BoatDiesel.Com

[34Hatt]

Was wondering if anyone belongs to Boat Diesel. Com and is it worth the membership charge. I have Cummins V504s and want to learn as much as possibly about them and it seems that forum maybe the best place. Thanks Dan

[Hatt36]

It is an excellent, informative site. It is well worth the $25 for any diesel owner.

Richard

[Bob Bradley]

My membership just lapsed. I'll probably re-up, if for no other reason than to be able to research archived posts. I don't feel that there are any great deals there when it comes to purchasing filters and stuff. For example, I found I could purchase my Racor elements for a buck or two less at Boatfix.com, and there they only pass on shipping charges. I'm not sure if Boatdiesel marks shipping up or not.

[PascalG]

it's worth the $25 ... especailly to research the archives.

pascal
1970 53MY

[nick]

Worth it for us novices. Lots of good feeback and resources!

[nonchalant1]

For a novice, I'd also recommend a book I got "Marine Diesel Engines" by Nigel Calder. It starts with the engine operating concepts, goes through the systems, and maintenance and repair. It's best for learning about diesels. Specific instructions for your exact engine are not there, just lots of examples of doing many maintenance and repair items on many large and small diesels. Detroit Diesel, Cummins, Cat's, etc. are covered though. At least it will show you the basics and give you the confidence that if you're handy with tools, you can tackle these monsters.

[34Hatt]

Well Thanks for the feed back I will definitely be joining.

[GCombos]

Just make certain that you don't own CAT 3116 engines when you join...they are uniformly hated by most all BD.com members.
>:

[rtrafford]

they seem to be hated by most cat experts, too.

[jim rosenthal]

I agree that 3116s and 3126s are high-maintenance engines, but not all of them are bad. They are not as trouble-free as the Cummins B&C sixes. The Cats are very sensitive to dirty fuel (even with other diesels as a comparison) and there were a series of engines with import blocks which cracked between the water jacket and the oil gallery which have had to be replaced. However, a lot of them are in service in Chesapeake Bay workboats in this area and have run fine for many hours. Like most mechanical things, they seem to do better when run frequently. And pleasure boat use- typically over propped, and long periods of inactivity punctuated by hard use- is tough on all engines. They may not tolerate it even as well as other E rated engines.

[rtrafford]

really loved the old 3208's. never a worry...

now to venture in the higher altitudes of HP...a new beginning for me...

[GCombos]

When my season starts, I have a tendency to run pretty frequently, pushing the motors up to, say 2400 rpm's, especially on the trip home. I have the lower HP (300) versions so, I'm somewhat limited on the amount of stress I can inflict on the blocks. At least, that's what my local CAT experts say.

Showed 400 hours on the engines when I bought the boat, and I've added another 400 relatively care-free hours, i.e., oil changes @ 100 hour intervals and careful monitoring of the exhaust diffuser's are SOP.

I am hoping (and praying) that I don't have the dreaded 'french' blocks [typical] that you reference, JR. Time will tell, b/c I don't think the serial no. does...

[34Hatt]

Its funny you all brought up 3116 a good friend that I cruise with almost every weekend bought a Wellcraft Coastal 33' last fall 320 hrs on it had a cat mechanic do a full survey all was great. This past July we where heading home after a 10 day trip last leg from Block Island R.I to North Fork Long Island. One engine went down, limped home on one engine 5 hrs. Turned out blown head gasket O.K stuff happens well after 3 weeks H.O Penn is done and the bill was $13,400.00. They charged $750 for mileage $1200 for replacement head $4800 for 2 turbos ( yes TWO turbos on a 300hp 3116) $375 for a envoi/emerge charge ( and that what the bill had on it).
2 Injectors @$120 ea ++++ Tax $13,400.00. Well after finding out that they charge for mileage and two days only worked 1/2 days and there was also overtime, remember this took 3 weeks for them to finish. Also $75 for freight on the head which should be in stock then the head sat there for 4 days before they came back!
Well after I was done with the beatings on them (which I did for my friend who is not mechanical) I reduce it to $9,000 which is still too much for a blown head in my book. And they replaced the one turbo with a new one cause it turns out it had oil and fuel in it, then scraped the old one!
So during this process I learned of another problem with the 3116 which is the copper cup in the head that the injectors screw into. Sometimes the copper become loose in the head and it starts to leak past.
It Never Ends.
Dan

[markguiovanniello]

Dan, the prop size calculator that Peter Comopton has on his website is well worth it. You can check the calculations against any of the actual Hatteras 34 performance records on the 34 club website and you will trust that the data those calculations give will be very accurate, which can be invaluable when repowering... Besides I thought those 504's are going to outlive both of us!