I'm thinking of buying a Ranger 265, 28 years old with the original engine. Can anyone please advise on the typical life expetancy of the engine, a single cylinder Yanmar diesel, with raw water cooling?
Yanmar engine life
- Thread starter RickK
- Start date
8000-10000 hours for separate engine cooling circuit. For raw water cooling my guess is 50% of that.
Hey,
Is / was the engine in salt water or fresh water? With fresh water I would say a very long time. With salt water, if the engine was given a good fresh water rinse at the end of the season, and was protected with an anode, then also a long time. If it was used in salt water and not maintained so well, then a lot less.
FYI I used to have a boat with a universal diesel engine. Fresh water cooled with heat exchanger. The boat was in salt water since new (1986). When I sold the boat in 2014 the engine had over 4000 hours. It ran great, the heat exchanger was still good. The exhaust elbow had been replaced at least once. The widow of the owner contacted me last year with some questions and she told the engine was still working fine.
Barry
Is / was the engine in salt water or fresh water? With fresh water I would say a very long time. With salt water, if the engine was given a good fresh water rinse at the end of the season, and was protected with an anode, then also a long time. If it was used in salt water and not maintained so well, then a lot less.
FYI I used to have a boat with a universal diesel engine. Fresh water cooled with heat exchanger. The boat was in salt water since new (1986). When I sold the boat in 2014 the engine had over 4000 hours. It ran great, the heat exchanger was still good. The exhaust elbow had been replaced at least once. The widow of the owner contacted me last year with some questions and she told the engine was still working fine.
Barry
I'd say 2800 hours on the engine as a really wild guess. What's the reading on the hour meter ?
Faaaaaaaaaar more important than hours is the care the engine received during its running. If the engine exterior is a mess, that's a pretty good indication that the interior may be in bad shape as well. Does it have new hoses ? Pull a few off and see what's inside.
I think you would be well advised to seek out a "QUALIFIED ENGINE MECHANIC, not some dock rat, and get an assessment from him. Worth a few hundred $$$ but serious engine problems can go through a few thousand $$$ in a heartbeat.
Thanks for the info. It's salt water cooled, no fresh water at all, but I believe it's been maintained well.
For a couple of well-spent dollars, you could have a mechanic check it out. FWIW, I once had an O'Day that was 15 years old at the time and I had it for about five years. The engine was a single Yanmar, raw water cooled. I'm guessing I put about 500 hours on it. Ran like a champ. I suspect the biggest downside would not be the hours but lack of use & maintenance. Have fun!
