Marine Diesel Engine Servicing

The marine diesel engine that powers your boat is a reasonably basic piece of kit. Compared with the gasoline engine powering your vehicle, diesel engines are straightforward, and routine maintenance will ensure years of reliable service. This article distils the wisdom of the specialists down to some fundamentals for you, the owner of a diesel-powered boat, to keep in mind.

Change the Gear Oil and Oil filters

Filters are important to keep water and foreign particles from your engine. Most marine systems have two fuel filters: the main filter positioned in the fuel lines between the tank and engine, and a secondary filter in between the fuel lift pump and the injection pump.

Take care to follow your engines maker's instructions to comply with the service interval supplied. The majority of engine oils may need to be replaced as often as annually depending on the nature of oil used in the engine system. Some marine gear systems might not have oil filters. For this case, they may have a cleanable screen aspect that must be cleaned at the time of oil changes.

Primary Filter: The main filter found on a lot of small boat installations comprises a filter component with a glass or metal bowl below to catch water and heavy sediment. These are held together with a long bolt going through the centre of the whole system.You should frequently inspect throughout the season for water collected. It will be plainly visible at the bottom of a glass bowl; metal bowls will require periodic draining to inspect.

Secondary filter: The secondary filter is usually one of two types: a spin-on filter much like vehicle oil filters, or a type much like the main filter explained in the previous area, without the separator bowl.

Oil Changes

Manufacturer's recommendations for oil change intervals differ, but for the majority of boat engines, a yearly oil change is appropriate. It's good practice to carrying this out at the end of the season, as engine and transmission oils include additives which help resist corrosion. The old engine oil may be polluted with sulphur from diesel combustion, forming sulphuric acid which can accelerate deterioration through the cold weather.

Air Filters

Some components like paper components cannot be cleaned up. For that reason, they ought to be changed at the manufacturer's suggested interval. Cleanable air filters ought to be cleaned up and oiled before replacing them.

Raw Water Circuit

The majority of modern-day diesel marine engines are cooled through raw water or salt water circuit. The salt water takes the heat far from the coolant that is distributing in a closed circuit. The heat transfer takes place in the aptly named heat exchanger.

Now, the sea water is pumped up by the sea water pump, which includes the impeller. This is a particular kind of paddlewheel that draws the seawater in and pumps it further. This impeller has to be checked from time to time. Its function is no easy task. It makes sure that the engine is cooled, without (a correct) cooling, the engine could be damaged.

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