Perkins T6 354M expected life

[Zappi]

I am looking at a 39' trawler powered by a single Perkins
T6 354M that puts out approximately 185 hp. The boat is a 1978 and I would assume the motor is original and never been rebuilt. She has about 2700 hours on her but seems to run great. What kind of life can be expected from these engines? Is this motor tired or could I get 5,000 hours plus out of it? Thanks for the info!!!
Aaron

[kenJ]

Most diesels will run for ever with proper maintenance. Are there records? If not a survey by a knowledgable diesel mechanic might be your best course of action.

[marshmat]

I think Ken's right on here.... there are two ways to tell if the motor's been well maintained. One is the paper trail. The other is to find a good diesel mechanic who's familiar with old Perkins units, and pay him a few hundred bucks to give it a thorough inspection. (For what you'd be spending on the boat, the cost of an inspection would be tiny- and it may give you some leverage to bargain the price down, so consider having the survey done anyway.) If it's in good shape now, I see no reason not to expect thousands more hours of service, if you maintain it well.

[Landlubber]

My 6354 had over 10000 hours on it when i sold my business in Sydney in 1989. The motor was in very good condition and I would expect it to do a lot more still for the new owners.

[Zappi]

Thanks for the replies. I was planning on having a true diesel mechanic doing a complete survey on the motor. I would rather not waste my money on it if it was predictably tired though. It sounds like she's worth paying for the survey then. There is no paper trail to go by so survey it is. Thanks, Aaron

[Frosty]

What do you think the engine survey would consist of?

A compression check would be the obvious but then what?

A boat survey does not usually consist of mast and engines because there can not be a definate answer.

If it runs well and starts well (from cold) smoke normal and oil pressure to specs along with oil pressure fall off on turning off the engine and feeling by hand back pressure from the rocker box is about all you can do.

2700 is not a lot for that engine.

[Zappi]

Would an oil sample test be the simplest and tell me the most, considering cost and simplicity?

[Frosty]

An oil sample will tell you whats wrong with the oil, water or acid content all illiminated by changing the oil.

At the end of the day the engine will not just fail,-- ie stop on you.

As I said to a friend last week who was buying a yacht with a 70HP Volvo with similar hours that also ran perfectly, negotiate with those hours, then when you have a good price taking the hours into consideration forget about it. If it starts to play up then you have the money for an overhaul.

[Zappi]

Good advice, thanks Frosty.
Aaron

[FAST FRED]

QUIZ the owner .

Hardest on a diesel is improper storage , the wrong oil or the wrong antifreez (in some engines).

So a good look in the lazarette at oil etc ANd a look for yard bills when out of service will help decide how (IF?) the engine was maintained.

BE SURE to start the engine from ROOM TEMP, to judge the amount of smoke on early warmup.

The longer it takes (monitor coolant temperature ) for any white smoke to clear , probably the better the compression , and the fewer rust pits in the cylinders.

Be very wary of any propulsion engine used for battery charging , and be very very wary of clean oil , that was just changed so an oil sample wont work.

FF

[Zappi]

The owner is out of state so all I have to ask questions is the broker. There is no paperwork. On our sea trial she smoked blue and smelled rich for the first half hour or so. I It took her at least that long and more to reach operating temp but I was taking it easy on her. She wasnt smoking profusely but enough you could tell she was smoking. Once warm exhaust changed to white steam and a puff of blue when you hit the throttle. The oil looked clean but I am sure its been in there for at least 6 mos. It just hasnt been ran in months. Thanks for the help guys!
Aaron

[Frosty]

Im not familiar with the engine is this a turbo?

[george allard]

The Perkins 6-354 is very good engine. Very tough lower end. Most hard starting problems are created by the injection pump. The hardest thing on these engine is starting fluid. It will break the top 2 ring lands on the pistons. That is the only problems that we have incounter. Most are good for at least 15k hours with only an injector pump rebuild.

[Zappi]

Frosty, yes its a turbo.
George, I kind of doubt starting fluid was ever used but really, what do I know. 15k hours??? Holy crap. I guess these are good engines. WHat would an injector pump and injector rebuilds cost?

[Landlubber]

Don't be fooled into believing starting fluid is bad.

Use it when you have to use a pressure pak of paint. Remove the nozel and swap it for the starter fluid (ether). This will clean out the nozel and not waste pressure in the paint can. Replace them back where they came from and the spray cans will last till the last drop.

Don't use starter fluid for starting.....duh, it will stuff the engine real fast, especially good for blowing head gaskets.

Nnup, it will start most engines if you really have to do it, but.....

[FAST FRED]

"Don't use starter fluid for starting."

However if the engine room temp is at 0F or below Starting fluid is considered an Alternate fuel, and a simple shot is OK.

The technique is to crank for 20 seconds , wait 30 for the heat to penetrate the block and do it again.

Before the 3rd crank a 1 or 2 second ether shot in the intake will get the engine going , with no damage at all.

Any other time ,(Above about 20F) sniff the ether if you must but don't give it to your engine !!

FF

[Guest62110524]

the 354 block was good one
engines do not wear out they rot out, SO, if you take a compression test, and all is ok, then you know that this engine could run 10,000 or even 15000
closethe exhaust pipe off when not in use, thsi will stop the valves rusting from cold salty air From memory the 354 is a dry linered engine, or wet, cant rememebr, so unlike a car which is bored in the block, you can replace thsoe liners, one day if necessary
change your oil and filters reg basis and make sure(although this probably is ok) that the engine can reach rated rpm, in other words it does not lug
i knew the Perkins girls, from the actual founding family, her dad
who took over from grandfather was seriously smashed in car crash setting up plant in Brazil, he went to NZ bought farm there, sold co to Massey FERGUSON; wheel tractor makers, best in world
cheers

[Zappi]

Thanks for all the great replies! Thats a great tip for aerosol paint nozzles. I will remember that.
As for huffing... Gone are those days(for me anyways).
I feel confident in 2700 hours on this engine now. I will still pay for an engine survey just to see the compression.
Is it possible they can do a sort of ultrasound on the heat exchangers to see whats going on inside them?
Aaron

[Zappi]

Since salty moisture thru the exhaust is such a bad thing for probably all motors... Why doesn't West Marine sell elastic watertight seals for the exhaust? Or do they?

[Guest62110524]

Since salty moisture thru the exhaust is such a bad thing for probably all motors... Why doesn't West Marine sell elastic watertight seals for the exhaust? Or do they?

a properly configered install will have a valve to shut off the exhaust, and on some systems a one way valve ,i suppose you have a 4 inch ID, and a valve this size is starting to cost, plus takes up a lot of space

[FAST FRED]

Is it possible they can do a sort of ultrasound on the heat exchangers to see whats going on inside them?

Cheaper and simpler to just purchase a set of gaskets and a new zinc , and take em apart and clean them.IF there crap , you will notice.

FF