Detroit Diesel Survival tools

[richardoren]

A friend recommended coveralls, diesel diapers and knee pads. But everything being Metric in Europe, it means that you have to buy a tool kit in the US and bring it back to the boat.

What tools are of vital necessity? I'm partial to Craftsman as they're guaranteed for life and fairly reasonably priced, but will buy cheaper tools if they'll work as well. Main concern being keeping them in working condition in salt water air.

If you can help me build up a shortlist of vital tools needed for DD maintenance and tune ups, I'd be much obliged.

TIA

Richard

 

[Genesis]

Absolute MUSTS for Detroits are the pin gauge for your specific injector that is in the engine, the offset open end wrenches for the pushrod adjustments, and a GOOD set of feeler gauges.

I am partial to step-feelers, as they make valve adjustments much easier and faster.

Craftsman makes a good hand tool. Not Snap-On quality, but half or less the price and they've been very solid in my experience. Their open end wrenches are made of high-quality steel and they won't flex and round off nut and bolt-heads on you.

I strongly recommend both 6 and 12 point sockets. The 12 points are necessary for things like the valve cover nuts, but you want 6 points for the added "grip" on stuff that's "stubborn". I prefer 6pts for general use; YMMV.

You also need a pair of torque wrenches - one that is good for the low range (0-25 or 0-50ft/lbs), 3/8" drive and one good for the higher range (0-250ft/lb) in 1/2" drive. Those are the minimums on the torque wrenches. A really big monster might come in handy too but you won't use it often, unless you end up doing something like ripping apart an Allison gear and need to get the bull gear nut back on and torqued.

For the blower drive shaft retainer you will need a decent snap-ring plier. Nothing special there. Those are useful around boats for other purposes anyway, and well worth having.

You need a set of heel bars. This is a tool that a lot of guys DON'T have but if you don't have a small one and need to remove an injector all of the other things you can use are NOT THE RIGHT TOOL and this is a place where you really want the right tool for the job.

You also want an injector tube brush. This is a cheap ($20) tool from Snap-On or Kent-Moore - can be ordered online - and is used to clean the crap out of the injector tubes. Whether you really need this depends on how much crud is in there - most of the time you'll get away with not using it, but if you need it and don't have it, life sucks as you'll get a compression leak.

Don't skimp on the big open-end wrenches. There are places (like the H/E zincs on many Detroits) where you can't get a socket on them and you need a BIG honking open end wrench. An adjustable is likely to round the nut off instead of removing it.

There's more you CAN buy but those are the absolute musts in the tool department, IMHO.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Buy a big craftsman set in a folding "brief case" ,a 1.460" injector timing gauge, feeler gauges, some spare sprayers and lots of filters, oh, and manuals in Englese !! SVP. Biggest wrench sizes Ive encountered were 1-1/8 on the coupling bolts. 2-12-14" aluminum pipe wrenches, screw driver SET!, wire cutters, crimpers,SPARE BATTERY CLAMPS -AND- GOOD CONNECTORS
( lots, and they aint cheap! ) soldering gun KIT, propane torch KIT,Various sizes of heat shrink tubing, decent tubing cutter and some spare 3/8 compression fittings for EMERGENCY repairs only to fuel lines, a medium duty volt-ohm meter, a shit load of AGC type fuses, extra bilge pumps, RW impellers, baking soda, GOJO HAND CLEANER 1 gallon size, several flashlights with GOOD batteries, not dollar store crap.
A decent file set, various thicknesses of gasket paper, 4 small tubes of RTV, wire brushes, hammers, emory cloth,razor knife and lotsa blades and bandaids, Channel locks, a SET of vise grips (not Craftsman ) 18volt drill, a bunch'o bits, DECENT tap and die set, and lots and lots of FILTERS and a ton of diesel kleen or BIO kleen, and lotsa filters I know this is a preliminary list, but it should get you started. You should see what I carry !!
Do yourself a favor and dont toss wire strippings in the bilge. That will stop a bilge pump dead in its' tracks. ws

 

[Angela]

I recently found a ton of value in a 10-year old boy who can eagerly crawl into all those areas the rest of us can't fit. I'm not overweight my any means, but a kid like this can fit through an access panel inside the cabinet behind the crew dinette that I can only get in about half way. Yeah, I've been in there, and had lots of rib bruises afterwards, and had to manipulate my shoulders to get in/out - I even asked my mom if that was similar to birth...because it felt like I was being born again. LOL The first time going in, I took a cell phone and a saw. Now, I use Michael. I used him to help me repair my rubrail. As the screws were pushed through from the outside, Michael put the washers and nuts on the them and then held a socket on the nut while we tightened the screws from the outside.

That 4'10, 70 pound tool every boat should have...PRICELESS!

 

[SKYCHENEY]

LOL. I've got two of those "tools". The problem is that grow up.

 

[Genesis]

He's cute too!

 

[Traveler 45C]

Does anybody have a pic of a "heal bar"? I have no idea what this is.

