Engine Service Intervals

[ChromeDome]

Yanmar service parts are a crazy price. I bought 2 x original service packs for the first service since I bought the boat. The bits we took off were all originals except the filter insert for the diesel separator which was unbranded. I plan to do a bit of research for recommended alternatives before the next service, but don’t tell anyone on the forum, or I'll be reported for cruelty and neglect.

Plenty of alternatives/compatibles.

Parts-crossreference.com - Search parts cross references
Oil filter cross reference
Fuel filter cross reference

For engine oil be aware that while the required spec may be obsolete, oils are backwards compatible within same type so easy to pick something available to you.

 

[Irish Rover]

Plenty of alternatives/compatibles.

Parts-crossreference.com - Search parts cross references
Oil filter cross reference
Fuel filter cross reference

For engine oil be aware that while the required spec may be obsolete, oils are backwards compatible within same type so easy to pick something available to you.

Thanks. I'll have a look at these.

 

[ChromeDome]

I'm evidently doing a lot of things that aren't strictly necessary but which fall into the "better safe than sorry", "peace of mind"

You're the insurance seller's favourite customer. Your risk assessment is exactly what he likes about you.

 

[Stemar]

I'd rather be the insurer's favourite customer than the people I see that make me think, "I wouldn't want to sell him* life insurance" My philosophy is that a hero may have his moment of glory, but cowards tend to have a lot more moments

*Or her - there are plenty of ladies who seem to fall on the bold rather than old side of the equation.

 

[ChromeDome]

I'd rather be the insurer's favourite customer than the people I see wh make me think, "I wouldn't want to sell him* life insurance"

I aim to get the right goods/services at the right price. I'm happy to DIY but honest about whether I can achieve the desired result. If not, I refrain or call in the pros.

Risk assessment is very individual. All kinds of media strive to bring news that shows how dangerous everything is, but their picture is not true.
It's a good rule of thumb that the more keen a seller is, the more reluctant you should be to part with your money.
Remember that you give up some of your freedom every time you sign something.

Many people surprise me when it comes to anticipating what might happen—in whole or in part. There is an abundance of horror examples on YouTube where these types set up a camera, make themselves look like absolute fools, and don't even have the sense to delete the video instead of uploading it so everyone can see how unwise they are.

 

[rotrax]

Plenty of alternatives/compatibles.

Parts-crossreference.com - Search parts cross references
Oil filter cross reference
Fuel filter cross reference

For engine oil be aware that while the required spec may be obsolete, oils are backwards compatible within same type so easy to pick something available to you.

Thats OK for service parts-Yanmar dont make many of those.

Some years ago I needed a head gasket for a four cylinder Yanmar diesel.

It was a couple of quid short of 400 quid.

That is really taking the piss!

I asked for a quote from a large South Coast Yanmar agent to remove and refit the injector pump on our current boat.

"Sorry mate-we dont do stuff like that anymore. Twenty grandish for a new donk, fitted!"

So I did it myself. £1600 quid for the pump overhaul and injector nozzles. This included buying an airbag to lift the power unit enough to get to three inaccessible bolts.

They dont care about service and repairs down the line. They have a captive market who, apart from pattern service items can go nowhere else.

 

[ChromeDome]

Thats OK for service parts-Yanmar dont make many of those.

Some years ago I needed a head gasket for a four cylinder Yanmar diesel.

It was a couple of quid short of 400 quid.

That is really taking the piss!

I asked for a quote from a large South Coast Yanmar agent to remove and refit the injector pump on our current boat.

"Sorry mate-we dont do stuff like that anymore. Twenty grandish for a new donk, fitted!"

So I did it myself. £1600 quid for the pump overhaul and injector nozzles. This included buying an airbag to lift the power unit enough to get to three inaccessible bolts.

They dont care about service and repairs down the line. They have a captive market who, apart from pattern service items can go nowhere else.

Indeed.

Volvo here quoted £ 1.780 for a coolant and oil heat exchanger service (cleaning) on a 200 hp TAMD-series green lump.

This mate has twin TAMD's and decided to DIY. He's a carpenter by trade and wasn't comfortable fixing the engines.
The first one took him 4 hours, the second one took him 2½ hours.

All good and no problems. Some £ 3.400 stayed in his pocket

 

[capnsensible]

Thats OK for service parts-Yanmar dont make many of those.

Some years ago I needed a head gasket for a four cylinder Yanmar diesel.

It was a couple of quid short of 400 quid.

That is really taking the piss!

I asked for a quote from a large South Coast Yanmar agent to remove and refit the injector pump on our current boat.

"Sorry mate-we dont do stuff like that anymore. Twenty grandish for a new donk, fitted!"

So I did it myself. £1600 quid for the pump overhaul and injector nozzles. This included buying an airbag to lift the power unit enough to get to three inaccessible bolts.

They dont care about service and repairs down the line. They have a captive market who, apart from pattern service items can go nowhere else.

Yeah it does pay to shop around. On a much smaller scale, I use a friends yacht with a Yanmar engine. The ignition switch has been playing up. £70 for a yanmar replacement, £20 for similar on ebay.

Fortunately I know how to short the solenoid to get home!!

But we never mess about with filter and oil change intervals ...or water pump impellor. Or fan belt.

 

[ChromeDome]

I know how to short the solenoid !!

Oh, so you're the villain!

 

[ChromeDome]

Thats OK for service parts-Yanmar dont make many of those.

