Which diesel

[Donna]

Hard to beat Ford Lehman 120's in the older boats.

I must be the odd ball here. I have a Mercedes engine that has been a dream to work on. MAINTENANCE is the key. This engine is quiet and sips fuel. So far all maintenance has been done by me. Filter/fluid changes etc. I am extremely happy with it.
Now on to Mercruiser. RUN. Had one in my last boat 454. What a pain in the ***. Something wrong all the time. Got to the point that I had to purchase an engine stand and have a crane company pull it. It sat in my garage for over a year while I worked on rebuilding it. Thank goodness I had help from friends. NEVER again.

BTW, engine stand for sale! LOL!

 

[Nomad Willy]

If that statement is a reflection on diesel engines in recreational trawlers over the last 30 years, well........you're mistaken. Ask the mechanics on this forum which ones were short lived (production run) failures. There are boats, such as Grand Banks (46'?) where the bad engine (Detroit) choice make the boat all but unsellable compared to the other choice.

Ted

Re the 46 w the Detroit the engine was good but the dock talk was'nt.

 

[Woodland Hills]

If you really want to get deep into the weeds, each long block or engine family comes in several different HP versions. It only stands to reason that the lowest power version will last the longest and the highest the shortest, no matter what the make. Assuming all are serviced as the mfg. recommends. Research duty ratings for more info.

 

[BandB]

I must be the odd ball here. I have a Mercedes engine that has been a dream to work on. MAINTENANCE is the key. This engine is quiet and sips fuel. So far all maintenance has been done by me. Filter/fluid changes etc. I am extremely happy with it.
Now on to Mercruiser. RUN. Had one in my last boat 454. What a pain in the ***. Something wrong all the time. Got to the point that I had to purchase an engine stand and have a crane company pull it. It sat in my garage for over a year while I worked on rebuilding it. Thank goodness I had help from friends. NEVER again.

BTW, engine stand for sale! LOL!

Oh the wonderful 454. In the lake world of high performance boats, things like jet boats or others, 16-20', the 454 Chevy was among the first to hit, then the 455 Olds and the 460 Ford. The market pretty much dumped the 454 based on blown engines and other reliability issues. Now, this was on boats run hard but most 454's are. The 454 actually had a slight speed advantage but that is just another symptom of less reliability.

This was true regardless of the accompanying drives.

As to drives, you obviously have simpler drives than you did on the I/O. As to engines, while the Mercedes might be a decent brand, probably the biggest difference is you're dealing with an engine not stretched to it's maximum and not built for high speed and performance, built for another category, and then run well within it's comfort zone.

 

[Hudbri11]

8-71's

Any thoughts on older Detroit 8v53-N in a 1966 Hatteras 2100 Original

 

[Comodave]

I had 6V53s in a previous boat. They will run forever, sound awesome, leak a lot of oil and parts are cheap. Just keep a supply of oil diapers on hand...

 

[High Wire]

Oh the wonderful 454. In the lake world of high performance boats, things like jet boats or others, 16-20', the 454 Chevy was among the first to hit, then the 455 Olds and the 460 Ford. The market pretty much dumped the 454 based on blown engines and other reliability issues. Now, this was on boats run hard but most 454's are. The 454 actually had a slight speed advantage but that is just another symptom of less reliability.

This was true regardless of the accompanying drives.

As to drives, you obviously have simpler drives than you did on the I/O. As to engines, while the Mercedes might be a decent brand, probably the biggest difference is you're dealing with an engine not stretched to it's maximum and not built for high speed and performance, built for another category, and then run well within it's comfort zone.

There sure are a lot of Crusader 340 hp gassers based on the GM 454 out there. Powered everything from 16 ft Donzis to 31 ft Bertrams to 40 ft Viking SFs. It was a very good 2000 hour engine block in FWC trim. Along the way most of the bolt on stuff would need replacement though.

 

[rslifkin]

There sure are a lot of Crusader 340 hp gassers based on the GM 454 out there. Powered everything from 16 ft Donzis to 31 ft Bertrams to 40 ft Viking SFs. It was a very good 2000 hour engine block in FWC trim. Along the way most of the bolt on stuff would need replacement though.

