Breaking All the Rules ...

[KASHMIR]

I spent over $5000 on my Perkins Prima 60, it still blew smoke and leaked oil. So 2 years ago I bit the bullet and spent $12k on a new Yanmar 37. No smoke, no oil leaks, less fuel, quieter and smoother, more reliable and no performance difference. I don't know how much new diesels are now, but to me it's a no brainer.


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[fkittson]

Have you sold the boat. We're all dying to know.


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[homeless]

Not sold, but have a few people wanting to inspect when I am back on the boat. The second broker left the brokerage yesterday, so I am now on number 3. High turnover is not a good sign.

Should be back on the boat next week, then engine rebuild, provision, and head for Malaysia. Trying to decide if I will go via Ashmore Reef, or via Kimberlies and Broome.

[fkittson]

Good luck

[gamayun]

Hey Homeless,

I'd been following along with this post for a while and the word "tenacious" also comes to mind just as another poster had pointed out. I hope you are able to sell this boat, if that's what you want, and get a good price for all that you did, but it'll be unfortunate to see this thread come to an end. So I -- though there are probably many of us -- will be looking forward to your next project Fair winds wherever you go!

[KASHMIR]

Its a cheap boat at less than $130K especially after all the work Homeless has done. Good luck with the last of the work before the long haul through Asia.

[homeless]

Yesterday I took the head off and removed all valves. No bent stems, no pitting on the valves or seats. Can't see anything that would cause white smoke. I will lap the valve seats and replace valve springs and oil seals in case that helps. The new springs that Perkins sent me are a lot shorter than the old ones, so I am a bit suspicious that they are the wrong ones, but it is possible that modern springs are more efficient and so can be shorter, so I will try to get the head back together to see if they do the job. I also started taking apart the exhaust water jacket, but ran into a few very stubborn bolts that preferred to lose their heads than come off, so I will need to track down a mechanic with a decent machine shop and ask for some help, then find the local nut-and-bolt shop. There was quite a bit of scale buildup in the water jacket, so it was good I took the time to clean it up.

Today I spent most of the day lying on the engine room floor reaching under the engine and swearing as I took off lots of impossible to reach bolts to remove the sump, oil pump, balancer, and pistons. No obvious wear on the sleeves, pistons, or rings, so nothing that would explain the smoke. I will put in new rings in case that helps.

So ... no obvious problems ... which is good, but also bad since I still can't explain the smokey exhaust after a lot of time and money spent. I am beginning to wonder if my standards are too high for a 30 year old tractor engine and I will never get the exhaust as clean as I think it should be.

In the meantime I have rejected a few more low offers on the boat from time wasters. I will never understand why someone would submit a written offer without ever seeing the boat or speaking to the owner. I am beginning to think I should increase the price to lower the time-waster ratio.

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by homeless

Yesterday I took the head off and removed all valves. No bent stems, no pitting on the valves or seats. Can't see anything that would cause white smoke. I will lap the valve seats and replace valve springs and oil seals in case that helps. The new springs that Perkins sent me are a lot shorter than the old ones, so I am a bit suspicious that they are the wrong ones, but it is possible that modern springs are more efficient and so can be shorter, so I will try to get the head back together to see if they do the job. I also started taking apart the exhaust water jacket, but ran into a few very stubborn bolts that preferred to lose their heads than come off, so I will need to track down a mechanic with a decent machine shop and ask for some help, then find the local nut-and-bolt shop. There was quite a bit of scale buildup in the water jacket, so it was good I took the time to clean it up.

Today I spent most of the day lying on the engine room floor reaching under the engine and swearing as I took off lots of impossible to reach bolts to remove the sump, oil pump, balancer, and pistons. No obvious wear on the sleeves, pistons, or rings, so nothing that would explain the smoke. I will put in new rings in case that helps.

So ... no obvious problems ... which is good, but also bad since I still can't explain the smokey exhaust after a lot of time and money spent. I am beginning to wonder if my standards are too high for a 30 year old tractor engine and I will never get the exhaust as clean as I think it should be.

In the meantime I have rejected a few more low offers on the boat from time wasters. I will never understand why someone would submit a written offer without ever seeing the boat or speaking to the owner. I am beginning to think I should increase the price to lower the time-waster ratio.

Its possible that these "time waster" offers are from people familiar with your boats history and are making a low offer due to the fact that they believe there is still a significant amount of work to be done post purchase.

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[homeless]

To avoid wasting everyone's time I told the broker I would only accept offers at the list price, and only from a buyer who had actually seen the boat and spoken to me about it, but the broker continues to forward low offers from idiots on the internet.I understand that the broker is trying hard to put a deal together, but if he can't follow instructions and continues to waste my time (and the buyer's time) with offers he knows will be rejected I think it is time to find a new broker.

I guess I should be thankful this broker actually answers emails. I emailed a broker in Langkawi about listing with them, and they replied that they would get back to me in 2 weeks after they returned from holiday. I told them if it took them 2 weeks to reply to an email I would not list with them. How can anyone expect to run a brokerage business and not respond to emails for 2 weeks ???

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by homeless

To avoid wasting everyone's time I told the broker I would only accept offers at the list price, and only from a buyer who had actually seen the boat and spoken to me about it, but the broker continues to forward low offers from idiots on the internet.I understand that the broker is trying hard to put a deal together, but if he can't follow instructions and continues to waste my time (and the buyer's time) I think it is time to find a new broker.

I guess I should be thankful this broker actually answers emails. I emailed a broker in Langkawi about listing with them, and they replied that they would bet back to me in 2 weeks after they returned from holiday. I told them if it took them 2 weeks to reply to an email I would not list with them. How can anyone expect to run a brokerage business and not respond to emails for 2 weeks ???

You are "trying to push a rope."

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

You are "trying to push a rope."

+1

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[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by homeless

...The new springs that Perkins sent me are a lot shorter than the old ones, so I am a bit suspicious that they are the wrong ones, but it is possible that modern springs are more efficient and so can be shorter, so I will try to get the head back together to see if they do the job...

There is a very rigid specification on maximum and minimum valve spring length and force. Find out what your engine requires and make sure all the springs comply.

[Iaangus]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

There is a very rigid specification on maximum and minimum valve spring length and force. Find out what your engine requires and make sure all the springs comply.

Terra Nova is correct. Close is not good enough. Make sure part numbers are correct. Good luck,

[GILow]

I apologise if this has already been covered, but is keeping the boat for a few years and getting some value out of all your hard work an option? Seems to me you now have a boat that you know very well, maybe it would be fun just to sail it to lovely places?


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[homeless]

The boat is in decent shape now, I am enjoying sailing it, and it is now just one hop from home, cheap marinas, cheap yards, and cheap labour, so yes, definitely worth keeping for a few years to enjoy while taking it up to a higher standard, which is why I won't go down on price. I have a few business ideas I want to spend time on, and would not mind downsizing on the boat, so if someone makes an offer at the list price I will sell.

Regarding the valve springs. The workshop manual only specifies "fitted length" which depends on the valve stem length, and "load at fitted length" which would be achievable with a shorter stiffer spring, so it is possible that the shorter springs provided by Perkins are correct. I have asked them to confirm.