"Reacting further to this deba
"Reacting further to this debate :
I read the questions Perkins M 50 users ask.
I would like to share a few comments with you.
Sorry for my poor English.
1. I have been working on mechanics since 45 years. Cars, motorbikes, mowing machines, 2 stroke, 4 stroke engines, gas and diesel, boat engines. Very different kinds. Sometimes alone, sometimes with professionnals. During all these years, I have never had any motor break or any problem caused by these works.
But my M 50 engine broke this summer !
I had changed the timing belt, not in a worshop but with a professional mechanic. The motor was running perfect afterwards. Timing was ok. I had measured with a special tool the tension on the belt before the exchange, and I had tightened the new one the same way.
The engined runned perfectly about 20 hours, then broke the entire cylindre head, valves, etc. It was normally lubricated, normal temperature, running 1,800 rpm for 1/2 hour.
The belt is in place, as well as the tightening wheel. There is no apparent dammage on the belt itself showing that it would have jumped on one of the three axles.
Belgian import office in Antwerps explains that the break has been a consequence of an improper tightening, for I have not used the Perkins tools ...
I'm afraid of an engine on which one cannot work by himself, especially on a boat, much more difficult to bring to a workshop than a car ...
2. I worked on the engine with the Perkins workshop book.
Can you realize that, when one takes out the cover to verify the valves, as this cover is part of the holding of the camshaft (3 shaft bearings), the camshaft itself is loosed. One needs 3 different original Perkins tools to hold the camshaft properly, in order just to verify or work on the valves ... Such a basic, simple and usual work...
3. On a boat, the engine should be of the type one owner can work on, any place where a problem comes. This is not the case of the M50.
4. I share with other owners the trouble of that oil burning in a heavy blue smoke fog, when the engine has not been used for several weeks, when oil is deep under in engine bloc. This did not worry me though, as the engine was not consuming oil.
5. I share with other owners a problem when the engine had to be stopped : the command was sometimes not answering on the control pannel.
6. I have read that some other users have other heavy problems, with water entering the engine. It did not occur to me.
I used this engine about 1,100 hours in a few years. It was doing fine. BUT I have to say that I'm not happy to lose an engine after 1,300 hours, when it should have runned 10,000 !
The timing belt system is not good to be used on a boat, in humid conditions.
I'm replacing this engine with another, with timing gear or chain, of an elder conception, slower engine, with basic mechanic, something I can work on myself without ruining it !
Good luck to you all.
I hope this testimony can help you in some way.
Marc Van Eerdewgeh
[email protected]"