brian eiland
Guru
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2013
- Messages
- 930
- Location
- USA & Thailand
- Vessel Name
- RunningTide
- Vessel Make
- 37 Louisiane catamaran
I'm sure this subject has been discussed, but I could not find the specific discussion in my quick search. on another forum I had written back in 2004
Here are a few postings I just ran across on another trawler forum:
brian said:Common-Rail Diesel Engines
On a more practical level I would like to enter a discussion of the newest electronics being adapted to diesel engines. In this great new day of electronics, we are seeing the emergence of the new comman-rail technologies that allow for very precise and powerful fuel injection at just the precise amount needed for any particular engine load condition..... Performance, economy, polution claims, etc, abound.
But whats happens when your out in the middle of the ocean, or in some remote fishing area, and something screws up the electrics!! We all know sea water and electricity do not mix very well. What do we do ??...carry spare computer boxes, and whatever else electronic spares. And how about the diagnostic problems as well as technician. These engines can't be 'jury-rigged' to run without their electronic brains
Here are a few postings I just ran across on another trawler forum:
Based on my experience with a lightning strike, and the work it took to get it all running again, there is no apparent simple solution. For one thing there are several different computers running the engine. ($7,900 worth )
The tech has to order the new computers, and then comes to the boat, install the computers, hook the tech's laptop to the computers and then log into Cummins Headquarters for the programming.
Once the engine is running you may find that you have no controls. So then then shift and throttle control computer has to be replaced and has to be synced with the engine computers.
Did you know that each injector is controlled by its own board?
According to both Cummins and Deere, if you did carry a spare it would most likely get wiped out by the strike. But in any event, unless you have an Internet connection, the new computer probably cannot be programmed on the boat.
And, the number of strikes on boats is so low, that there is not much effort to solve this. As of last February Miami boat show, only two Cummins had been struck. Our strike was apparently the worse of the two strikes and it was quite a lengthy process to get it fixed. It took I think 6 tries, to get it right. The first time the tech logged into the Cummins system the old computers were so fried that they could not even start to fix it.
I hope a solution can be found. I like the engine, but right now advise people to by an older boat without the computer controls.. There are boats at sea all over the world with computer controlled engines, so I guess it is just a numbers game, a roll of the dice.
We learned that even our windshield wipers have control boards in them.
Cheers,
Tom
The subject of ECU's came up in a conversation I had a a while ago talking to a long range trawler owner. The solution they have settled on is to have the ECU and it's supplementary components already programmed and then stored in a faradic cage, along with their backup navigation computers and gps units. Whether this will work if the stuff actually hits the fan only experience will tell. It's one of my major worries. I don't think I'd buy a boat that had a computer controlled engine and I'd want a manual back up for a electronic throttle and gear shift.
On a brighter note, I'm told that tier 2 Lugger engines will run, though not as well, with a broken computer