Why Paint?

[danderer]

Why do engine and generator manufacturers insist on slobbering paint on a perfectly good new engine?

Paint that covers the hoses (and flakes off), covers all the wiring (making it impossible to trace by color), covers all bolt heads (flaking the first time you put a wrench on them), fills in Allen screws (argh!), fills in any engraving (like the P/N on the Sherwood raw water pump)....

Do people think this makes the engine look "pretty"?

 

[Nomad Willy]

My engine was not painted by the marineizer. It still has the flat black paint that Mitsubishi put on where the engine was actually made.

Glossy light/loud color engines are made for the pleasureboat market. My engine cost much less but it looked kinda like it had been in the boat for several years when I first saw it. I was in Alaska while it was being installed. As far as I know though there is no advantage to the glossy paint .. but it's pretty.

 

[Nightsky]

Engines painted a light color show oil or coolant leaks more readily.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. d. Initially I agreed with you but after a bit of thought...Paint minimizes/eliminates rust. A light colored paint allows identification of a leak almost immediately and yes, it IS purty. As to the negatives: easily chips, fills in and over screw heads/ser. #'s, information plates and electrical color coding, I agree. As to why paint everything AFTER assembly? It's the easiest and cheapest.

 

[gaston]

Another reason to LOVE Gardner

 

[HopCar]

RTF, is correct. The engine needs to be painted to prevent rust. They spray the whole engine because it's cheaper that painting the individual parts before assembly.

I wouldn't mind a bit if they spent some time masking things that don't need to be painted before they spray it.

 

[markpierce]

Gee, aren't engines painted at the point of manufacturing rather than at installation? Absolutely no paint on hoses on my engine. Likely post-installation touch-up overspray to cover up rust stains?

 

[Moonfish]

For the same reason they paint/wax food. Makes it more appealing... Well, at least vegetables can't rust.

 

[HopCar]

Mark, a lot of them come from the factory with paint on hoses and wiring. My Cummins did.
Other manufacturers may be more careful. Cummins may do better now. My engine is almost thirty years old.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
"Well, at least vegetables can't rust." https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/PD-94.pdf

 

[Nomad Willy]

The OEM paint on my engine shows no rust but I have'nt gone looking for rust. It just makes them more attractive. But they do'nt ask you if you'd like it. I think Klassen asked me if I wanted it painted but not sure. They probably gave me an unpleasant price. My little engine was only about $6K.

Most here are attracted to the big names so I'm not supprised most like the pretty paint.

 

[dhays]

Mark, a lot of them come from the factory with paint on hoses and wiring. My Cummins did.
Other manufacturers may be more careful. Cummins may do better now. My engine is almost thirty years old.

My Cummins built in in 2009 has factory paint on wiring and hoses.

 

[markpierce]

My Cummins built in in 2009 has factory paint on wiring and hoses.

Well, lucky me!

 

[Ski in NC]

People in the buying mood respond to shiny objects.

 

[Moonfish]

greetings,
"well, at least vegetables can't rust." https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/pd-94.pdf

o. M. G!

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. Mf. Hahahaha...Gotcha!

 

[FlyWright]

I think Perkins picked a dark shade of blue to hide their inevitable oil leaks. I'm a bit surprised they didn't pick black.

I have to position white oil diapers under the engines in the drip pans to let me know where she's leaking. I'm thinking of wrapping both engines entirely in oil diapers.

 

[markpierce]

I think Perkins picked a dark shade of blue to hide their inevitable oil leaks. I'm a bit surprised they didn't pick black.

I have to position white oil diapers under the engines in the drip pans to let me know where she's leaking. I'm thinking of wrapping both engines entirely in oil diapers.

Have corrected small oil and water leaks over the years. No trouble now (knock on head). White-painted engine helped solved the issues.

 

[Al]

Bright paint on my Perkins 4-236 decreased my fuel consumption by 1/2 and then I over wheeled the prop and that took the fuel consumption down another 1/2. Finally I switched from a plow anchor to a Danforth design and the fuel consumption decreased yet another 1/3. Design engineering shows that if I were to slant the pilot house window forward, yet still and again, 1/3 decrease in fuel consumption. This leaves the final switching to LED lights where there is anticipated a huge drop in fuel consumption.
It is all good!!

Al-Ketchikan

 

[Al]

I think Perkins picked a dark shade of blue to hide their inevitable oil leaks. I'm a bit surprised they didn't pick black.

I have to position white oil diapers under the engines in the drip pans to let me know where she's leaking. I'm thinking of wrapping both engines entirely in oil diapers.

Hi Al- Yep, when I had the 4-154 engine and had changed the rear main seal out twice, and it still leaked, I had a 'Bread Pan" constructed out of marine aluminum. 6" wide on the bottom, tapered 8" on top, 3" high and 24" long. placed it under the pan/gear and changed the diaper about every 8-10 hours at the end of time when I changed out to the current 4-236. No leaks, one very tiny weep on the cover of the water pump on the forward front of the engine that a facial tissue and one wipe takes care after 10-12 hours of steady run.
Damn that 4-154 was one miserable frustration as a leaker. They tell me and history has proved, it is a common ill of the 4-107/108/ and the 154. Pure pain in the arrse it was!

Still have the pan under the 236 and the diaper placed there during the switch out of engines is still there and as white as a sheet should be!!

Al-Ketchikan

 

[Bruce B]

Interestingly enough, the Cummins 6.7 installed on our soon to be completed American Tug is white from the Cummins factory, the Cummins 6.7 installed in my Ram pickup is painted a dark color on the block only. No paint on the cylinder head at all!
Maybe Ram wouldn't pay for the paint?
I so want to disassemble enough to paint it but so far I've resisted...
I must be getting old.
Bruce

 

[rwidman]

Why do engine and generator manufacturers insist on slobbering paint on a perfectly good new engine? ..........................

My engine is painted neatly, no "slobbering"

Do people think this makes the engine look "pretty"?

Probably not "pretty" but it looks neat and clean.

Engines are painted to protect the metal from moisture. Unpainted cast iron rusts pretty quickly and the engine could begin to rust between the time it is manufactured and the time the boat is being shown for sale. Would you buy a new boat with a rusted engine?

Painting the engine also makes it easier to spot leaks (unless it's painted black).

 

[FF]

The most common reason for repainting new engines is to make them look like the sellers other offerings.

Think Westerbeke they make nothing but sell a complete line of engines and noisemakers.