Crusader/International Diesel Engines

Looking for any information on Crusader Diesel Marine engines circa 1983.
They are 9.0ltr International (IH) V8 engines that apparently Crusader used.
Specs show 225 HP and they look to be non turbo.

I see a few threads on various truck forums but very little if any marine info.

Anybody have any experience and or general information with these?

Fast Fred is the knowledge base on here for the intl diesels.

MY favorite is the 6 cylinder series that rival DD for longevity.

The 360 and 466 ,

I had a Mainship friend who had one in his 1980 model II.
It was 225 HP , naturally aspirated, looked like a bus engine, painted blue.
He liked it, but it eventually blew and he replaced it with a Cummins 6BT.
It probably blew from negligence (my guess), I think it was a good basic engine.
That's all I can tell you.

I would be concerned about sourcing the parts to marinize the engine, the coolers, manifolds and such.


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Why not call them direct, they (Crusader) is still very much in business : Crusader Engines | Premium Marine Engines

Since it is a IH V8 (according to you), it would be the same engine as the Ford Powersmoke (oops PowerStroke) and very reliable well known engine.

But, I have never owned nor known anyone with *that* marine version engine.

River Cruiser said:

I would be concerned about sourcing the parts to marinize the engine, the coolers, manifolds and such.


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Click to expand...

Osco should provide all of those items at reasonable cost.

Actually, The elbows and risers are discontinued but custom (read expensive) stainless ones can (and have been) made, The heat exchanger looks standard but the manifolds look to be a bit odd. Crusader doesn't support the engines that i can see and I am told they pre-date the engines that IH made for the Ford trucks. They are in a boat that a friend is looking at and I am just trying to gather information on them.
They sure seem rare

Tolly Roger,

I actually have 2 of these in my '82 Carver 3607. IMO a good engine mine burns ~6Gal/hr @ 2200rpm giving me ~12-15knts. I've just got rebuilt injectors from IH for $55ea. rebuild kits were $35ea. Risers are non-existant & my starboard engine needs them. My answer is to get some stainless pipe & Mig weld a new set for each engine. They won't have the nice curves that they have now, but they'll get the job done.

". Risers are non-existant & my starboard engine needs them."


Try,

Marine Exhaust Systems of Alabama, Inc

FF,

Ken McMahan at Warhorse Marine has propriety, Custom Job $$$ ouch.
Fortunately, I can weld.
Star is a project boat. I'm her 6th owner. She's seaworthy, and sound, but hasn't had a refit,,,,ever. On the trip up from Tampa bay we picked up some bad fuel that has caused problems. I'm in the process of repairing the engines and getting her back in the water. Once in Baltimore she'll come back out for an overhaul. New flooring, electrical, plumbing, tanks, adding propane, new portlights, railings, etc. a ton of work. Once done, I'm going to retire and use her a the Loop cruiser that she'll be.

Tolly Roger said:

Actually, The elbows and risers are discontinued but custom (read expensive) stainless ones can (and have been) made, The heat exchanger looks standard but the manifolds look to be a bit odd. Crusader doesn't support the engines that i can see and I am told they pre-date the engines that IH made for the Ford trucks. They are in a boat that a friend is looking at and I am just trying to gather information on them.
They sure seem rare

Click to expand...

For cases like this do not rely on the computer. The marinizer, Crusader, is still active so phone them. TOo many of us make the mistake of thinking that Google or similar gets all. It does not.

Companies like this may still offer parts, or tell you where to go but you won't find them listed in their websites as the call is too low or to old.

I've often used google to simply get the contact info and then telephoned and/or emailed. Often better results even if they cannot help.

Good point indeed.
In this case we did contact Crusader back when I first posted and they confirmed in fact that the entire motor and it's related components pre-dated the current company and they no longer had any parts or service available.

My friend did not end up buying the boat but we know who did and he had the elbows and a few other parts made by :National Marine Exhaust in Seattle.

By the way the guy who owns it now LOVES the boat and the engines and boasts about the amazing fuel economy he gets!

"On the trip up from Tampa bay we picked up some bad fuel that has caused problems."


Dont be shy , a load of folks on this board are in FL or pass thry FL.


Where did you get a load of crap fuel?

