Reliable Old Diesel engines

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Most any old diesel is reliable, but the key factor is, how

intelligent and diligent was / were the previous owner(s)?


Simple answer...


Any a$$hat can ruin a mechanical thingie.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Age isn't the issue. Parts availability may be. And yes, some diesels are better than others. I had a Newport 28 with a 2-cylinder Universal raw water and it was a PoS. Stay away from anything raw-water cooled. I don't know much about Universals, but would not be surprised if parts are getting difficult to find, and they are not reliable.

>>>>>>>>>>>-

True about parts availability, true about ANY rw cooled diesels, false about parts for Universals since they are Kubota tractor engines which are still used by Beta. Just do your homework.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Saltysaltsalt

That sounds like a great idea. Will the readout make sense to someone who isn't a mechanic?

Oil analysis ... not always what they are cracked up to be.
Oil_Analysis_on_Diesel_Boats

[sailingunity]

I have a 50 year old Westerbeke. I'm rebuilding it this year because of a pinhole leak in one of the cylinder liners, water was getting into the #3 cylinder, however despite that it still started and ran fine.

The main problem you'll find with older engines is the supporting systems, particularly the "marinized" parts. We had a leak in the aluminum coolant tank / exhaust manifold, and we had to send it to a machine shop to get it fixed - no replacements were available. However, I've been able to find all of the internal engine parts easily because it was built on a fairly popular tractor engine.

[grantmc]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Most any old diesel is reliable, but the key factor is, how was it maintained.
A well maintained diesel will run forever, but in the same breath, a poorly maintained diesel is gonna give problems.
So the trick is to find out the maintenance schedule and also check the engine out for noticeable repair or replacement.
...

This is a truism, but it's a little more nuanced. Who's going to say or admit that they've not maintained their engine (or boat for that matter) well? A maintenance schedule is useful for sure (but many don't have such logs) and I'd be looking carefully for oil and filter changes.

But in my view asking these questions in the original post, of many owners here on the forum, and they've all provided similar answers. I suspect the audience we have here in the thread are those who 1. are more likely to take and perform maintenance carefully, and 2. use their boats.

And it's point 2 that also rates highly.

Engines like to get up to temperature and then run for a while. If all that a yot engine does is a 5 minute putter in and out of a marina (as I see people do on occasional weekends) then that isn't an engine I would want.

The argument about raw water versus exchanger cooling is like mono vs multi hull. And we will see the same with oil analysis. And just a quick point. If I had my boat for sale I would change the oil after a flush clean.

[kapnd]

Age and hours are not the criteria on which a diesel motor is judged.
“Marine Age” is an off the cuff measure of a combination of many factors including the above as well as maintenance and how hard it’s been run over its lifespan.
Your first clue is cleanliness and organization in the engine room.
Rusty, oily, spaghetti of wiring, disorganized plumbing are all big minuses in an engine room.
I would factor in a large budget for repairs and replacement if the ER shows these signs, or better yet, keep searching for a boat that shows off how well it’s been loved!

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

True about parts availability, true about ANY rw cooled diesels, false about parts for Universals since they are Kubota tractor engines which are still used by Beta. Just do your homework.

How many tractors were marinized? What are the chances Kubota hasn't changed their head gasket in 40-yewrs? When was the last time you bumped into a agriculture store near a marina?

Always love this response. Looks so logical. Until you actually try to do it.
.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

How many tractors were marinized? What are the chances Kubota hasn't changed their head gasket in 40-yewrs? When was the last time you bumped into a agriculture store near a marina?

Always love this response. Looks so logical. Until you actually try to do it.
.

It worked for 20 years on my over 20,000hr. Perkins. I never bought parts anywhere but a farm equipment dealer

Last year I abandoned an attempt to rebuild a 23yr. old Westerbeke 55A due to lack of parts.

[thomm225]

Many old diesels (or gas engines) though are just that.

Old, worn out, leaky, and smelly.

All you have to do is look at all the old boats around that someone has stuck an outboard on.

If you get a boat with an old diesel though with a well like an Alberg 30 and the diesel does fail, you can still put a 6 HP or 9.9 HP outboard in the well and still be good to go.

My Bristol 27 is like this, and the diesel did fail in 2011.

I just haven't put the outboard in the well yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6h-P_IZZn0

[Nicholson58]

1984 Westerbeke 6 cylinder 115 hp. Crankcase and fuel 1 micron polishers. Starts instantly every time. Runs 900 rpm forever.

12.5 kw genset. Same age also good.

Both of these are marinized British Leland.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

It worked for 20 years on my over 20,000hr. Perkins. I never bought parts anywhere but a farm equipment dealer

Last year I abandoned an attempt to rebuild a 23yr. old Westerbeke 55A due to lack of parts.

Tractor supply stores carry raw water pumps and wet manifolds, the most common failure items on marine engines?

[Nicholson58]

I found a Westerbeke/British Leyland dismantler in New York as a source. The internet is great.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Tractor supply stores carry raw water pumps and wet manifolds, the most common failure items on marine engines?

My local Farm supply had no trouble even getting me a Bowman heat exchanger at 70% less than any marine outfit I could find.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Saltysaltsalt

That sounds like a great idea. Will the readout make sense to someone who isn't a mechanic?

Probably. When I had mine done at the Caterpillar Lab, the printout showed "Normal Range" beside each of the readings and highlighted any that were out of range.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by grantmc

This is a truism, but it's a little more nuanced. Who's going to say or admit that they've not maintained their engine (or boat for that matter) well? A maintenance schedule is useful for sure (but many don't have such logs) and I'd be looking carefully for oil and filter changes.

But in my view asking these questions in the original post, of many owners here on the forum, and they've all provided similar answers. I suspect the audience we have here in the thread are those who 1. are more likely to take and perform maintenance carefully, and 2. use their boats.

And it's point 2 that also rates highly.

Engines like to get up to temperature and then run for a while. If all that a yot engine does is a 5 minute putter in and out of a marina (as I see people do on occasional weekends) then that isn't an engine I would want.

The argument about raw water versus exchanger cooling is like mono vs multi hull. And we will see the same with oil analysis. And just a quick point. If I had my boat for sale I would change the oil after a flush clean.

Raw water or heat exchanger? Neither! Keel cooling rules! No salt water coming into the boat. No screen or filter to plug up with jellyfish or plastic bags, etc. No salt water pump. No heat exchanger or associated pieces to fail. Able to run the engine if aground without sucking sand, etc. into the system.