Hours on Yanmar 110h.p.

[Hesti]

For you to take the risk, there needs to be a discount. But having a mechanic look at the thing before deciding is a good idea.


Do you know the history of the boat? If it was charter, the engine has likely run a lot. If it was owner, holidays only, chances are the engine is low hours. The loacal boatyards and the harbour master might know about the history.

[Tia Bu]

For what it's worth, I doubt a sailboat diesel of that age is going to be a major source of trouble in the coming few years- at least the kind of trouble that comes with high engine hours. (Knock wood...)


Other systems have life spans closer to ten years: rigging, sails, electronics, refrigeration, pumps, etc.


Transmissions can be a different story. But engine hours don't really measure the potential trouble there, which often results from sailing with the engine off and transmission in neutral. Fuel and exhaust systems can also be a real source of trouble in boats that have had little use. But an hour meter isn't going to tell you much there.



It sounds like you may have the answer above, but not knowing the exact engine hours on this boat might not be such a big handicap, IMHO.

[Seriously Slow]

I have a 1995 4jh2E in my boat. I do not believe the hour meter but a surveyor on a different boat told me something I think is important. These are compression ignition only. No glow plugs. My engine starts so fast I can barely hear the starter spin it. I believe that's a sign of good compression. Poor compression is a major cause of engine rebuilds along with bad bearings. How quickly does your engine start? I have owned this engine for close to 5 years and it continues to run (and start) great.

[PineyWoodsPete]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I have a 2006 4JH4 72HP. I suspect you have the same engine in the 110HP version. We probably have the same control panels.

My hour meter is a LED display in the tachometer. Sometimes the display goes out and I can not read the display. Yet it is still recording engine hours. I know because when the light comes back the hours match my manual reckoning.

I have just bought an external hour meter that I will hook up some where in case the Yanmar meter finally dies completely.

All this is to attempt to answer your original question.

IF you have a Yanmar panel the engine hour meter is a hard to see LED display on the Tachometer. It is possible that if you remove and reinstall the wiring plug on the back of the tach the LEDs will come back to life and have an accurate engine hour reading. But they may come back to life and have a low reading because it wasn't recording.

So its worth a shot if its not to hard to access the back of the tack.

But looking at maintenance records is more important.

If the boat was not heavily used, a dock queen, perhaps the seller had Yanmar or a rep do maintenance and they have a log? Might be worth an ask.

My '14 VW 165TDI has the same, controlled by an external panel button that cycles the tach info window through EH's, L/hr fuel consumption, hrs of the day's run, error codes, and maybe more. EH's NOT the default on startup in mine...

[Ardbeg]

I have a 2011 Yanmar 40 hp in my Catalina. The hour meter is difficult to see but it is thereon the bottom of the tack. I also have a temp gauge for engine and surprised by the person who said he did not.

[GarthGregory]

If you are a serious buyer , then a solution maybe to have an oil test done - the sample will give you an accurate test re the condition / wear of the engine and an estimate of the hours.
This method is almost always used when buying heavy equipment in S . A . The analysis is not expensive and is conducted on engines and drive train if rqd .
Good luck Garth

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Tia Bu

For what it's worth, I doubt a sailboat diesel of that age is going to be a major source of trouble in the coming few years- at least the kind of trouble that comes with high engine hours. (Knock wood...)


Other systems have life spans closer to ten years: rigging, sails, electronics, refrigeration, pumps, etc.


Transmissions can be a different story. But engine hours don't really measure the potential trouble there, which often results from sailing with the engine off and transmission in neutral. Fuel and exhaust systems can also be a real source of trouble in boats that have had little use. But an hour meter isn't going to tell you much there.



It sounds like you may have the answer above, but not knowing the exact engine hours on this boat might not be such a big handicap, IMHO.

I’m never that worried about engine hours. Most diesels in boats are terribly under worked ( often terminally so) rather then over worked

[dancewithme]

Originally Posted by patfarrell1949

We have a 2010 Hunter 50CC with the 110hp option engine. Initially I saw no hour-meter but finally noticed an electronic readout at the helm that reads out RPM etc including engine hours. The instrument is the same size & shape as the ST70 gauges. One of the menu items is engine hours...we have circa 1400 hours. Maybe you have the same? Interestingly what I really didn't like was the lack of an engine temperature gauge...it does monitor temperature but only alarms when exceeding a high temp set point but doesn't readout actual temperature to be able see any concerning trend. I'm told such a sensor can be added and then tied into the readout.

Thanks for your help. The boat we are looking at is a 2011 cc. It just didn't make any sense when the broker said there was no hour meter. I suspect he just doesn't know where to look.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by dancewithme

We are looking at purchasing a hunter 50 with a 110 Yanmar. The broker tells us that there is no hour meter on the engine but insists that it is very low and has had very little use. 2 questions. First would it not have come from the factory with a hour meter and secondly, if there isn't one, is there any way of telling what the hours are (It was suggested to me that some of the electronic controls on the engine may have internal meters) Any insight would be appreciated.

You'll need to hire an experienced Yanmar mechanic to do a compression test as well as having the oil lab tested. The fact it's twenty years old doesn't bother me as nearly as much as the possibility it's not been properly maintained since there is no record of the hours. How would the PO know when to change the oil? If the boat is very well priced, having the engine completely rebuilt could be a viable option. This could be more of a sound negotiating tool than a deal killer.