Cat 3208

I am looking at a boat with twin Cat 3208's. One has a hole in the oil pan and will need to be replaced. The broker told me that that was common on the Cat engines. Sounds fishy to me. Has anyone had trouble with the oil pan developing a leak on the 3208? If so, what caused it and how hard and costly was it to replace? Thanks.

eggowner said:

I am looking at a boat with twin Cat 3208's. One has a hole in the oil pan and will need to be replaced. The broker told me that that was common on the Cat engines. Sounds fishy to me. Has anyone had trouble with the oil pan developing a leak on the 3208? If so, what caused it and how hard and costly was it to replace? Thanks.

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I have a 1978 model 3208 that has not developed a leak in the oil pan. In fact the engine does not leak oil. Sounds to me like something happened to that engine. This engine is my only experience with the 3208, but it continues to give good service.

is it a rust hole or a hole from something like a connecting rod??

Haven't seen the boat, but guess it's rust as the engine will run according to the broker.

Hey there - we're running a 1793 3208/210 natural - original with 4500 hrs. It is a tank that when treated well continues to deliver, and deliver..... Never had a problem with the pan. Was it submerged?

I have 3208's as well and could not be happier. If you are really interested in the boat, I would add wording in the contract that says the existing owner would pay for this repair. In addition to the marine survey, I would get an engine survey too. It rally adds peace of mind to a really expensive purchase and the surveyors will always see things you won't. The Cat marine service in Maryland spent a full day with us and charged $700.00 per engine. I was told that if they are well cared for can get up to 20,000hrs of life. You can also get parts for them quickly anywhere in the world.

The Cat guy I do surveys with says corroded oil pans are not uncommon. Like most other things aboard it just depends on whether someone was taking care of them or not or even knew they had a corrosion problem (out of sight out of mind).

I've heard of them rusting through. Usually a result of gallons of bilge water sloshing around and the owner oblivious to the damage the water causes. A lot of the pans were not that robust. Fine if bilge water was controlled.

Can't advise about cost but a call to Cat with the engine serial number should get a part cost.
The big expense will be the labour and a lot depends upon the boat, good or bad access. I don't believe any one on a forum can tell you because the boat will need to be seen unless someone has the exact same boat and problem has been dealt with.

The engine may have to be lifted to gain enough room. How much room is there? Some boats will have to suffer butchery to get the room.

Keep in mind the other engine's pan may not be far behind.

Personally there are other boats out there unless the boat otherwise is a darling and the owner is willing to bargain. Or the owner can pay to get the work done.

Normal...had a sportfish with 2-3208s...first big diesels so I researched the heck out of them...became friends with one of the local Cat mechs.

I think this is the boat my family used to own 15 years ago and I have been searching for her, 1974 egg harbor 33 "whales tale" I know the new owner re powerd her, please e mail or call me as I have been searching for years anxious to find pictures and to follow her progress. i have a lot of attachment to this vessel
thanks
Justin Barnett 850-766-0020 jbarnett@generalrv.com

I have twin 3208 turbo 1990 vintage and both the oil pans are severely rusted. On the port side it was because of a long neglected leak spraying from the raw water pump seal before I bought it. The starboard has had no leaks but is also rusted and likely due to neglect also. In my case the engines will have to be lifted to replace the pans due to clearance. In light of this my plan is to clean them up well, treat the rust & then coat with epoxy.

eggowner said:

I am looking at a boat with twin Cat 3208's. One has a hole in the oil pan and will need to be replaced. The broker told me that that was common on the Cat engines. Sounds fishy to me. Has anyone had trouble with the oil pan developing a leak on the 3208? If so, what caused it and how hard and costly was it to replace? Thanks.

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I’ve got a 3208 in a 32 ft Randell it developed a leak ended up being a rust pinhole in the bottom of the sump.it has a plug in the very bottom and it has a square press mark around the plug pin hole was in one of the corners.had to pull engine out replace the sump.

I have 3208t motors. 1987. I had an unseen leak in a waterpump hose. I did develop a leak in the pan. . The oil pan cost app $800 from cat. I was told by one dealer it would be a 90 day wait. The dealer in Fort Lauderdale checked and said he could have one in a week as they were just finishing a production run on these parts. I was able to replace the pan by jacking up the front of the motor. The biggest obstacle was removing the rusted bolt heads

Yes bolt heads were a mission had to hammer smaller socket onto them and heat a couple with oxy torch,also dip stick tube broke of at the sump.

3208 yes oil pans can rust, still good reliable motors. However, one of ours did develop a leak in the oil pan at one of the oil drain wields, repaired with JB wield 8 years ago and no leaks since.

Capt Kangeroo said:

I have twin 3208 turbo 1990 vintage and both the oil pans are severely rusted. On the port side it was because of a long neglected leak spraying from the raw water pump seal before I bought it. The starboard has had no leaks but is also rusted and likely due to neglect also. In my case the engines will have to be lifted to replace the pans due to clearance. In light of this my plan is to clean them up well, treat the rust & then coat with epoxy.

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I was planning to paint my oil pans as well. No rust, but I have large sections of the paint that has become detached (in large sheets). I'm guessing this is from the expansion/contraction due to heat. Have you researched the epoxy paint? I'm wondering if epoxy is to hard and would crack with all the expanding/contracting. I know there are paints made for engines, but I would prefer an epoxy paint if it will work. Thanks.

It is not uncommon for Cat 3208 pans to get rust holes. It is not unusual for those hole to be above the natural oil level. When this happens the pans hardly leak any oil. On survey we found a hole in the oil pan that was not leaking. We added it to the list of fixes that were required to close the deal.

As to how hard it is to change an oil pan is directly related to weather the engine must be lifted or not to get the pan out. On my boat the pan just slides right out so it was a 1 hour job to R&R the oil pan.

I had a DeFever with 3208's and they were great engines. Never had a oil pan leak however. Be sure the engine can be run so you can get it properly surveyed by a certified Cat mechanic. Also, you may not know this but the 3208 is not a "sleeved" engine so if the motors ever needed to be overhauled it becomes a bigger issue.

You can buy an aluminium sump for them be a better option for marine engines