Cost to overhaul Ford Lehman 120 HP?

[nmt]

I saw a trawler for sale with a Lehman with 12k hours on it. Assuming I’d definitely need a rebuild? Or can do you think you could get more hours out of it?

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. The Lehman can go almost forever. Bob Smith told the commercial fishermen on the Chesapeake would bring them in ar 20K hours for a preventative rebuild. But fishermen take good care of their engines. It all depends on how it was taken care of. But with those hours it must have been taken care of fairly well.

 

[nmt]

That’s very helpful, thank you!

 

[rgano]

I saw a trawler for sale with a Lehman with 12k hours on it. Assuming I’d definitely need a rebuild? Or can do you think you could get more hours out of it?

I would think that if the engine had enjoyed normal care, there would be many more hours available, BUT with that many hours on it, I would get a compression test. I had to get one of my two FL 120s rebuilt because of saltwater seepage into the number six cylinder from a faulty design in the muffler system. The engine was pulled and re-bored and filled with new, slightly over-sized pistons and ran fine for another 28 years before I sold the boat - after I redesigned the muffler system.

 

[Irish Rambler]

Those hours are nothing to worry about as long as it was serviced regularly.
A couple of points for any Lehman/Ford engine owners to watch out for, if the engine appears to be making oil, (i.e. rising on the dipstick), which is an impossibility, it can be one of 2 things, the diaphragm on the lift pump needs replacing or, a its leak in the run off pipe between the injectors (sometimes the brazing on the pipe cracks).
ALWAYS keep anti freeze in your engine, even in the tropics, anti-freeze contains lubricants for your water pump and anti coagulants to keep you internal water cooling galleries free, it also stops the liner seals from hardening.
Don't forget to service your gearbox when you service the engine ! or $$$$$

 

[rgano]

Those hours are nothing to worry about as long as it was serviced regularly.
A couple of points for any Lehman/Ford engine owners to watch out for, if the engine appears to be making oil, (i.e. rising on the dipstick), which is an impossibility, it can be one of 2 things, the diaphragm on the lift pump needs replacing or, a its leak in the run off pipe between the injectors (sometimes the brazing on the pipe cracks).
ALWAYS keep anti freeze in your engine, even in the tropics, anti-freeze contains lubricants for your water pump and anti coagulants to keep you internal water cooling galleries free, it also stops the liner seals from hardening.
Don't forget to service your gearbox when you service the engine ! or $$$$$

I found a third way for diesel oil to get mixed in with the lube oil, and that was a leaking injector. After a lot of easter-egging the solution like changing the lift pump, I was clued into the trick of using a bicycle pump connected to the return fuel outlet on the engine's head. Pumping away on that with the valve cover removed will reveal leaks in any part of the return fuel line with its six banjo connections. So I am pumping away on this thing and looking for bubbles when I noticed the bubble coming right up in the center of number two injector. Now, take note that as part of my fumbling around, I had run this and the other five injectors to a local shop where they had been pop tested with good results, but nobody was looking for this topside leak. I sent it off to an actual injector repair shop where they said yup, it was leaking by up there. Up to this point I had been changing oil in that engine every eight hours of running due to the roughly one-quart rise in oil level. I did not do this more than 3 or 4 times, but i had to complete the trip. The engine apparently did not suffer, and it ran fine for me for an additional 23 years.

 

[psneeld]

Call Bomac Marine.

They will rebuild or swap your core for a rebuilt.

Ford Lehman Engines | Parts | Service | Bomac Marine

They have details of their rebuilt on the website.

LarryM a member here bought one a few years back and had nice things to say.

 

[Taras]

If you look up Cruising Sea Venture on YouTube, they have a 1976 Cheoy Lee with ford lehmans and now have 11,000 hours on their motors. The motors are still going very strong and are super efficient! Take a look at their last few videos and you'll see him mention the hours on his Lehmans. These are awesome simple engines. They are cruising Mexico as we speak and are very confident in their engines.

 

[Larry M]

Call Bomac Marine.

They will rebuild or swap your core for a rebuilt.

Ford Lehman Engines | Parts | Service | Bomac Marine

They have details of their rebuilt on the website.

LarryM a member here bought one a few years back and had nice things to say.

You could probably get more hours out of the engine assuming you get a detailed survey on the engine which include past maintenance records. What can kill a marine engine is time as much as hours. 12K hours is a lot on a recreational boat and on FL 120. When had a FL for 13 years. When we weren’t using it we fogged the engine and bagged the intake manifold. That being said at 8,400 hours the oil analysis was good but we were adding 1 quart per 100 hours. Some went out the exhaust and some dripped at the front and rear seal.

We pulled the engine when we replaced the fuel tanks and had Greg, Bomac Marine rebuild it in 2016. He did a great job and the price was about $12k out the door.

