653

I'm new to diesels in mari

I'm new to diesels in marine applications. I'm looking at a 1969 27 Brownell with a 653 160 HP with 180 hours. Any comments on these engines would be very helpful.

"Ken, With proper care and if

"Ken, With proper care and if it is in ok condition now, this engine will outlast you and me together. Use only DELO 100 SAE 40 oil or other brands explicitly approved by Detroit for these engines. MULTIGRADE OIL WILL KILL THEM (this applies to all DD 2 strokes). The current condition of the engine can be assessed by how it starts up cold. After a cool fall night the engine should start up after the first couple of crank turns. Some white smoke that clears up within a minute or so is OK. Hard starting when cold, prolonged white or even blueish smoke is an indication of tired cylinders. This is where the major benefit of DD's comes in. The cylinder liners and pistons can be replaced as kits with nothing but hand tools while the engine is in the boat for about $1200 to $1600 in parts. (Try that with Yanmar or the like). Some people knock Detroits for being noisy and dirty. Soundproofing the engine bay and understanding the function of the airbox drains goes a long way for changing your attitude to: ...You hear that? Do you hear that? Detroit, son. Nothing else in the world sounds like that. I love the sound of a Detroit in the morning." If you need more HP, change to N50 injectors ($65 a piece) that will give you 210hp @2800 and still more life than you and me together)"

Thanks Claus..what about GPH?

Thanks Claus..what about GPH? the boat weighs about 7000lbs

"You will get between 16 and 1

"You will get between 16 and 17 hp to the prop for every gallon of diesel out of this type of engine. Keep in mind that at less than full rpm the prop is loading the engine at less than max hp for this rpm. I.e. do not divide the max rated horsepower (or max hp at any rpm) by that 16-17 hp value. I know, that does not sound very helpful but the hull shape, weight and prop have more influence on the gph than the engine brand or type. With some guesses about the hull (fast semi-displacement, 7000lbs) the calculator predicts a 14-15k cruise at 7-8 gph. 2 miles per gal is not bad for a boat. If you slow down to 12k you should get close to 3 mpg."

"Thanks Claus...I'm lookin

"Thanks Claus...I'm looking at another boat same size same type except this one has a Volvo TAMD 41A 200 HP with 1988 hours, what's your thoughts?"

"I never had a Volvo but you h

"I never had a Volvo but you hear a lot about steep parts prices. I would do a sea trail on both boats and let that guide my decision. Any diesel engine is costly to repair compared to a gasser. At the size of boat you are looking at you really do not 'need' a diesel.(David Pascoe has an excellent elaboration of this subject on his website www.yachtsurvey.com). If you are serious about one of the boats you should either get a surveyor involved or negotiate for "worst case" i.e. major engine work."

Thanks again Claus

Thanks again Claus