2850 hours on a Westerbeke 42 hp Diesel Engine. How much more can I expect out of this engine. It seems like a lot of hours for a boat that is 12 years old. Any thoughts?
What's the life of a Westerbeke 42?
- Thread starter mrpeterman
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Neglect it and
figure it's done.
Take care of it an it'll last longer than you will.
A friend with an M25XP got over 5,000 hours on his.
We have 2300 hours on our 1986 M25 and it's doin' just fine.
Oil changes, transmission fluid changes and fuel oil changes; check the raw water pump for signs of seals leaks, and don't overload the freshwater pump with too much alternator belt tension, clean air filter, all the usual suspects.
2850/12 = 237 hours per year. So? It's been run, that's good for it!
figure it's done.
Take care of it an it'll last longer than you will.
A friend with an M25XP got over 5,000 hours on his.
We have 2300 hours on our 1986 M25 and it's doin' just fine.
Oil changes, transmission fluid changes and fuel oil changes; check the raw water pump for signs of seals leaks, and don't overload the freshwater pump with too much alternator belt tension, clean air filter, all the usual suspects.
2850/12 = 237 hours per year. So? It's been run, that's good for it!
An Anology
Your car engine operates at around 30 MPH average. that is a mile every 2 minutes on average. At 100,000 miles you would have been running it 200,000 minutes or 3334 hours.
You usually run a marine engine at a higher power setting than a car as there is no traffic to slow down for or stop lights. So it is probably more like operating a car at 45-50 MPH. That would make 100,000 miles between 2222 and 2000 hours.
I routinely take gas engines to 250000 miles. Diesels are more long lived if you take care of them so I'd say you are around 1/3 to 1/2 way through its life.
FWIW
Your car engine operates at around 30 MPH average. that is a mile every 2 minutes on average. At 100,000 miles you would have been running it 200,000 minutes or 3334 hours.
You usually run a marine engine at a higher power setting than a car as there is no traffic to slow down for or stop lights. So it is probably more like operating a car at 45-50 MPH. That would make 100,000 miles between 2222 and 2000 hours.
I routinely take gas engines to 250000 miles. Diesels are more long lived if you take care of them so I'd say you are around 1/3 to 1/2 way through its life.
FWIW
IMO, nicely broken in
I concur with the previous posts. As long as you take care of it intelligently, there are more hours left on this engine than you will probably ever use.
BTW, I can't help observing that with 237 hours per year on this baby, your sails must be in pristine condition! :dance:
AND, at this rate your sails will probably outlast the engine.......
I'm just goofin' with you... I roll on about 125 hours each year myself unless I cruise to Maine for a month and then it's more like 225.
I concur with the previous posts. As long as you take care of it intelligently, there are more hours left on this engine than you will probably ever use.
BTW, I can't help observing that with 237 hours per year on this baby, your sails must be in pristine condition! :dance:
AND, at this rate your sails will probably outlast the engine.......
I'm just goofin' with you... I roll on about 125 hours each year myself unless I cruise to Maine for a month and then it's more like 225.
Most diesel trucks drive well over 250,000 miles with no issues at all. That means that the engine is lasting well over 6,000 hours on the engine. Diesels are great beasts of burden because they love to work and they tend to be basic. A diesel that is run is much happier than a diesel that sits.
lifespan of a diesel
I have a honda eu2000i generator with 3700 hours, no sign of wear
My dodge 3500 ram diesel has 355,000 yea its not a typo no sign of problems
I have put a million miles on many big trucks with a lot left in them.
with proper maintenance it could last your lifetime
I have a honda eu2000i generator with 3700 hours, no sign of wear
My dodge 3500 ram diesel has 355,000 yea its not a typo no sign of problems
I have put a million miles on many big trucks with a lot left in them.
with proper maintenance it could last your lifetime
And I also agree on the long lifetime of a diesel as long as it was made as a diesel and Westerbeke fits the bill. Take care of it and use it, it's got lots of life in it.