The rebuild schedule is below.

Machine Work and Parts

Exhaust Manifold/Exhaust ElbowBore Block
Grind and Polish Crank
Reconditioned Connecting Rods
R&R Wrist Pin Bushings
New Pistons/Rings/Pins
New Main Bearings
New Rod Bearings
New Cam Bearings
New Cam Thrust Washers
New Front and Rear Seals
Remanufacture Your Raw Water Pump with Gaskets
New Fuel Lift Pump with gasket
New Circulating Fresh Water Pump with Gasket
New Thermostat and Gasket
New Valves
Grind Seats
New Injector Tips
Remanufactured Injection Pump
New Engine Oil Cooler
New Water Hoses (all)
New Heat Exchanger
New Oil Lines
New Starter

Engine Painted Red

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I could tell you the cost of my rebuild, down the the penny because I have the receipts but what is the use. It would just be a snapshot in time and place. Yours will be different.

But tell me, why are you thinking rebuild when you have not even bought the boat yet?

pete

 

[nmt]

If you look up Cruising Sea Venture on YouTube, they have a 1976 Cheoy Lee with ford lehmans and now have 11,000 hours on their motors. The motors are still going very strong and are super efficient! Take a look at their last few videos and you'll see him mention the hours on his Lehmans. These are awesome simple engines. They are cruising Mexico as we speak and are very confident in their engines.

Great channel! Thanks for sharing. Just watched a bunch of episodes. The one on bulbous bows was super interesting.

 

[nmt]

I could tell you the cost of my rebuild, down the the penny because I have the receipts but what is the use. It would just be a snapshot in time and place. Yours will be different.

But tell me, why are you thinking rebuild when you have not even bought the boat yet?

pete

It just sounded like a lot of hours so I was curious to here the consensus on how long these motors should last and how much a rebuild costs. If I end up buying this one, want to go in eyes wide open on expenses. It’s got far more hours than the other trawlers I’ve been looking at but a manufacturer and model I like better.

 

[psneeld]

It just sounded like a lot of hours so I was curious to here the consensus on how long these motors should last and how much a rebuild costs. If I end up buying this one, want to go in eyes wide open on expenses. It’s got far more hours than the other trawlers I’ve been looking at but a manufacturer and model I like better.

For me it's normal to think rebuild, replace power plant when buying used no matter how many hours if not under warranty anymore.

Worst case scenario to keep the boat running.... in my mind is top priority.

Thus factoring that cost into buying.

 

[BruceK]

Don`t be put off by a rather silly post 70. Checking rebuild cost for a 12K hours Lehman on a boat you are considering buying makes perfect sense to most everyone else. You`d be wise to provide for it and factor it into price. If well looked after and surveys well it may have quite some life remaining.

 

[Delta Riverat]

I could tell you the cost of my rebuild, down the the penny because I have the receipts but what is the use. It would just be a snapshot in time and place. Yours will be different.

But tell me, why are you thinking rebuild when you have not even bought the boat yet?

pete

Hehe, Yeah Baby!

If it works, don't fix it -

Plenty stuff to fix that needs fixing w/o worrying about stuff that works.

 

[psneeld]

Hehe, Yeah Baby!

If it works, don't fix it -

Plenty stuff to fix that needs fixing w/o worrying about stuff that works.

Sure....just have Sea Tow or BoatUS for a couple hundred a year....

 

[Irish Rambler]

rgano.
The reason your injectors were leaking is because whoever you used to pressure/spray test the injectors used either the same, or second hand brass washers.
Only brand new virgin washers are to be used when rebuilding injectors.
I know its a PIA to be a perfectionist but its taken years of experience to get there.

 

[Crux]

If you look up Cruising Sea Venture on YouTube, they have a 1976 Cheoy Lee with ford lehmans and now have 11,000 hours on their motors. The motors are still going very strong and are super efficient! Take a look at their last few videos and you'll see him mention the hours on his Lehmans. These are awesome simple engines. They are cruising Mexico as we speak and are very confident in their engines.

Speaking of Sea Venture, a few months ago Jim and Rosey were having a Q&A session.

The topic of Youtube annoying ads came up.....Jim mentioned that you could become a Youtube Premimum Member....includes NO ADS and a bunch of other stuff...$10 bucks a month.....I joined right then lol!

 

[SoWhat]

Sure....just have Sea Tow or BoatUS for a couple hundred a year....

Living on the edge if you travel without SeaTow or BoatUS. Sooner or later you will wrap a line around your prop, blow a cooling hose, drain your batteries, starter will decide to quit, so yes, no point looking for things to fix that don't need it. Preventive maintenance is normal. Replacing everything in sight is not necessary and costly.