Rebuilt or New Engine?

[jyoors]

I am going to have to repower my Ericson 35. I have been looking at Beta, Universal and Westerbeke. Should i be looking at new engines only or would a rebuilt engine work? I have heard bad things about rebuilt engines, but they are half the cost of a new one... any options on this subject will be greatly appreciated!

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by jyoors

I am going to have to repower my Ericson 35. I have been looking at Beta, Universal and Westerbeke. Should i be looking at new engines only or would a rebuilt engine work? I have heard bad things about rebuilt engines, but they are half the cost of a new one... any options on this subject will be greatly appreciated!

If you mean rebuilding your own... We need to know what it is!?!?

[Tim R.]

What are your future plans for the boat? Do you intend to keep for many years or sell in a few. A new engine with professional installation may exceed the current value of your boat.

I think those came with either an Atomic A4 or a Universal. I would look at Universal or Beta as they are both built on Kubota blocks and would be the easiest to install in that boat.

[jyoors]

i am going to be cruising to the Caribbean for a few years. i am looking at a rebuilt engine from a shop, not going to rebuild my engine, the boat had a Beta 28 in it, it looks like the westerbeke and universal will fit into the foot print of the beta. just wondering if it is worth saving the money and buying a professional rebuilt engine, or spend the money on a new one?

[zeehag]

my ericson 35 came with a yanmar 2qm20h...what did yours have before this decision, and why is it being made..is engine seized o r blown or worn out with smoke and such??? i would go for rebuild of what i have as motor mount issues will appear as will other problems.

[rockDAWG]

If you are handy and have time, rebuild the engine yourself and but send out the work that you can't do or don't have the proper tool to do it yourself.

[Sailmonkey]

Can a beta 28 be old enough at this point to need a rebuild? And of so, if all the other bits are in good shape, why not just buy a Kubota long block and pop it in.

[Horror Hotel]

I'd go new over rebuilt, a rebuild will have a warranty but not very long if I recall. By going new you get brand new technology rather than reworked 30 year old tech. The rebuild would cost half to 2/3s of a new one away. Most new engines dealers have little to do with rebuilds, and rebuilders want to sell their engines so they'll not mention any down sides to a rebuild. Each wants to protect their interests. New yanmar 3ym30 is around $8600. Just bought one. A quality rebuild with new starter, alternator, 2 water pumps, oil pump, injection pump, injectors, belts, hoses and all the other bits comes damn close to the new engine cost . I'm sure others will disagree. Now if you only did the block/head it would be way cheaper, but where's the reliability in having all that old stuff. The new yanmars come with a 80 amp alt, transmission, and panel. If you rebuild your stuck with your old trans, that's not a great thing.

[ontherocks83]

I say go new, new engines are shiny and pretty....oh yea and what horror said

[ddsailor25]

Whats wrong with the Beta marine diesel you have. That engine with propper care should of out lasted the boat.

[jyoors]

The beta 28 i had in the boat was seized when i bought the boat. i had it rebuild and got it running for 2 min then it blew a hole in the block. Now looking to save some money but still have a good engine in the boat (the engine that blew drained a lot from the cruising kitty).

[ddsailor25]

Well thats not good. And what did the rebuild company say about the new hole in the side of the engine? Are they refunding the rebuild? The good thing about new engines are that they are reliable. We repowered our last boat with a small Beta and never had to worry about it starting or having problems with it. Plus, it came with a three year warrenty of which we didnt need. Might be good for you if your on the boat for a couple of years.

[jyoors]

Unfortunately the rebuild was done by a private mechanic and he is not refunding anything

[Marksman]

Get new, it's only money, but that buys megga peace of mind. A proper rebuild shoud have all sensitive parts replaced but you are still buying an unkown history on the block and head castings (think overheating or various other abuses). With new it's a clean slate and you can cruise with confidance. I replaced a Graymarine 4-112 with a Beta 28. With upgrades it was about 9k, I did the install. I travel with no worries about my engine. And about value? I paid 25k for my boat and added the new motor. It's only a bad deal if you are going to sell the boat in the near future. If you are going to keep it, it's still value added for you and not good money after bad.

[Horror Hotel]

People in general don't understand rebuilds. Even if done by a private mechanic the block and head would have needed to be bored, ringed, honed as well as the crank being machined. Unless you have a full machine shop and years of skill it's not actually a rebuild. It commonly thought that a rebuild is buying a bunch of parts and putting it back together (rebuilding it with new parts ) and any good mechanic can do this. This is 100% wrong, as you now know. A properly done block at a machine shop has almost zero chance of it spitting a bearing out. The machining cost are 1500 to 2500 without any parts. Then the part cost a bunch, including new pistons and possibly every other part. Starter, alt, pumps, ect. The injection pump alone is over 1k. So unless it cost 6k-ish it's nothing like a rebuild. The term gets tossed around constantly, and most of the time people are in the dark about the truth. I'm guessing you only spent around 2k, but it didn't help you in the slightest. I bet you won't oh back to that mechanic ever again . Give him an ear full for me. Does this make a new engine sound better now? I've been wrenching for 20 odd years and the term rebuild drives me crazy. Just add the word to any boat ad and people think they're getting something, it's a hose most of the time. And to make it worse most sailors hate engines and continue to use the term. A boat could go through 3 owners and every one assumes the engine is rebuilt because one guy said the word.