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Old 03-30-2019, 09:41 AM   #1
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Engine Replacement - Winter Project

Our winter project this year was to install a new engine in our boat, which we have just completed.

The original Ford Lehman had 8000 hours on it, and finally had a failure of the #6 cylinder at the end of our cruising season last year. Interestingly, other than a slick out the exhaust and a tapping sound, it continued to run.

After much back and forth with options, we decided to go ahead with a remanufactured Ford Lehman long block as the best approach. We are very fortunate to have an excellent shop nearby that rebuilds Lehmans regularly, so this was a deciding factor.

I appreciate the folks that post pictures and share information on how they did things so I am posting a link to my blog just in case anyone finds it helpful.

2018/2019 Engine Refit – M/V Waves of Grace

I did all the work myself and the project was a success.
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Old 03-30-2019, 10:07 AM   #2
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Wow, GREAT job and the amount of the process you captured on your blog is incredible. Thank you!
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Old 03-30-2019, 10:24 AM   #3
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I'm happy to answer any questions about the process.
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Old 03-30-2019, 10:45 AM   #4
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Great job and nice to have a capable re-builder nearby. Any chance the failure of #6 was exhaust geometry layout?
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Old 03-30-2019, 11:54 AM   #5
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Read the whole process. The ups and downs and all of the little bits.

Nice job!
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Old 03-30-2019, 12:06 PM   #6
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Great job and nice to have a capable re-builder nearby. Any chance the failure of #6 was exhaust geometry layout?
The guys we used for the reman were great. Nothing leads me to believe it was anything to do with the exhaust geometry.
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Old 03-30-2019, 12:09 PM   #7
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Read the whole process. The ups and downs and all of the little bits.

Nice job!
Thanks. The whole process was varying ratios of emotional, intellectual and physical effort.
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Old 03-30-2019, 03:00 PM   #8
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Great job, nice attention to detail. Thank you for taking time to document the project. Being from Victoria I appreciate the reference to local suppliers in case (but hopefully not) we ever have to undertake a similar project.
Enough work, now go enjoy your boat!
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Old 03-30-2019, 06:50 PM   #9
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The guys we used for the reman were great. Nothing leads me to believe it was anything to do with the exhaust geometry.
Silting in the coolant passages adjacent to no.6 is a possibility. Furthest from the circulation pump. From reading threads here,if there is a piston failure it`s usually no.6.
Did you or the rebuilder see any apparent cause which might assist fellow Lehman users?
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Old 03-30-2019, 07:57 PM   #10
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Very, very nice work. Your engine room looks so nice now.
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Old 04-09-2019, 12:50 PM   #11
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That was a fun read. Thanks so much for documenting everything. I really enjoyed all the clever shade-tree engineering. I do stuff like that all the time and have found that my closest friends have the same can-do/try-anything mentality. It's great to be handy, it's saved me tens of thousands (maybe hundreds?) over the last 35 years. That savings has allowed me to enjoy all kinds of great adventures that I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise.
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Old 05-30-2019, 04:36 PM   #12
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Who did the remanufacturing?

How much for just the remanufacturing?
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Old 07-11-2019, 08:48 AM   #13
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Who did the remanufacturing?

