Engine Meltdown

[Megalodon45C]

Last weekend had a great fishing trip to the Garden Banks on way home the stbd engine lost power, in the meanwhile thought i had a engine room fire. It was the paint that melted off the exhaust manifolds and several hoses had melted. Cleaned up the mess back at port. Alot of coolent all over the engine room floor. Changed raw water impeller and the hoses that were leaking. Chekced oil, refilled coolant That was wishful thinking. After checking the engine oil again I realized it was way above normal and suspect there is water in the oil. I just wonder if the engine is shot, just a gasket, cracked head etc. What are you guys thoughts on how to go about diagnosing such a problem and a good starting point. The biggest problem here in south central LA is to find a mechanic who can handle performance diesel. Has this ever happened to anyone esle.

[Jim saco]

I'm sorry for your trouble. What type of engine are we talking about. I would not spin that motor over with the starter. Before you drop the oil I would see if she will turn over by hand.

[captddis]

You have melted the o rings and probably cracked the manifolds and possibly the heads. Don't try to crank it!! A rebuild is in your future. Sorry.

[jim rosenthal]

Your Hatteras probably has 6-92TAs, if it is like most of that model. 92 Series Detroits are said to be very sensitive to overheating- I think the only way to approach this is get a good tech in there to start looking into the engine and seeing what happened. Do we have any forum members in LA who can recommend someone?

You might call Seaboard Marine in Oxnard, CA, and talk to Tony Athens. As far as I know, they do not work on Detroits, but he is likely to know someone who does and is in your area.

Good luck- sorry you are having problems. How many hours are on this engine?

[jim rosenthal]

I agree on the O-rings and the head and manifolds. What is the chance he can have the engine rebuilt in place, or will this require taking it out of the boat altogether?

[Megalodon45C]

The engines are 6v92tac's 535hp a piece, they were both n-frame rebuilt 5 yrs ago. I am waiting on a price from saunders boatworks in orange beach. The drive to Louisiana is what is going to add extra cost. The floor is coming up as I type. It all happened so fast. I will keep you guys posted.

[bigbill]

call middleton marine at dog river marina in mobile.

[jim rosenthal]

I had the location totally wrong, my mistake. Sorry about that. Hang in there, it's all fixable.

[Genesis]

It can be done in the boat but if that's a 45C it's not hard to get the engine out, and if you can do it I would. The job will be better and while the labor to R&R costs money you get a better job done in the shop than in the boat.

Odds are as noted you've toasted the O-rings and the heads are almost-certainly done. 92s are very intolerant of overheats; you're almost-certainly looking at a full rebuild.

[mr hatt]

If you have decent access to remove the engine I would strongly recommend a long block from detroit. my buddy just ordered one a 12v92ddec 1250hp at a cost of $29,000. The 692s shouldn't be that bad. The only reason I suggest it is you get a warranty from detroit on the engine. As always just my two cents and in my opinion worth checking out. also, since you probably got coolant in the oil there is a good chance you spun a main bearing. The 92 series engine doesn't like coolant in the oil at all and they wii soon the bearings and gall cylinders easily when that occurs. I wish you the best of luck..