Injector Replacement
I was told by a mechanic
yesterday that 550 hours on a Yanmar would be about right for injector
replacement. He observed small (teaspoon
size) amounts of diesel coming out of the exhaust when reved-up
under a load.
Any
opinions on this one?
Gratefully, Rick, Echo #488
Rick,
STOP!! I just talked to one of my diesel mechanics
on this one. First comment was
"someone's looking for a fast buck."
Seldom do you need to REPLACE injectors or the pump. Both can be recalibrated by a fuel systems
service center. This is what I did with
our previous boat when the two cylinder Universal diesel was nine years old and
the engine ran like brand new. Have you
done allot of engine idling? If so, you
could have "wet stacked" the system and all you need to do is go for
a motor boat ride for an hour or so to burn it off. As sailboaters our
biggest engine concern is getting CLEAN fuel.
In this regard the filters (fuel and oil) are the cheapest prevention to
potential engine problems. I change oil every
50 hours period. Keep in mind that you
only use less then 2 qts (Yanmar about 1.6) of oil in
the system. Don't go cheap on the oil
you use. So you pay a $1.00 more per qt.
for Shell Rotunda what's the big deal. A
Yanmar (and the others in 320's) should be good for 4000 hours before they need
any work beyond recalibrating the injectors.
Just watch your oil
consumption and color of your exhaust. If
you use more then a little top off amount in 50 hours then you should talk to a
Qualified mechanic for that brand engine. You want
black exhaust not blue.
Happy motor boating!
Ralph
Wind Dancer #394