What is the useful economic life of a diesel inboard?

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by rama

i used to run commercial boats which would average 4 to 5 thousand hours a year, a real bitch when servicing as the engines never cooled down. i had one boat with a perkins m240 ti, 6,354 that must of had around 70,000 hours on it and still ran perfect till the heat ex/ ex manifold cracked and there was not a replacement available. as far as i know it was on its original liners but second set of pistons and bearings,

Of course as everyone knows British engines are rubbish and you must buy German................

[rbw156]

Originally Posted by IBWET

Take the boat for a run,don't just start the engine and leave it for a couple of min ticking over.

S/C - supercharger.

Reading my last post,walking the boat up onto the plane may not be so important for a light rib. This was more for a cruiser weighing 10 tons,which takes it's time getting out of the hole.

watch for black dust;it means a belts on the way out. is your engine EDC ?

remember the air filter if you don't change it, power drops off. Maintenance, It's pretty typical of a car if have done that before.

PM me if you have any issue's I'm no expert but might have come across it.

Thanks again. Yes, it is the EDC.

[rbw156]

Originally Posted by seafariskye

My 1st engine was a KAD 44 EDC

Put 4500 hours on it, after servicing early, and looking after it all its life from new.
Took it for an overhaul, and the price i was given by volvo to do 'all it needed' was about 2 k less than a whole new engine, so i put a new engine in it instead.
Took the issue up with volvo, who then said it was my fault, for using it so much, and not using a main dealer for all its servicing...... argued a bit with them, but got nowhere. think if i remem properly they said that on average a leisure user would clock up about 100 hours per year - so that made my engine 45 years old. At that time, which was 2003, they had not heard of a KAD 44 with so many hours on it.. Oh, and i was told i had also been running it at the wrong revs, so that was my fault as well.

Pete

That is a lot of hours! How much did you save on servicing by not using a main dealer? What are the right revs, or range of revs to maximise the life of the engine? Based on some figures I've seen the max RPM is 4,000 and the most fuel efficient range is between 2,500 and 3,300. How does this compare with your experience?

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by seafariskye

My 1st engine was a KAD 44 EDC. Put 4500 hours on it, after servicing early, and looking after it all its life from new.....
.... volvo, who then said it was my fault, for using it so much, and not using a main dealer for all its servicing......

Yer, right. I wonder how many main dealer serviced Volvos would last as well as yours did.

If you'd paid main dealer prices for servicing, you'd likely have paid a fair part of the cost of a new engine anyway so they've got ya by the short and curlies which ever way you do it.

[codprawn]

4,000rpm??? No wonder they don't last - that's not far off a petrol engine!!!

I was drooling over one of my favourite boats lats night - a Nordhavn 76.

http://www.nordhavn.com/76/specs.php4

These boats only do 11.5kts flat out but cruise is 10kts which will get you 3200nm. Economical cruise at 9kts gives a range of over 4,000nm. The engines on these boats are claimed to be good for at least 25,000 hrs without a major rebuild. That's because they run at such a low rpm.

[seafariskye]

Used to run it (only sold last year, and have a KAD 300, which is the same engine just about still) at cruising revs 2800 - 3000, then a wee blast at the end, so never at full revs for any amount of time.
Saved on servicing - i still get my valve clearances done by engineer - but oils/filters etc etc and my own free labour - prob works out at thousands less - remember took it for its 1st 50 hour service, and bill was about £650

revs - will max out at 4000 with right props on - but would go nowhere near that with the ones i originally had on it - compressor should go off around 2800 revs, then that is what is cruised it at -

Got 2500 hours on my KAD 300 at the moment, so hoping to get another season out of it.............

pete

[alt]

Good to hear high hours on the KAD. I have 490 hours on my KAD32. Bought it in March of this year with 300 hours on it, I have put the 190 hours on it so far this season.

Changed the belts, and service every 100 hours to be safe. Spends most if it's running time (once warmed up of course, and cooled down when finish a run) between 2700 - 3200 RPM, with a quick blast to 3800RPM for about 5 mins per hour of running

[peterb]

I think thats exactly what its about Alt. My D4-260 revs to 3500/3600.

Most of the time I run it at 2800, maybe 3000 tops. Very occasionally I push it to WOT. Serviced at manufacturer intervals (or sooner!) these engines ought never to give major problems.

My expectation is that it will give me reliable service for as long as I want to own the boat. I have done 150 hours this year, and will do more next year - God willing.

[IBWET]

Originally Posted by rbw156

Thanks again. Yes, it is the EDC.

Max RPM 3,800

[Aging Youth]

For those of you who not aware Alan Priddy took his 10m Cabin Rib around the world on a diesal engined rib.

His engine was a 420 Yanma diesal

regards

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by alt

Good to hear high hours on the KAD. I have 490 hours on my KAD32. Bought it in March of this year with 300 hours on it, I have put the 190 hours on it so far this season.

Changed the belts, and service every 100 hours to be safe. Spends most if it's running time (once warmed up of course, and cooled down when finish a run) between 2700 - 3200 RPM, with a quick blast to 3800RPM for about 5 mins per hour of running

High hours? The Lugger engines in some of the Trawler Yachts are said to be good for 80,000 hours!!!