Perkins 6-354

[jbowlby]

Still boat shopping..........

Any concerns with Perkins 6-354's with 5,000 hours?
Parts availability etc...

Everything on the boat seems to be very well maintained and engines do not appear to have been repainted.
My next level of inquiry will of course be service & PM records.

 

[High Wire]

Mine has ~5600 hours. I had an overheat event past December due to lost coolant from a turbo adapter flange leak. Pulled the cyl head, a couple new valves, new valve seals and put in a new tube bundle. Ready for another 35 years hopefully. Parts are still available through TAD and others though they sometimes take a while to get. Especially dealing with covid.

 

[STB]

I'm on my second boat with the 6.354s. They are a nice, simple, robust power plant. As for parts availability, they are up there with Lehmans and Cat 3208s, maybe a hair harder than Detroits. I've always been able to get any part I need.

Id be surprised if 40 year old engines haven't been repainted, though. I hit mine with a quick spray anytime I turn a wrench to keep the rust away. I suspect they'd look the part if they'd never seen paint.

 

[kapnd]

I’ve had a couple of 6-354s in past vessels, and my experiences were pretty miserable.
Cooling systems were poorly engineered, mixing metals randomly with predictable results when stewed in seawater for a few years.
The exhaust manifolds were cast iron, and raw water cooled, they fouled with rust scale and eventually cracked, same with turbo and exhaust elbow.
The raw water pump was barely adequate, and Rube Goldberg himself must have designed its drive system!
The belt wore horribly, kept the engine room black, and having no air cleaner, fed the motor with a diet of rubber.
I could go on and on, but should mention that the Perkins never left me stranded at sea, I was always able to limp home with some bailing wire and duct tape saving the day!

 

[Dwk]

During our sea trial the Perkins 6.354 blew heavy black smoke at WOT. We negotiated rebuilding the injector pump and injectors. After completion of those tasks we have a smooth running ,quick starting reliable engine without issues in 7 years. I wouldn't hesitate owning another Perkins except the engines fitted with the multicooler.

 

[kidwell4life]

I have many commercial fisherman friends that get 30,000 hours on this motor but these are daily drivers so I don't know how sitting and not running much effects them!

 

[Lepke]

Perkins 6-354, never owned one, but rebuilt a few for friends. Rebuild parts should be available for a long time.

I usually get any Perkins parts from https://www.parts4engines.com/
They're in the UK, but shipping hasn't been prohibitive. They will have parts on hand that others have to order. Sometimes their pricing is cheaper than US dealers.

 

[gunho1]

Marine Exhaust Systems of Alabama saved me thousands of dollars when I had 6.354s

Marine Exhaust Systems of Alabama, Inc.