How much for just the remanufacturing?
Industrial Engines in Vancouver, BC. Cost for a long block is around $10,000 Canadian with a $2400 core credit for your old block.
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Old 08-18-2019, 11:10 AM   #14
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We have now completed our 3 week trip to Desolation Sound on the new engine and systems. All went well and we are at 80 hours on the new engine. Some observations:
  • Folks that know our boat tell me that the reman lehman is quieter overall than our old engine. After all my effort on this project, I was having a hard time believing this was the case. It was nice to have this confirmed.
  • The boat runs much smoother now, not all due to the new engine but probably a combination of the new engine, new mounts, rebuilt transmission and the additional pillow block we installed on the prop shaft ahead of the PSS.
  • The engine starts almost instantaneously with very little cranking. Our old engine needed considerably more cranking, especially when cold.
  • I run about 300rpm less for the same cruise speed.
  • Initially I was a little disappointed that the new engine was putting a visible slick out the exhaust. This got slowly better as we ran the engine, and right around the 50 hour mark things seemed to settle in and now we only get a very light slick at cold start.
  • Exhaust smoke is greatly reduced. It is a little heavier when cold, but then it diminishes and is very light through all rpm levels.
  • Our old engine, in our last season with it, used about a liter of oil for every 10 hours of running. Some just oozed out of various areas on the engine, some definitely went out the exhaust. The new engine had an initial oil change at the 15 hour mark, and I have observed little to no oil useage in the 60 odd hours I have run it since.

On our summer cruise this year some friends of ours who are considering moving to a trawler decided to charter a CHB 34 to see if they could make the switch. That trawler of course had a Ford Lehman identical to ours in it. Although our boat is bigger and weighs considerably more, it was a great chance to see the difference. It was night and day. Of course I believe that poor Lehman in the charter boat was not living an easy life.....

We did have some challenges, of course:
  • It is difficult to find marine mechanics that can diagnose and actually repair an engine. I went through two local mechanics before I found one that was able to work with me and didn't immediately want to start "black box" repairs (ie. just start replacing things). My local mechanic, combined with the knowledge and support from Industrial Engines was a great combination. My word of advice for anyone - make sure you educate yourself on the engine installed in your boat so that you can evaluate the advice you are given. Use a combination of information sources, but realize that you will often be given conflicting advice and ultimately it is up to you. The internet can be a valuable source of collected knowledge, but it can also be brutal. If I was looking for more things to keep me up at night, all I have to do is start reading forums!
  • During our initial sea trials we monitored the engine using temperature guns and saw a trend towards excessive heat buildup around the #5 and #6 cylinders. After some analysis it was determined that the water heater loop, which was set up as per "factory", was in fact allowing too much flow to bypass. Apparently our water heater has a much higher flow rate with larger passages and this was the root cause. We bypassed the heater and the problem went away. For this season we used our generator to make hot water, and have a plan to install a heat exchanger to recover heat from the engine oil for next season. This keeps all systems separate.
  • Air leaks in the fuel system dogged us for a while. The symptom we observed was a complete shut down of the engine approximately every 2-3 hours of running. It fired right back up, but it was a bit nerve wracking. The entire fuel system back to the tanks was replaced, with a new distribution manifold and all new fuel filters and valves. It turned out I was focused on the wrong part of the fuel system. The culprit was the fitting on the inlet side of the engine mounted fuel pump - the shoulder of the fitting bottomed out before the flare did. I discovered it by turning on my electric backup/priming pump and leaving the system pressurized over a weekend - visible fuel appeared and I was able to trace it. I managed to find fittings that fit properly, and once done the engine has run flawlessly since then.
  • Our oil pressure sending unit failed and became erratic after about five hours of running on our trip. No problem, I have a mechanical guage in the engine room that confirmed all was ok. I also had a spare sending unit, which I installed at anchor. It too failed after about 5 hours of running, in the same way. I have since ordered a different, more substantial brand of sending unit at the advice of my mechanic. Hopefully it will last longer.

Overall the project was a success and we are very happy with the end results. Industrial Engines in Vancouver gave us exceptional support through this project. Judging by my last trip to their shop, where I observed no less than 5 Lehmans in various states of rebuilding (some from commercial boats, most from pleasure) I would say that there remain a considerable number of Lehmans in service! I am happy that I moved away from my original plan to replace the Lehman with a more modern engine. The effort and expense would have been an order of magnitude higher.
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Old 08-19-2019, 06:14 AM   #15
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Nice write up for a job well done!
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Old 08-19-2019, 09:10 AM   #16
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"Judging by my last trip to their shop, where I observed no less than 5 Lehmans in various states of rebuilding (some from commercial boats, most from pleasure) I would say that there remain a considerable number of Lehmans in service!"

