Westerbeke - you have to be kidding

On our last weekend away our generator oil pressure guage started to flicker and then gave up entirely, sitting on zero. Bit of a worry (as they say) but the engine did not cut out - it has a cut out switch if the oil pressure drops to zero (so I am told) which reassured me that it wasn`t anything catastrophic but I was wary of using it. Luckily this was on the last day so not really an convenience. I figured that the oil pressure sender unit was cactus.

Easy peasy fix, pop into our local Westerbeke shop and pick up another sender unit. I was annoyed though as this was my second in three years.

So, in I went, let them know I was peeved about a 3 year old sender unit going US and asked for another. Guy that served me couldn`t have given a rats a$#e about the 3 years and happily charged me $134 for a new one. All nicely boxed up, but the item has no markings, brand, model no etc.

When I got home, just to make myself feel worse, I checked on ebay - $30 seems to be the average for one that appears identical.

One thing I have learnt though is that the engine is a Mitsubish K3E or K4E so that's where the oil filter will come from, even though it won`t be red. My files tell me that the last oil filter from Westerbeke cost $28!!!

I think I had the K4. I thought it was great. Got my parts from tractor stores. Saved a ton.

Yes, Westerbeke is sure proud of their parts.
Last year I had to buy a new coolant circulation pump for my old 4.4kw.
$400 but it was in stock and I had it the next day.
It had a show quality paint job.

How do you determine the actual engine manufacturer for Westerbeke generators?

FYI, I had a bad experience buying an eBay fuel shutoff solenoid that was supposed to fit, but didn't. Fortunately the seller took it back.

Yes the parts they don’t make themselves have a big markup. But they do paint the nicely. Do some internet research to determine what the non marinized part of the unit is. Then just do a few searches when looking for parts. Best thing is to get a parts catalog for that nonmarinized unit. For a boatyard, it’s just easier to order from Westerbeke. Remember that their time usually runs at 100 $ an hour. But if your time is “free” you can save by working Google search.

murofrelwart said:

How do you determine the actual engine manufacturer for Westerbeke generators?

FYI, I had a bad experience buying an eBay fuel shutoff solenoid that was supposed to fit, but didn't. Fortunately the seller took it back.

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I was lucky - in the pile of receipts that I inherited when we bought the boat was one for some work on the generator and it had Mitsubishi K3E and K4E scribbled on a job card. I googled that motor and sure enough the pictures that came up were exactly the same as our Westerbeke (except it was dark grey). It even shows a number moulded into the block which I shall check next time I`m at the boat.

Which generator do you have? We've got a Westerbeke WMD 6.0 - 6 kw - with a leaking raw water pump. Hoping to find a cheaper alternative than Westerbeke.

Depco pumps in Florida has an aftermarket pump...but it's not wayyyyyy cheaper.

I heard Westerbeke hired Volvo to teach them about merchandise markup.

Ted

O C Diver said:

I heard Westerbeke hired Volvo to teach them about merchandise markup.

Ted

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Might have been the other way around LOL

If you want a laugh, look up the price for an alternator for a 8BTD gen on their parts site. Nothing special 50 amp. $970 last time I looked! That’s one of the reasons that I did not even think about doing a rebuild of my WB gen.

I was helping (mostly watching) a neighbor remove the generator section from his Westerbeke genset yesterday. What surprised me was that the rotor remained bolted to the engine and the stator came off with the outer housing. Is this normal for a genset or just this brand?

Porman You are describing the westerbeke BTD version where the rotor relies on the engine for its end bearing and makes the design shorter than the other version where the rotor has its own bearing.

O C Diver said:

I heard Westerbeke hired Volvo to teach them about merchandise markup.

Ted

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Good one!

High Wire said:

If you want a laugh, look up the price for an alternator for a 8BTD gen on their parts site. Nothing special 50 amp. $970 last time I looked! That’s one of the reasons that I did not even think about doing a rebuild of my WB gen.

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Try this: The 8BTD is a Mitsubishi K3D engine. Try looking up an alternator using this information, should fit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Altern...904331?hash=item5d9da6ab8b:g:WrkAAOSwt69ePjjD

murofrelwart said:

How do you determine the actual engine manufacturer for Westerbeke generators?

FYI, I had a bad experience buying an eBay fuel shutoff solenoid that was supposed to fit, but didn't. Fortunately the seller took it back.

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Research

If the engine is Mitsubishi it will have the model cast in the block just above the fuel injector pump. My 8KWBTD for example has a K3D cast into the block.

My manual says that the engine alone is a Westerbeke model W21, more research leads to the Mitsubishi K3D also.

obthomas said:

Try this: The 8BTD is a Mitsubishi K3D engine. Try looking up an alternator using this information, should fit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Altern...904331?hash=item5d9da6ab8b:g:WrkAAOSwt69ePjjD

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Right. The WB price is >6X the ebay price. One heck of a premium for red paint!

I don't think Westerbeke even makes the marine items, it just paints and bolts them on. If you look, some other company made them. There many sources for replacement heat exchangers, pumps alternators and starters. Yacht engine raw water pumps often are used on more than one brand of engine and almost any alternator will work, maybe with minor bracket changes. Coolant pumps on smaller engines are the same as auto version.
Ebay is a good source for many parts. Some of the sellers have full price stores but do volume sales on eBay.

Just as an aside, how about fitting a local, mechanical oil pressure gauge to the engine? Next time the sender goes out (a very strange occurrence in my view) you can check your mechanical gauge to see all is well and just keep on running the genny.

R u certain it’s the sending unit (check with meter)
Had the same issue on my Westerbeke, turned out to be the actual gauge!

rgano said:

Just as an aside, how about fitting a local, mechanical oil pressure gauge to the engine? Next time the sender goes out (a very strange occurrence in my view) you can check your mechanical gauge to see all is well and just keep on running the genny.

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This.

onan

My onan 6mdkub has an kubota z482 engine parts from cummins expensive here in NZ and also a lot are obsolete I found complete rebuild kit from a tractor mower place back east USA less than half price but ended up buying from kubota NZ still a lot cheaper than cummins,onan.
Does any one have a junk 2 cylinder diesel onan I need an oil pan has pan with mounts in one piece ?
Thank Brent

Remote mount the pressure transducer off the engine --- vibration does a job on the service life. I used fittings and a about 3 feet of hydraulic hose and extended a ground wire and the hot wire to the transducer. It should last thousands of hours if remote mounted.

Well, just to finish this thread off - I installed the "gold plated" Westerbeke oil pressure sender unit and Bingo -a steady reading on the guage - yahoo.

Interestingly, the old one was quite heavy, suggesting it was full of oil. I intend to cut the old one to see how it works - perhaps it has some sort of bladder arrangement in there that expands with the oil pressure acting on a rheostat (or something) and that burst.

Thanks for your comments