bukh engines ??

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paulsmith

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I'm looking at a boat with a 1984 20hp Bukh engine. On the assumption that it's been serviced and cared for correctly, does anyone have any thoughts as to problems I might expect to find, are spares available? etc etc.

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Hi Paul,

I've had Bukh engined boats for the last 20 years, first the 10HP and currently the 20. Personally I rate them as the best available, especially if you intend doing your own maintenance, both major and minor. One of the delights for me (mostly full time cruising) is that with the aid of the full workshop manual, there is virtually no repair I couldn't carry out.

For example, in the Cape Verde Islands a couple of years ago, I was able to remove the engine onto the saloon floor, remove the pistons, un-seize the rings and re-assemble it, when a powder fire extinguisher went off (no fire) and the engine ingested the very fine powder. All done at anchor!

Parts aren't cheap (what marine engine bits are?!!) but are available from several outlets, notably Bukh Diesel UK Ltd, 24 Benson Road, Nuffield Estate, Poole
Dorset, BH17 0GB Tel: 01202 668840

Al Pearson and Noman Griffiths, who run the company, are incredibly experienced Bukh engineers and very generous with their time if you have a problem. You can of course, buy some perfectly good, non Bukh parts, for a fraction of the price, especially filters, pumps, anodes and the like.

Finally, and apart from the amazing reliability, one of the main attractions for me is that the engines were designed for marine use from inception, so are massively constructed (and therefore damned heavy!) AND can be started manually - a huge bonus as far as I'm concerned.

Hope this helps,

Cheers

Jerry








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Agree wholeheartedly with Jerry. Great engines, the Rolls Royce ( so they say) of marine diesels. Really solid and sound engineering. Points to watch are thermostats and exhaust elbows, otherwise if you look after it, your Bukh will look after you. I write this sadly because we are about to part with our Sadler 29 complete with cherished Bukh 20 to be replaced by a Westerly with a Volvo. As they say in US legal circles, I'll take that under advisement.

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I have a 1977 DV20. I have had trouble with leaking injector bodies. These are no longer available to buy as a complete unit, but you can still get new nozzles, and the bodies can be refurbished by an expert. The valve rocker gear is prone to wear, and the breather pipe situated in the rocker box is also prone to sticking closed. This results in oil leaks due to the pressure build up in the cranckcase. Another problem I have heard about a couple of times is that the governor is prone to jam up due to corrosion caused by internal condensation. Run your prospective new engine until it gets fully warmed up and check that there are no fuel leaks around the injectors. Check that the engine speeds up when you move the throttle lever. Check that there are no oil leaks and that the oil is not grey. The governor problem is best avoided by giving the engine a coat when its laid up over the winter!
I have found my engine very reliable, but I don't think I could start it from cold by hand.

Neil

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Spares are not just expensive, they are really expensive. My previous boat had a 10hp single cylinder DV10LSME that was 16 years old. It was scrapped because of the price of spares, for example...

Saildrive leg £1200
Cylinder head £800
Starter motor £750
Head gasket set £98

Good grief! You could buy a 10hp Beta for the price of those 4 spares. You can see why I scrapped it.


<hr width=100% size=1>My ultimate dream - sailing a MacDuff26 at 16 knots
 
Our 20HP Bukh is now 22 years old and goes like a dream. We change the oil twice a year and the filter once a year and give it a spray of WD40 every few months. Other than exhaust elbows which have a short life 6 years or so we have had no problems. Despite what another contributor has said it can be hand started as I found out when the starter battery was dead.
Incidently I have had a stainless steel exhaust elbow made, but it will not be used untill the current elbow ( cast Iron ) starts to leak.

<hr width=100% size=1>Fable
 
To add to what Jerry said, in fact, all the peripherals, if you call them that on an engine, are standard automotive stuff, mostly Bosch, including the starter, alternator, water pump, fuel pump, injectors, filters, etc., which can be purchased cheaply all over the world. I get my oil filters at the supermarket (Ford escort). If you do buy the boat let me know, I'll give you some good Bukh links.

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Hi Steve!

I'd also appreciate a list (or whatever you have) of suppliers if you wouldn't mind. I knew the stop solenoid, water pump, filters, anodes etc could easily be obtained without paying huge prices, but wasn't aware of the other items you mentioned, but then like many others, I've never needed them!!

Extravert, I agree that the manufacturers prices are high, but I think one must take into account the very long and reliable life of these engines. Mine is also a 1984 model, runs just beautifully, uses virtually no oil now (just re-built it after the Cape Verdes incident) and, whilst you may well be able to buy a Beta for less, I'm afraid I wouldn't consider it. I'm not saying (before I get threatening 'phone calls from happy Beta owners!!) that there is anything wrong with them, but the historical reliability, longevity and strength of the Bukh is difficult to surpass IMHO.

Cheers

Jerry



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Hi Neil!

Yep, agree with you, it's a very useful site and I've had it saved on the laptop for some time now. Haven't had some of the problems indicated, but then the engine shown doesn't look very well maintained to me! For example, I take the exhaust manifold off about every four years and clean out the waterways. Only takes about an hour in total and ensures no over-heating.

Cheers

Jerry

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