Fantastic good luck (or good hunting) to find a shop very familiar with your engine.

Many shops will say "bring it over" , tho they have never seen an engine like it
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Old 08-19-2019, 10:57 AM   #17
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Years ago I had the same experience at Harbor Marine in Everett Wash.

My response was that they must be a very troublesome engine w so many needing to be rebuilt. But at the time I had no idea how many were out there. But even now there seems to be a healthy business servicing only that brand. Now that they are getting older than old (like me) the need for FL service may start a reversal and actually grow.

Hobbystuff’s story and experience is far from over but I’m fairly sure his experience will continue to be positive. I would have chosen to repower as stated in an earlier post but that would have cost hobbystuff more almost for sure. The economy of my repower was based on the fact that I bought a new engine from a non-pleasurecraft supplier. My Mitsubishi brand engine is seldom seen on pleasurecraft but my service support is better than most marine specific since those that represent Mitsubishi engines had been very successfully servicing the commercial and fishing fleet since the 60’s. And the only difference in the engine itself was the fact that it wasn’t painted in some brand and shinny specific brand color. Most of these “brand” engines had everything in sight painted the bright and shinny color including hoses, fuel lines ect. I think Vetus is an exception to that though and there may be others. My Mitsu was and still is an industrial flat black as a general purpose industrial engine.

There are advantages to a new engine. Mostly technology. Metallurgy and thin-wall castings is probably not all that I received w my Mitsu. And I received one bit of older tech that I considered a must have, that being a pre-combustion chamber and glow plug starting. Not the most high tech engine I could have chosen but I read that they are smoother and quieter than direct injected engines. But not the top dog in fuel economy .. also as I read and hear.

I got lucky on several counts so my service was good and my entry engine price was very low. $5400 as I recall but w all the special things like remote oil filter plumbing, belt drive raw water pump, oil extractor and 135w alternator it came to $7000. This is a tierII engine and over ten yrs ago. This was far far less expensive than all the other engines I was looking at. I recall Westerbeke, Lugger, Yanmar, Volvo, Vetus and there were others.

When I did the re-power buying another Perkins was not an option. And after hearing about another Willard owner that experienced a broken crankshaft running up Chatham Strait in SE Alaska I was glad I bought a new engine. I got lucky especially on purchase and installation costs. And the guy I sold my old Perkins to said his mechanic said it was in good shape. And had we not been moving to Alaska I probably would have kept the Perkins.

Another route for those w the time searching boat yards, CL, mechanics, just being “on the docks” and elsewhere even new engines can be found on the cheap. Things happen. Man dies. Wife needs to sell the new engine he bought ect ect. Sailboat size Yanmars are easy to find and there is the truck sources. But if money isn’t a significant problem rebuilding or buying a shinny new marine engine is the way to go.
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Old 08-20-2019, 06:05 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hobbystuff View Post
We have now completed our 3 week trip to Desolation Sound on the new engine and systems. All went well and we are at 80 hours on the new engine. Some observations:


  • Folks that know our boat tell me that the reman lehman is quieter overall than our old engine. After all my effort on this project, I was having a hard time believing this was the case. It was nice to have this confirmed.
  • The boat runs much smoother now, not all due to the new engine but probably a combination of the new engine, new mounts, rebuilt transmission and the additional pillow block we installed on the prop shaft ahead of the PSS.
  • The engine starts almost instantaneously with very little cranking. Our old engine needed considerably more cranking, especially when cold.
  • I run about 300rpm less for the same cruise speed.
  • Initially I was a little disappointed that the new engine was putting a visible slick out the exhaust. This got slowly better as we ran the engine, and right around the 50 hour mark things seemed to settle in and now we only get a very light slick at cold start.
  • Exhaust smoke is greatly reduced. It is a little heavier when cold, but then it diminishes and is very light through all rpm levels.
  • Our old engine, in our last season with it, used about a liter of oil for every 10 hours of running. Some just oozed out of various areas on the engine, some definitely went out the exhaust. The new engine had an initial oil change at the 15 hour mark, and I have observed little to no oil useage in the 60 odd hours I have run it since.



