Engine Hours

[Scotty Mac]

I read the thread "Why The Change" with interest the other day and one big item jumped out at me. Someone indicated that the Volvo diesels had about a 3000 hr life expectancy. So that got me curious, how many hours do some of us Tugnuts have on there current or past boats? Not as a competition or bragging rights but as a question of longevity. Looking only a engine trouble not the thousand of other issue on a boat that come up.

Me - 2014 R-31cb - 570 hours - Only engine issues have been cleaning of heat exchangers
2014 R25 SC - 275 hours - Only engine issue has been soleniod connections on reversing gear.

 

[Favunclerich]

2008 R-25 with Yanmar 110 HP
2400 hours

I've had no significant issues outside routine maintenance. I did find two loose engine mount nuts, but periodic checking of fasteners is listed in the Yanmar manual as a maintenance item.

I replaced the turbo oil drain pipe as a preventative measure based on a corrosion issue identified on Tugnuts.

I'm watching the engine mounts closely as they are somewhat corroded.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

2012 cutwater with 500 hours. (volvo)

no issues

 

[Newf]

2014 R21EC Volvo Penta Engine.
Currently 1500 hrs.

Had issue with heat exchanger where salt water got past the o-ring in the end cap and corroded the face of the exchanger. Had to repair corroded area to allow for a good seal for the inside o-ring. Reported this in a previous thread with photos in the album.
(Note: I read on other boat forums where this issue had occurred at 350-400hrs but mine was at 1400 hrs when I discovered it. If I had not found it when I did I would have had to replace the exchanger casting.)

No other engine issues at this point.

 

[Brian B]

2010 Yanmar 4BY2 150 HP. 1005 hours, there were 3 service bulletins in the earlier days that Yanmar took care of at no cost to me. Give it clean fuel, air, and oil and she is very happy.
I was told that the life expectancy of a Yanmar should be around 10,000 hours.
Hard to believe a Volvo diesel life is only 3,000 hours, someone needs to clarify that.
Found this on a marine surveyors site: “Yanmar dealer PacWest Marine (San Diego) and distributor Boatswain’s Locker (Costa Mesa) mentioned 10,000 operating hours as a target for Yanmar engines and they report knowledge of a Japanese government boat with over 40,000 hours on its Yanmar engine.”

 

[knotflying]

Life expectancy of 3,000 hours for a diesel seems low.

"The Life Expectancy of the Marine Engine. - The average marine gasoline engine runs for 1,500 hours before needing a major overhaul. The average marine diesel engine will run for more than three times that long and log an average 5,000 hours under the same conditions."

 

[Stevan47]

Guys: my 2010 R21-EC with the 3YM30 has only 220 hours on the clock: hardly 'run in' yet, really. I have had no trouble to date. One thing though: I always put in some anti - cladisporum additive every time I refuel; I always flush the entire colling system with fresh water after every trip and I always do oil changes at the recommended times. Other than that, all good. Regards to all.

 

[Shano]

Good Topic
Our last two boats had Volvo diesels, the Seasport had twin KAD's which had approx 700 hours when we sold her and the Skagit Orca had 400 hours on its single D4 when we sold her. I think in general when the commercial guys have a diesel boat they are expecting 10,000+ hours before rebuild. They operate every day and have regular maintenance and they put the hours on the engines much more quickly than us Rec boaters. Most Rec boaters are lucky to get more than 300 hours per year on their boat up here in the PNW. Maybe the Florida or California boaters get more because of the much better weather. On a good year for us we will put on 150 to 200 hours on the main and then maybe 500 to 600 on the kicker fishing. From my conversations with diesel mechanics they have told me that if you put on the hours faster then you will get more hours from your diesel. If you were to put on 100 hours per year then obviously it is pretty difficult to get to 10,000 hours! Several of my friends with older boats, who tend to cruise at 9 to 10 knots, have diesels with more than 3000 hours on them and no major issues. One mechanic told me that Volvo diesels are "Continuously Rated" so in a generator or similar situation they will put out more than 10,000 hours before you have to re-sleeve them and then you can expect another 10,000 hours on the block. So the long and short of it is that there is a good chance that our well-maintained diesel engines will out-live us and still be chugging away! Some of the components (turbos, super chargers etc) I am told do not necessarily have the same life expectancy as the engine block itself -- fortunately I have not had to replace any of these expensive parts. My friends have Yanmars, Cats, Cummins and they expect to get 1000's of hours from their engines also. Good Luck and hopefully we all get to put 1000's of hours on our boats!

 

[BB marine]

There is no real true replacement time given to any engine. All engines are not run equal. As in the D3 there are several blogs mostly European ( I assume because the use of smaller diesels is popular) that state that Volvo rated this engine to have a average life expectancy of 3000 hours based on cycles or revolutions the engine makes using 300hr of wide-open throttle and approximately 2500hrs @ 20% to 85% of WOT rpm and the rest below 20%. ( this was a statement by a Volvo engine engineer and the subject was chipping a D3 for better performance and economy )Take it for what its worth but it does make sense. Many people base that diesel engines are good for 5000 to 10000 hrs. Many are ! Example a 80hp Leman has approximately 250 cu inch displacement giving roughly a 1/3 hp for cubic in. with a WOT of 2100 to 2300rpm. A 8.3 L cummins 504 cu inch 450 hp 2600rpm WOT gives less then 1 hp for cubic inch . D3 220hp or 200hp 146 cu inch 1.25 hp per cu inch at 4000rpm . Each engine have duty ratings. The Volvo engines we are using are rated at light duty, high RPM they are not continuous operation commercial engines. If you read blogs most commercial fisherman like them for performance dislike them for longevity. For us Ranger/Cutwater owners 3000 hrs is a lot of use. If I get 3000 hrs of use out of our boat and have to replace the engine I will feel like I got my moneys worth. I talked to a Looper last fall that had a 1982 32'Grand Banks 80 hp leman with 2800 hours on it and going strong. That is a 36 year old boat that has a cruise rpm of 1800rpm. My cruise rpm is 3200 to 3400 almost twice as many revolutions should I expect the same longevity as him ?

 

[NewMoon]

FWIW,

My 26-footer's Volvo KAD44P (3.6 liters, 260hp, turbo, supercharger, 24 valves, electronic controls, 3800-3900 RPM at WOT) was 20 years old when I sold it last month. We put 6,502 hours on the engine.

I'd think the D4 is more robust than my older generation 44 - the D4 is heavier, and RPM's a little lower. If the engine is set up correctly, propped to be able to reach its max rated RPM with a full load, cruised at reasonable RPM (10-20% below max or less), and maintained properly, there's no reason it should not last at least 5,000 hours - probably longer.

Don't know about D3.