FF,

This happened in the summer of 2016, the marina was in SC and has since (fortunately) changed ownership. The Coast Guard & EPA slapped them very hard with fines. 34 boats (all diesels) were affected including mine, with varying levels of damage ranging from simply changing the Racors and polishing the fuel, to the complete loss of a 60ft Viking offshore. No one lost their lives thanks greatly to the CG SAR and to the use of an EPIRB and PLB's (If you don't have them, get 'em! They're the cheapest life insurance you'll ever get.).
I'm out $8k-$9k so far in repairs, and I haven't fixed/replaced the risers yet (2 sets of injectors, 2 fuel pumps, 3 alternators, batteries, 2 cracked risers, exhaust hoses, the list goes on.) and I'm still not back in the water. Hopefully this summer.
When the water/fuel hit the rubber exhaust hoses, the steam melted them enough to burn 2"-3" holes in them, which pumped ~12" of water in the bilge in less than 10 minutes. We actually "settled" on the mud before we could stop the leak. (Electrical tape over the holes!) The Genset allowed me to use the emergency sump to pump us out. With a a 2" hose it still took 2 hours to get us refloated. The port engine got us into Anchor Marina (good folx), which was about 30 miles from where we had gotten 180G of fuel of which 26G was water. (There's a clue)
The cause was that the fuel was gravity fed from the tank to the dock pump. The fuel lines drooped into the river. When the dock pump was turned on, it would suck water into the fuel line through some bad (plastic) pipe joints. If the pump wasn't running, the fuel wasn't going into the river, so no fuel spill. We never smelled a fuel leak.
The lawsuits are still pending so I can't name names.

Most folx have told me that She's not worth repairing. Monetarily that's true, but I don't plan on retiring for another 10 years so I can take my time in fixing her. Pretty much everything will need to be fixed, the plywood flooring delaminated, the plumbing and wiring are original, and have gotten soaked by saltwater (Corrosion in going to be a huge problem) so those will need to be replaced, I want to add propane, Stainless tanks (4 Fuel, 2 water, 2 waste), new swim platform, railings, hard Bimini, hoist, radar arch, dive compressor, Bow thruster, etc, etc, etc.
I found an (reasonably) inexpensive DIY yard that is close to work & knows that I'm gonna be there for quite a while. I'll have them do all the fiberglass work because I do well & truely suck at it. I can do the electrical, carpentry, plumbing & gas (Master, Master & Journeyman levels). My son is a Journeymen welder, so he gets tapped to do the welding (all SS) that I can't do.

"where we had gotten 180G of fuel of which 26G was water. "

Fuel docks hate them as they slow the fueling process but a Baja filter would have saved big bucks.

Sad that we have to use 3rd world techniques here .


Your fuel filters should have shut down the vessel,before damage, toss them and install better ones that function..

IH/Navistar made a 9L V8 diesel from 1966 to 1988. It used direct injection. It's not a powerstroke engine, but was used in large delivery trucks and probably farm equipment. I've never heard of one in a boat. From 1983-87 they made a 6.9L and from 1988-94 a 7.3L that was the first powerstroke. I believe the early engine was called a 7.3I. I know 7.3s were marinized, but don't know if it was the early, late, or both 7.3s. I have a late 7.3 and while it has good power and the mechanical parts will last several hundred thousand miles, there are lots of electronic sensors and controls that don't last. I carry several spare electronic parts and the necessary tools. The one truck engine is a lot more maintenance than my 2 Detroits. And considering the electronics, it's no way as reliable as a Detroit. It's a real pia to change oil because the oil controlling the injectors doesn't drain with the oil pan. You have to suck out the upper reservoir and that still leaves about 2 quarts of dirty oil still in the engine.

The engine uses motor oil to operate the injectors. There is a separate high pressure pump. The injectors are controlled by electronics. In the winter you have to go to multi weight oil or the injectors won't fire correctly. In really cold weather you have to idle for at least 10 minutes to warm the oil unless you use a block heater. Otherwise the engine just won't run and may die.

IH 9.0L 225hps

StarChaser said:

Tolly Roger,

I actually have 2 of these in my '82 Carver 3607. IMO a good engine mine burns ~6Gal/hr @ 2200rpm giving me ~12-15knts. I've just got rebuilt injectors from IH for $55ea. rebuild kits were $35ea. Risers are non-existant & my starboard engine needs them. My answer is to get some stainless pipe & Mig weld a new set for each engine. They won't have the nice curves that they have now, but they'll get the job done.

Click to expand...

Like you, I own two IH 9.0L 225HP aboard my Carver 3607. You referenced the 6gph fuel burn at 2200rpm. Is that 6gph for each engine, or both engines combined?