On our summer cruise this year some friends of ours who are considering moving to a trawler decided to charter a CHB 34 to see if they could make the switch. That trawler of course had a Ford Lehman identical to ours in it. Although our boat is bigger and weighs considerably more, it was a great chance to see the difference. It was night and day. Of course I believe that poor Lehman in the charter boat was not living an easy life.....



We did have some challenges, of course:
  • It is difficult to find marine mechanics that can diagnose and actually repair an engine. I went through two local mechanics before I found one that was able to work with me and didn't immediately want to start "black box" repairs (ie. just start replacing things). My local mechanic, combined with the knowledge and support from Industrial Engines was a great combination. My word of advice for anyone - make sure you educate yourself on the engine installed in your boat so that you can evaluate the advice you are given. Use a combination of information sources, but realize that you will often be given conflicting advice and ultimately it is up to you. The internet can be a valuable source of collected knowledge, but it can also be brutal. If I was looking for more things to keep me up at night, all I have to do is start reading forums!
  • During our initial sea trials we monitored the engine using temperature guns and saw a trend towards excessive heat buildup around the #5 and #6 cylinders. After some analysis it was determined that the water heater loop, which was set up as per "factory", was in fact allowing too much flow to bypass. Apparently our water heater has a much higher flow rate with larger passages and this was the root cause. We bypassed the heater and the problem went away. For this season we used our generator to make hot water, and have a plan to install a heat exchanger to recover heat from the engine oil for next season. This keeps all systems separate.
  • Air leaks in the fuel system dogged us for a while. The symptom we observed was a complete shut down of the engine approximately every 2-3 hours of running. It fired right back up, but it was a bit nerve wracking. The entire fuel system back to the tanks was replaced, with a new distribution manifold and all new fuel filters and valves. It turned out I was focused on the wrong part of the fuel system. The culprit was the fitting on the inlet side of the engine mounted fuel pump - the shoulder of the fitting bottomed out before the flare did. I discovered it by turning on my electric backup/priming pump and leaving the system pressurized over a weekend - visible fuel appeared and I was able to trace it. I managed to find fittings that fit properly, and once done the engine has run flawlessly since then.
  • Our oil pressure sending unit failed and became erratic after about five hours of running on our trip. No problem, I have a mechanical guage in the engine room that confirmed all was ok. I also had a spare sending unit, which I installed at anchor. It too failed after about 5 hours of running, in the same way. I have since ordered a different, more substantial brand of sending unit at the advice of my mechanic. Hopefully it will last longer.



Overall the project was a success and we are very happy with the end results. Industrial Engines in Vancouver gave us exceptional support through this project. Judging by my last trip to their shop, where I observed no less than 5 Lehmans in various states of rebuilding (some from commercial boats, most from pleasure) I would say that there remain a considerable number of Lehmans in service! I am happy that I moved away from my original plan to replace the Lehman with a more modern engine. The effort and expense would have been an order of magnitude higher.


Nice job Ryan.
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Old 04-12-2020, 06:47 PM   #19
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Well, after putting the boat away for the winter we took the winter cover off today and managed to have a quick run. Lots of winter projects that I am just finishing up. I bought myself a CNC machine just before Christmas and have been making parts almost non-stop since then.

The engine continues to run flawlessly. We have just over 96 hours on it at the moment, and it runs fantastic. Hoping we can put a few hours on it this year, mindful of the current world condition. I am glad I went with the rebuild, it is a simple engine with good parts availability. I know how to work on it and take care of it, so I'm pretty happy.
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Old 04-12-2020, 07:21 PM   #20
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Glad to hear that it is going well so far. Good luck with the new engine.
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