Bukh DV 10

[doug748]

I am looking at a boat equipped with one of these motors. It's old but looks clean and cared for, not a rusty lump; reported as running well, if that means anything.
I know what to expect about the noise and performance but are any particular spares a problem or expensive? If it goes wrong replacement would probably not be an option so it would have to be fixed.

Has anyone any other pointers about the model? Thanks.

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[Dellquay13]

IIRC they are designed to be freshwater cooled, and have narrow water channels.
If it is seawater cooled ask how often it has been flushed out to keep the water channels clear?
I use Rydlyme every four years or so to flush my little 1gm10

 

[NickRobinson]

Ignore my post- I'd not read that you were aware of the noise levels.

 

[neil_s]

I have one! It's still going strong after 47 years. The DV20 was re-designed into the DV24 - same block so it will fit in the same place. You need to check the gearbox, though, early DV20's had the BW6. later ones - and the DV24 - had the BW7. These gearboxes had different output shaft levels. The DV20 had different injectors that are now no longer current so it's worth checking those. A careful previous owner might have a spare set tucked away! I don't think Dellquay13 above is correct about the sea water cooling - having pulled the liners out of my engine the waterways are cavernous! You do need to ensure your thermostat stays set at 60 c, though, they tend to get hotter with age and that leads to deposits in the cylinder head. I treat mine every 5 years or so. If you have a temperature gauge, you soon notice if the engine starts to run hotter.

 

[doug748]

Thanks for the responses. Here is a snap of a similar, though cleaner, engine:



Someone on the webnet said they can be poor starters?

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[Dellquay13]

I have one! It's still going strong after 47 years. The DV20 was re-designed into the DV24 - same block so it will fit in the same place. You need to check the gearbox, though, early DV20's had the BW6. later ones - and the DV24 - had the BW7. These gearboxes had different output shaft levels. The DV20 had different injectors that are now no longer current so it's worth checking those. A careful previous owner might have a spare set tucked away! I don't think Dellquay13 above is correct about the sea water cooling - having pulled the liners out of my engine the waterways are cavernous! You do need to ensure your thermostat stays set at 60 c, though, they tend to get hotter with age and that leads to deposits in the cylinder head. I treat mine every 5 years or so. If you have a temperature gauge, you soon notice if the engine starts to run hotter.

Is that true for the OPs prospective DV10 as well as your DV20?
A marine diesel engineer friend told me to pay attention to the waterways on a DV on a boat I was considering. He knew the boat, but he also knew the owner had been diy servicing the engine for about 10 years. One of the water pickup pipes had salty marks around it as it entered the block. The pipe was metal, but only a small bore.
Speaking to the guy who eventually bought the boat, he soon found he had problems with that engine overheating and poor cooling flow, and his departure from the marina was delayed by a couple of weeks while he got the engine sorted.

 

[LittleSister]

IIRC they are designed to be freshwater cooled, and have narrow water channels.
If it is seawater cooled ask how often it has been flushed out to keep the water channels clear?
I use Rydlyme every four years or so to flush my little 1gm10

That's incorrect. DV10s were designed for seawater (direct) cooling, and supplied a such as standard. They may perhaps also have been available with an additional freshwater circulation pump for use with freshwater (indirect) cooling, and I had a DV10 which had been converted by an owner to freshwater cooling by means of an additional belt pulley on the engine flywheel, an additional freshwater pump, a proprietary external heat exchanger, and a different (hotter running) thermostat.

For later Bukh DV models which were supplied in either seawater of freshwater cooling formats, Bukh advise that freshwater cooling is preferable if the motor's use averages more than 500 hours per annum, which few leisure boats do.

Like any seawater cooled motor they benefit from flushing with Rydlyme or similar from time to time, as the build up of some scale and detritus is inevitable and normal. I am not aware the DV10 (or DV20) has any particular problem with the size of the cooling passages, except the external 'poker' fitting going behind the edge of the flywheel by which the water enters the front of the engine block tends to be come blocked if not descaled from time to time. This fitting can be removed for cleaning without disturbing the engine itself. (This can be done without removing the flywheel by use of a cut down allen key.)

They do not have a reputation as being poor starters, though inevitably, given their age, there will be some engines around that have poor compression or other problems resulting in poor starting of that particular engine. I have had a DV10 and still have a DV36, both dating from the 1970s, and both started instantly.

More generally, Bukh DVs are solidly built, simple engines specifically designed for marine use. Though DV10s (and the DV20s, which are a twin-cylinder version of the DV10), and the even earlier DV8, are getting a bit long in the tooth, there are many out there continuing to give sterling service. Most spare parts are readily available, though Bukh parts aren't cheap. Owner handbooks and parts catalogues for the various DV models can be downloaded from Bukh itself Download - Generelt materiale , workshop manuals can be found by searching online, and most marine engineers will be very familiar with them.

There is a useful Bukh Marine Diesel Owners Group on Facebook for advice (inevitably most coming to that forum are having problems, so it gives a misleading impression of the reliability of those motors) and for supplies of new and second-hand spares. I have had good service from T. Norris and Bukh UK for new spares.

Bukh still build and sell new (mainly for lifeboat use) the DV24 twin-cylinder (which is a later, significantly different engine to the DV20, though shares quite a few parts with the DV10/20) and its DV29 & DV32 derivatives, and the DV36 triple-cylinder and its DV48 derivative, alongside a host of larger and more sophisticated modern engines for workboats.

Based on my experience, I'd rather have a brand new or nearly new modern engine, but if I'm going to have an old engine (almost inevitable, given my limited means) I'd want it to be a Bukh rather than any other brand.

 

[neil_s]

Sorry! I missed that you have a DV10. The DV20 is very similar with many common parts. As for starting - my motor starts easily in the summer, but in the winter, it requires a good long spin to start from cold. Subsequent starts during the day are easy. A pre-heat inlet manifold is available, but I don't have one!