Cat 3116, good, bad, problem areas

[BobH]

Looking at a Carver 3867 with the subject Cats, 2000 hours. Problem areas to look at?
Thanks,
Bob

 

[High Wire]

300 hp or 350 hp? And what year?

 

[BobH]

Don't know. How can I tell? Planning to look at the boat later this week. !989

 

[BobH]

The seller said 300.

 

[High Wire]

I know that the 300s after coolers were cooled by the engine coolant system and had a better rep. Larger hp were cooled by seawater and had more issues. Either way if you like the boat then get the engines surveyed by a certified Cat technician experienced with 3116 issues. They lasted 30+ years and presumably still run well.

 

[Ken E.]

The very early 3116's had a problem known as 'soft blocks'. It's my understanding that Cat fixed this as a warranty item. A Cat dealer can run the serial numbers for the engines' history and you can see what's been done to them.

 

[hmason]

I owned a GB with twin 3116s, 350hp. Had 2,400 hours each. When I sold the boat they had 4,900 hours. Never had any issues whatsoever. They surveyed perfectly. Great engines IMO.

 

[BobH]

Good info. Now it's down to the type of boat and the Admiral.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Ken E.]

If you want more info on these engines, boatdiesel.com is a good source.

 

[BobH]

If you want more info on these engines, boatdiesel.com is a good source.

Been there, done that. Mostly negative comments, usually about the soft blocks and after coolers.

 

[sunchaser]

Three things:

Doubtful a Carver owner would run these engines easy. That basic block cannot tolerate an overheat with cracked heads common. Look carefully for overheat signs.

The exhaust geometry on many vessels can lead to a common 3126, 3116 and C7 salt water back flow set of issues. The elbow should have an acceptable water addition point on the downhill side.

If not jacket water cooled, the after coolers best show records of regular removal and cleaning.

Good luck

 

[Drummer48]

Location of the Engine Oil Dipstick

Looking at a Carver 3867 with the subject Cats, 2000 hours. Problem areas to look at?
Thanks,
Bob

Could I intrude and ask if anyone knows what the location of the dipstick on the Cat 3216?

 

[Capt Ray]

Been there, done that. Mostly negative comments, usually about the soft blocks and after coolers.

"I read it on the Internet" = Truth [not]

There really IS a lot of negative misinformation about the CAT 3116 online, mostly relating to "soft block" issue.

If one does their homework from credible sources, such as CAT distributors and the like: The 3116 engines that had that problem all failed within 200 hours of use. So, any 3116 engines with 1000+ engine hours on them are quite simply NOT affected by that defect.

We were under contract for a Mainship 390 with a CAT 3116, which was in creampuff condition, which my research convinced me it was a perfectly good engine to invest in. We passed for other non-engine, non-related issues. Today, we have a 2000 Mainship 390 with CAT 3126. But, again, I would not hesitate to invest in a 3116 with 1000 hours or more.

 

[High Wire]

Could I intrude and ask if anyone knows what the location of the dipstick on the Cat 3216?

I answered that question on your other post on the dipstick

 

[Archhibb]

In my experience, 3116 @ 300hp has been a good engine. Smooth running and very low soot exhaust.

One chronic problem is leaks around the oil cooler. The design relies on 2 o-rings that are easily twisted or dislodged during reinstallation. It’s not a big job to fix, just annoying when it recurs.