Joe S
Joe S
I have just over 5,000 hours on my 18 year old Yanmar 62 HP 4JH2-TE. I do all the regular maintenance, plus oil changes a bit sooner than required, and no significant repairs as yet. Compression is still good, and everthing seems to be fine. I'll just keep running it until something indicates otherwise, but I hope to get another 5,000 hours out of it before rebuilding.
Never heard of that happening. its on the discharge side of the filter but it would certainly put all of the oil in the bilge in a few minutes.
If you take the old filter off and the old gasket sticks to the engine and you put a new one on, "double gasketing" it is quite possible. My investor has bought more than a handfull of engines over the years from his car techs being lazy and not checking to see if the gasket came off.
So, if I want to ruin my arch enemys engine, i should sneak under it in the middle of the night, take his oil filter off, put a second gasket on, and crank the filter back on?
This sounds like the next "sugar in the gas tank" !
This sounds like the next "sugar in the gas tank" !
amen to proper care and maintenance---my westerfreeek with only 100 hours or less since rebuild--shady rebuild--died when previous owner didnt add oil or check it and ran aground then muscled formosa off a 3 ft shoal....made a big hole in block--THAT is when to change engines---my yanmar in my ericson is dunno how old but on purchase i had a 600 hr overhaul done--she has less than 100 hours on and is awesome--diesels last forever if well cared for----i have heard of engines with over 4000 hours in good shape---and those with less than 100 hours blown to bits....be careful and forever is a goood number of hours or years for your engine------
Given sensible maintenance practices and proper installation - ie alignment, air intake and exhaust flows, correctly sized propeller and good quality fuel supply, the pedigree of the engine could be a significant factor. Most of the modern light marine diesels were developed from engines designed for other applications such as automotive, industrial, agricultural and so on. Automotive diesels are subject to widely fluctuating loads and only spend relatively short spells at or near full power. OTOH marine diesels are subject to unremitting load. Engine manufacturers are aware of the low utilisation of pleasure boat marine diesels and also the requirement for better power to weight ratios. It is therefore not uncommon for a manufacturer to select an industrial engine, open up the fuel rack or fit larger injectors and hey presto your old industrial 10hp engine now has a pleasure boat rating of 15hp or something along those lines. Of course the engine will not last as long but at 150 hrs a year it will be quite a few years before any problems are apparent. I well remember a few years ago there was a v8 diesel sterndrive unit our company imported, the engine originally being a truck engine. Perhaps unwisley our company sold these into some commercial applications ,(small fast ferries) and they blew up with monotonous regularity. The marinising company eventually improved the product to where it would run for 500 hours at full load before blowing up and they announced that this would be the pleasure boat rating! As I recall the light commercial rating was about 30% less, and the engine was considered unsuitable for any heavier application such as driving a displacement hull.
Ther are also some engines such as Lombardini Marine, whose marine ratings are the same as the industrial version (i.e not souped up) and these engines are good for 5000 hours (cam belt at 2500) before the maintenance schedule calls for an overhaul. At pleasure boat usage rates 5000 hours represents a lot of years and there would be a good chance that corrosion would do for the engine long before mechanical wear.
Ther are also some engines such as Lombardini Marine, whose marine ratings are the same as the industrial version (i.e not souped up) and these engines are good for 5000 hours (cam belt at 2500) before the maintenance schedule calls for an overhaul. At pleasure boat usage rates 5000 hours represents a lot of years and there would be a good chance that corrosion would do for the engine long before mechanical wear.
IMHP
Sailboat diesels dont live all that long on most boats due there LOW use by the vast amount of owners
Sure they would run 10,000 hours if you did it like and OTR truck BUT running 15 minutes here and there does not lead to long diesel life
Sailboat diesels dont live all that long on most boats due there LOW use by the vast amount of owners
Sure they would run 10,000 hours if you did it like and OTR truck BUT running 15 minutes here and there does not lead to long diesel life
this is improper use of a diesel engine and does contribute to the demise in its youth
Any engine gas or diesel will suffer from short run use. The fifteen year old sedan with 10,000 miles on ,owned by a little old lady who only drove it to her church and for groceries once a week may not be a great bargain.
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