever the manufacturer advises for the particular engine. I guess the bottom line is to make sure the cooling system works properly and that oil/filters are changed regularly; engine is warmed up and cooled down and used on a regular basis and not left to stand. Seems like common sense to me but I might be wrong?

[Bluemansailor]

Brought my boat last year- had 8000 hours on it- a Yanmar 3qm. Was properly maintained by both previous owners and I have all the records. Mostly motored down from New Bedford, MA to Rock Hall MD after I brought it, once the water was removed from the fuel tank (boat sat for 3 years), ran extremely smooth and problem free for 6 days.

From what 2 marine mechanics have told me - the old Yanmar 3qm were built for fishing boats and as long as I maintain it and can find parts, and nothing major happens these engines can see 40k-50k hours.

Will see...

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by Bluemansailor

Brought my boat last year- had 8000 hours on it- a Yanmar 3qm. Was properly maintained by both previous owners and I have all the records. Mostly motored down from New Bedford, MA to Rock Hall MD after I brought it, once the water was removed from the fuel tank (boat sat for 3 years), ran extremely smooth and problem free for 6 days.

From what 2 marine mechanics have told me - the old Yanmar 3qm were built for fishing boats and as long as I maintain it and can find parts, and nothing major happens these engines can see 40k-50k hours.

Will see...

That would be fantastic if they did. Just the sort of experience any sailor would like.