I left my marina with my seacocks closed…
Should we do end-of-season oil changes or can we stretch the old oil into the next season?
I plan on being away from my boat for two to three months and during that time, I plan on having someone periodically run my diesels dockside…
Question: I have a 1989 38-foot Bayliner with twin 175-hp Hino diesels that have been retrofitted with turbochargers, thus raising each engine to 210 horsepower. As I go from cruise to wide-open throttle (approximately 23 mph at 2800 rpm), turbo exhaust temperatures increase from 700F to 950F on the port engine and 850F on the starboard. When
Question: The boys at the Ko Olina harbor are having a heated discussion concerning motor oil. Since Costco hit town, we’ve all been able to buy Chevron 15W-40 Delo 400 heavy-duty motor oil at ridiculously low prices. But what about the older engines we’ve been using straight 40W Delo 400 and other single-viscosity products in for years? Can we
Question: I own a 1996 43-foot Hatteras with twin six-cylinder Detroit Diesel engines. I change the oil approximately every 100 hours of operation. At this point, I have 1,200 hours on each diesel and so far have only used non-synthetic oil. Is a synthetic or a blend of synthetic and regular oil contraindicated for this aged engine for any
Question: I have a 29 Phoenix with twin, 1984-vintage, 170-hp Yanmar diesels with 1,000 hours on them. While the boat seems to run fine, I have one issue. During operation, the temperature of each engine rises normally at first but then keeps on going, not to the point of setting off alarms, but close. Pegging the engines (i.e., throttling them
Question: My mechanic friends tell me not to let my diesel engine idle for long. They say that it should either be under load or turned off. I hear a lot of diesel engines in trucks idling at truck stops for hours though. Is there a difference in the two types of diesel engines or are my mechanic friends mistaken
Question: I have a 1990 Carver Yacht with two 375-hp Caterpillar 3208 diesels. The starboard engine works fine, but at 2000 rpm the port engine overheats. Once the temperature hits 200F, I slow down to prevent damage and everything returns to normal.
Question: When I took your one-day Introductory Diesel Maintenance Course several years ago, I forgot to ask one question: What is the best way to lay up a fuel tank for seasonal storage? For years now, I’ve been topping off my tanks when fall lay-up comes around in order to reduce the air space above the fuel and thus minimize algae growth. Just
Question: I just did my first oil analysis on my Cummins 6BTA diesel, and the results seem somewhat disconcerting. According to the report, there was aluminum in the oil at 28 ppm (parts per million) and iron at 20 ppm. The oil that was tested had approximately 43 engine hours on it. And since I bought my boat some nine years ago, I have
Question: I have a 1989 Sea Ray with 375-hp Caterpillar 3208 diesels. Last year I overheated one of them and blew a head gasket. Overheating had been a problem for some time prior, incidentally. Anyway, I determined shortly thereafter that the gasket had blown into the cylinder although no cooling fluid had escaped. So I hired a diesel shop to
Question: I have a 4-kW Marine Onan genset with 600 hours on it. If I let it run for a lengthy period it produces so much black smoke that a residue discolors the hull around the exhaust port. A year ago, I cleaned the heat exchanger and installed a new raw-water pump. There are no overheating issues. Do I have an injector or rack problem?—Charlie Carpenter, Morristown, New
Question: I have a pair of Detroit Diesel 6-71 TIBs in my 1990 Ocean 48 Super Sport. I love both the boat and the motors, but the Detroits have always been loud at the exhaust end of things. As I grow older, this noise is starting to bother me, particularly at times when I have to shout to be heard on the flying bridge at cruise speed. Muffler companies tell me that modern
Caring for engines after a not-too-long hiatus.
I left my marina with my seacocks closed…
Should we do end-of-season oil changes or can we stretch the old oil into the next season?
I plan on being away from my boat for two to three months and during that time, I plan on having someone periodically run my diesels dockside…
Question: I have a 1989 38-foot Bayliner with twin 175-hp Hino diesels that have been retrofitted with turbochargers, thus raising each engine to 210 horsepower. As I go from cruise to wide-open throttle (approximately 23 mph at 2800 rpm), turbo exhaust temperatures increase from 700F to 950F on the port engine and 850F on the starboard. When
Question: The boys at the Ko Olina harbor are having a heated discussion concerning motor oil. Since Costco hit town, we’ve all been able to buy Chevron 15W-40 Delo 400 heavy-duty motor oil at ridiculously low prices. But what about the older engines we’ve been using straight 40W Delo 400 and other single-viscosity products in for years? Can we
Question: I own a 1996 43-foot Hatteras with twin six-cylinder Detroit Diesel engines. I change the oil approximately every 100 hours of operation. At this point, I have 1,200 hours on each diesel and so far have only used non-synthetic oil. Is a synthetic or a blend of synthetic and regular oil contraindicated for this aged engine for any
Question: I have a 29 Phoenix with twin, 1984-vintage, 170-hp Yanmar diesels with 1,000 hours on them. While the boat seems to run fine, I have one issue. During operation, the temperature of each engine rises normally at first but then keeps on going, not to the point of setting off alarms, but close. Pegging the engines (i.e., throttling them
Question: My mechanic friends tell me not to let my diesel engine idle for long. They say that it should either be under load or turned off. I hear a lot of diesel engines in trucks idling at truck stops for hours though. Is there a difference in the two types of diesel engines or are my mechanic friends mistaken
Question: I have a 1990 Carver Yacht with two 375-hp Caterpillar 3208 diesels. The starboard engine works fine, but at 2000 rpm the port engine overheats. Once the temperature hits 200F, I slow down to prevent damage and everything returns to normal.
Question: When I took your one-day Introductory Diesel Maintenance Course several years ago, I forgot to ask one question: What is the best way to lay up a fuel tank for seasonal storage? For years now, I’ve been topping off my tanks when fall lay-up comes around in order to reduce the air space above the fuel and thus minimize algae growth. Just
Question: I just did my first oil analysis on my Cummins 6BTA diesel, and the results seem somewhat disconcerting. According to the report, there was aluminum in the oil at 28 ppm (parts per million) and iron at 20 ppm. The oil that was tested had approximately 43 engine hours on it. And since I bought my boat some nine years ago, I have
Question: I have a 1989 Sea Ray with 375-hp Caterpillar 3208 diesels. Last year I overheated one of them and blew a head gasket. Overheating had been a problem for some time prior, incidentally. Anyway, I determined shortly thereafter that the gasket had blown into the cylinder although no cooling fluid had escaped. So I hired a diesel shop to
Question: I have a 4-kW Marine Onan genset with 600 hours on it. If I let it run for a lengthy period it produces so much black smoke that a residue discolors the hull around the exhaust port. A year ago, I cleaned the heat exchanger and installed a new raw-water pump. There are no overheating issues. Do I have an injector or rack problem?—Charlie Carpenter, Morristown, New
Question: I have a pair of Detroit Diesel 6-71 TIBs in my 1990 Ocean 48 Super Sport. I love both the boat and the motors, but the Detroits have always been loud at the exhaust end of things. As I grow older, this noise is starting to bother me, particularly at times when I have to shout to be heard on the flying bridge at cruise speed. Muffler companies tell me that modern