I'll agree with the 454s holding up well when they're not run WOT all the time. Mine are Mercruisers, not Crusaders, rated at 340hp. 2 bolt blocks on mine. One only has 100-something hours on it, as it got a long block after an oil cooler line failure toasted the main bearings (no, I wasn't at the helm). The other has around 1500 - 1600 hours, still has good compression, good oil pressure and runs just as strong as the newer one. Risers, manifolds, etc. have all been replaced several times, but they're considered maintenance items on these engines, so that's to be expected. They're very thirsty, but for the most part, they just work.

 

[Ken E.]

Any thoughts on older Detroit 8v53-N in a 1966 Hatteras 2100 Original

I had 8v71n's, also in a Hatteras. N means naturally aspirated (no turbo) and they are usually very long-lived compared to their higher-horsepower DD cousins. Most leak oil like crazy, have a great exhaust note, and have a lot of engine mechanical noise from the injectors. Two-cycle Detroits like these were designed in the 1930's. Parts are available but make sure you have service support in your area for maintenance. Fewer and fewer mechanics know them well, at least up here.

 

[BandB]

I'll agree with the 454s holding up well when they're not run WOT all the time. Mine are Mercruisers, not Crusaders, rated at 340hp. 2 bolt blocks on mine. One only has 100-something hours on it, as it got a long block after an oil cooler line failure toasted the main bearings (no, I wasn't at the helm). The other has around 1500 - 1600 hours, still has good compression, good oil pressure and runs just as strong as the newer one. Risers, manifolds, etc. have all been replaced several times, but they're considered maintenance items on these engines, so that's to be expected. They're very thirsty, but for the most part, they just work.

The 454's used for jets in those days were far more than 330 or 340 hp. 390-465 hp range.

 

[Pdxstriper]

Anecdotal but significant

My brother-in-law ran ocean going tugs for 40 years. I had twin 370 HP Cummins BTA in a Carver back then. He looked in my engine room and stated that my mains are what they use for generators on these monster 100ft tugs. Ok, that hurt.

Then he said something that stuck: “We replace them at 30,000 hours. Whether they need it or not”. Yikes!

Pete

 

[Redhook98]

If this thread is still viable and interest shown in it, I would recommend the simple dumb Ford/Lehman 120s over anything else. Just a big dumb brute of a motor that is easy to fix and will last for 20000+ hours between MOH. Simple with no electronics and parts are very reasonable.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Redhook98,
How is the FL superior to the Perkins?

 

[Redhook98]

Redhook98,
How is the FL superior to the Perkins?

I have no opinion of which is superior. I just know the FL is a good, rock solid power plant. Not taking away from other motors. Just know FLs very well. My only take-away with the Perkins is my father used to have one and he complained about (I may get this wrong, so please correct me) the head and one of the manifolds being integrated. He stated that that made them a bitch to work on, for some reason.


Otherwise, these are only my opinions based on the fact I have experience with FLs.

 

[sunchaser]

My only take-away with the Perkins is my father used to have one and he complained about (I may get this wrong, so please correct me) the head and one of the manifolds being integrated. He stated that that made them a bitch to work on, for some reason.

The Perkins integrated manifold heat exchanger design was changed to individual units several decades ago.

 

[Ski in NC]

But there are many used boats out there that still use the 6.354 with aluminum mani-cooler, something to avoid.. And others that use sea water cooled exhaust manifolds.

6.354 is a solid engine otherwise.

 

[Shunpiker]

Does anyone have experience with or knowledge of Cummins model VTM555? That appellation is from a boat listing. I’ll be seeing the boat Jan. 27, and Google seems to know as much as I do about the engines. Thanks for any info.

 

[Ken E.]

Does anyone have experience with or knowledge of Cummins model VTM555? That appellation is from a boat listing. I’ll be seeing the boat Jan. 27, and Google seems to know as much as I do about the engines. Thanks for any info.

There are a few TF members here with Triple Nickles. They are V8's, big and heavy, and were the precursor to the current straight-six Cummins engines. Be sure to check on parts availability for these. A friend with 903 Cummins, same era as 555, has difficulty finding parts and they're very expensive.

 

[Shunpiker]

Thank you Ken E.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

If you truely have a choice, go with the F.L. If you feel you need over about 125 hp or want sophisticated electronics there are other makes out there.

But for me...KISS

pete

 

[Nomad Willy]

Since the
The Perky’s and FL’s being the most common engines on TF their differences should be well known on TF.

Even I had a 4-107 some time ago.