One of the best tools to have onboard is a computer with I-Net access. When in doubt about anything, ask here. How many times has this forum saved someone a ton of work and time?

 

[REBrueckner]

The most important tools to DD maintenance are your eyes, ears, and nose!
Sudden, catastrophic DD failures are not common. Most problems are simple things that could have been prevented. Pay close attention frequently, with engines running, and you can head off most problems and reduce effects of many. Look,listen,smell. Smell is expecially useful after engines are shut down...you can often detect changes in normal "hot engine smaell"...coolant,oil,transmission fluid, fuel,etc can often be detected before a serious problem. Check hose clamps every few hundred hours...but don't overtighten. It's a lot easier than having an engine overheat. See cracks in your water hoses? time to replace them!

For example early last year after my first engine run I smelled diesel fuel after shutdown...a fuel line broke, but only a quart or so got dumped...I cleaned it up from the engine pan, got two new hoses made, one long enough to fix all four on either engine, so now I have a spare for those. Engine never missed a beat...I still don't get that.

Tools to be carried should be matched to your skill level, desire to fix something immediately yourself, and the spare parts aboard. Sophisticated tools without parts don't help much;all the parts in the world won't help much if you don't know how to install them properly.

While I'd like to have Mike P and Genesis DD skill level, I don't, and so for me to carry all the tools they do would be silly. Yachtmanbills list of stuff is just fine; I carry most myself. Few people have that much aboad. Maybe I'd add a few pieces of various size spare engine hoses...and for a twin screw boat, one complete set of spare fuel lines, lube oil lines and transmission oil lines could be handy especially if yours are not recent. Or the parts to make them up if you know how and have tools.

Pin gauges, for example as Genesis suggests, are not aboard my boat because I don't know how to use them. Anybody I get aboard to do work better be equipped or they won't be touching my babies.

I carry a basic set of tools for the things I can fix and a few key parts. For example, I carry an entire spare raw water pump because taking off an old one and replacing with a spare can be done with a few tools, two gaskets and likely under two hours work. I bought it rebuilt on e-bay one winter. I'd not try to rebuild a pump myself, because I think the seals can be tricky to install, but I used to carry a rebuild kit to provide a mechanic at a distant point so he could rebuild it promptly. Similarly, I carry one spare injector, just in case, but would not be able to install it myself. Spare raw water covers,gaskets,,impellers are a wise choice. Spare alternator belts,too.

Now that I think about it, in 60 years of boating the only time I got stuck was when a Borg Warner tranny crapped out on an old Matthews, and a fuel pump on a gas engine was squirting gasoline.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Does anybody have a pic of a "heal bar"? I have no idea what this is.

Sears or any real motor parts stores. Its a 12" long tapered bar with a single claw or "J" on the end. MANDATORY for pulling injectors. About $10. ws

 

[thoward]

WD40
PB Blaster
Set of Craftsman Screwdrivers
Set of Craftsman wrenchs
Craftsman Sockets
Impact
Drill
Diegrinder
Pipe Wrench
Really big pipe wrench
Multi-meter
Heat Gun

That is a basic list off the top of my head.....

 

[richardoren]

Hi Guys & Gals,

Looks like there's more to buy than money to go around. I'll try to pick up whatever is either cheap / / / OR / / / Indispensible.

Actually I'm trying to find things that either you can't find easily overseas or that are way overpriced there. For example, I need a new shore 30 AMP 110V shore power plug for the cable to plug into the boat. The price is was quoted there was close to $300.
You can bet I'm buying one in Florida.

The injectors are 50 type 74. This is the sort of stuff which is readily available here but obsure and hard to get at any price over there. A must also, thx Karl for the advice. Thanks also to all ya others - lots of wisdom and experience speaking.

If you think of anything else, let me know. Found the source for the radial wiper, it is a commerical shipping unit made by Wynn Marine in the UK, and thus NOT to be bought here.

THX

Richard

 

[yachtsmanbill]

I like that radial wiper !! Is that a rubber blade type or or a centrifugal glass disc type? I would consider one too, but the windshield is 5-6 feet in front of the helm and consequently, youd be looking through a little hole to see anything. Pretty narrow field of view.
Dont forget lotsa filters LOL. ws

 

[richardoren]

I like that radial wiper !! Is that a rubber blade type or or a centrifugal glass disc type? I would consider one too, but the windshield is 5-6 feet in front of the helm and consequently, youd be looking through a little hole to see anything. Pretty narrow field of view.
Dont forget lotsa filters LOL. ws

Hi Bill,

Yup - it's a spinning disc of glass but the gasket and blade are shot. Dead wiper on the port side too, hope it doesn't rain before I boat or it will be time for RainEx.

Richard

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Hey Rich--- The ones Ive seen spin the glass at about 200 RPM throwing the water off. No blade required.
Leaving for Chicago with the HATT TRICK next Monday. 800 miles. Wanna go?? ws