So why the Detroit hate?

[madhatter1]

When I bought my 46 Bertram in 02 I found an old school old guy mechanic. One thing I remember him saying is these will still run hurt better than other engines will healthy. And my 8-71TI's were tired, made a massive smoke show starting in just a Florida winter, Yet still made good power. Anyway as I ask a gazzion questions as a nervous Nellie trying to preserve my low hour 8-92's I also watch a bunch of videos on youse tube. Besides what the old mechanic told me from what I see is the old beasts are a reliable well built simple engine. So maybe they burn a little more fuel. Some leak. My 8-71's did, my 8-92's do not. It seems like they can run broken and not stop until destroyed or out of fuel. Is that not desirable traits??

Perhaps I am an aging fool stuck in my old school world but I think not. I would rather rely on something that clould actually run on vegetable oil in a pinch than a temperamental electronic engine that the "mechanic" can only try to fix by changing parts.

Crazy rant not over, waiting on responses. Oh, and I'll be the first to admit I'm kinda a whack job!!

[Jammin']

In my budget, 671n's were my first choice. Worldwide parts and knowledge availability, simple and dependable.

[miboatnutz]

Watch how hard it is to kill a Detroit Diesel. "Screamin Jimmy"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxLb...rC4sKDt_V3pM1j

Lots of respect for those motors. You know you're doing something right when both the Russians and the Chinese copy your designs.

[cenger]

I'm a huge fan of Detroit Diesels and have no desire to re-power ever! My last boat had 6-71's which had a minor overhaul when I bought the boat and were perfect for 16 years with only standard maintenance. I currently have 12-71's and get a thrill every time I fire them up.

[jim rosenthal]

Detroit 2-cycle engines were the go to marine diesels for years. Every other maker of marine diesels had a much smaller market share than DD.

The pros: ubiquitous, easy to get parts for, will run forever if maintained and even if not, lots of people could work on them

The cons: (now) parts harder to get, fewer people to work on them as the technicians age out of the business, heavy, use a lot of fuel, and the more powerful variants have a much shorter life.

Modern marine diesels are much better engines, esp those available from Cummins and Cat and Yanmar etc. Also the early DD four-cycle engines like Series 60s and 2000s are much loved by some. If you don't have to go fast, if you don't mind a bit of a hunt on parts nad someone to work on them, if you are willing to maintain an old set of them, they are a good value for the money. An older Hatteras yacht with DDs can be a great bargain.

I forgot: they leak. A LOT. Also, some people feel that the 92 series, which have wet liners, are more prone to damage if overheated. I have not owned any for direct knowledge. Some folks love 92s, some don't. Everyone loves 71 series DDs.

[Scope]

Prop your engines to turn 2350 rpm with boat fully loaded with fuel and gear. Don't run hot! 180 degrees.
should be your goal under cruise conditions. Keep up on your oil changes, intercooler cleaning, coolant condition.
etc. Should be able to get several thousand hours of usefull life out of 8v92 at 650 hp.

[Freeebird]

Maybe I should get Sparky1 to chime in as he was worried about 2-stroke DD’s as well.

Meanwhile...

[Westfield 11]

My 650hp 12-71s are just turning 5000 hours and still going strong. And once I got the front main seal replaced on the port side they don’t even leak (much) oil. Most of what I thought was black oil was actually soot and fuel slobber, running them up to high power more often seems to have fixed that.

[dar636]

Don't forget how cool they sound...

[spartonboat1]

Maybe I should get Sparky1 to chime in as he was worried about 2-stroke DD’s as well.

Meanwhile...

Hey, in da' Mich UP dat would be da' YouseGuys Tube, don'tcha know.

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