Some years ago I needed a head gasket for a four cylinder Yanmar diesel.

It was a couple of quid short of 400 quid.

That is really taking the piss!

I asked for a quote from a large South Coast Yanmar agent to remove and refit the injector pump on our current boat.

"Sorry mate-we dont do stuff like that anymore. Twenty grandish for a new donk, fitted!"

So I did it myself. £1600 quid for the pump overhaul and injector nozzles. This included buying an airbag to lift the power unit enough to get to three inaccessible bolts.

They dont care about service and repairs down the line. They have a captive market who, apart from pattern service items can go nowhere else.

In cases where the base engines are sourced from manufacturers who supply industries like cars etc., aftermarket parts are easier to find.

Yanmar makes its own engines (e.g., the 3.4-liter 4-cyl) but also sources from BMW (its 3—and 5—series 6-cyl diesel) and Toyota (not least 6LPA-DTP based on the Toyota 1HD-T engine, which is commonly found in Toyota Land Cruisers.

The other way around, certain Yanmars are rebranded as John Deere, Holland, Antonio Carraro, Bobcat, Komatsu, Terex, Manitou, Case

 

[capnsensible]

Oh, so you're the villain!

I thought it was essential nautical knowledge.......

 

[Irish Rover]

Plenty of alternatives/compatibles.

Parts-crossreference.com - Search parts cross references
Oil filter cross reference
Fuel filter cross reference

For engine oil be aware that while the required spec may be obsolete, oils are backwards compatible within same type so easy to pick something available to you.

I searched these sites for alternatives for the Yanmar oil filters, fuel filters, anodes, impellers and belts and found nothing. Maybe just me being dense of course .

 

[VicS]

I searched these sites for alternatives for the Yanmar oil filters, fuel filters, anodes, impellers and belts and found nothing. Maybe just me being dense of course .

Try Inline filters Inline Filters - UK's leading Filter Specialists

 

[Sandy]

So is there an argument (YBW loves an argument) for me servicing less often?

No.

 

[B27]

Before I move on let me just say my intention is follow the Yanmar schedule unless someone knowledgeable convinces me it's safe and wise to do otherwise. But for those who think servicing is cheap think again. A 250 hour service kit for one of my engines was €600 + VAT so €720. The oil was €120 and the Yanmar service charge is €360 including VAT. So €1,200 x 2 = €2,400 so €500 per month.
And before guys queue up to tell me how easy it is to DIY it's not an option for me. My engines are under the bunks with minimal access, and I'm the wrong side of 70 with arthritis in every joint.

One way of looking at this is that the engines are always reducing in value.
When you come to sell your boat, people will adjust the value according to the engine hours.
A Commercial operator will budget for engine replacement after a certain number of hours.

Using the best oil and the most frequent change schedule might prolong the engine life by some factor, but it will never make it last forever, or give it the value of a new engine after 20 years.
So there come a level of 'diminishing returns' .
With my car, it's a matter of looking after the engine well enough that it keeps working longer than the bodywork, electrics and all that.
Eventually my car will be a crock with 200,000 miles on it and nobody will care about the service history or whether I've wasted £££ on main dealer services. But I don't want the engine to die while the car is still worth money.
My bike on the other hand is a classic, so it's always worth looking after the engine to the nth degree.

Personally, I would be looking at some sort of intermediate service and maybe oil analysis.
I believe some people with industrial engines for instance do an 'intermediate service' every few months, which is '10 minute job'. Take the oil out by suction, replace with fresh oil. It's not just the cost of writing down the value of the engine, it's the cost of owning extra machines to cover the servicing downtime.

 

[Irish Rover]

Try Inline filters Inline Filters - UK's leading Filter Specialists

They don't recognise my oil filter part no but they list an alternative for the diesel filter @£15.46 plus VAT. The cheapest I've found an original is £111.41 incl VAT. Would you trust it

 

[PeterBoater]

"Would you trust it" Yes. I've used their filters for years. I'm surprised they can't match your oil filter; try giving them a call.

 

[Sandy]

I bet @Irish Rover would hate owing an aircraft where things are replaced on either time on the aircraft, landings or miles flown.

 

[pandos]

I'd be looking at a way to make oil changes easier such as a pump fitted permanently to the engine like Some Beta engines have. It takes almost zero effort to open the valves and pump out the hot oil, (in fact I sucked the oil out with a 12 volt pump) no need to even pump the pump. You really just need a pipe with a banjo fitting and bolt in the sump drain. it's probably already fitted...

Then pump the fresh oil into the oil filler. No juggling with oil cans and messing about. Probably not too complicated to fit a remote fill pipe for the oil.

40 years of high mileage driving with vans diggers and dumpers tells me never skimp on the quality of the oil or time between changes.

If a spin on fuel filter is good enough for a 100k euro truck van or bmw I'd say it would be fine for your engines. I usually try to get Bosch on Amazon, but even buying the original Kubota filters, (for the Beta ) from an agricultural place was cheaper than spurious stuff from Chandlers and motor factors..

I changed the fuel filter holders on my last engine to accept standard Bosch/original Iveco spin on filters. I had intended to fit a vacuum gauge and a change over system but did not bother,

With twin engines you could just stagger the fuel filter changes so you would have a warning if one became blocked, likewise with impellers and belts. (I usually cut open the old filters to have a look).

Industrial places that sell digger and tractor parts, who may be supplying plant hire companies, are a great source for knowledge of machines, comparable parts and what's good or bad to use.

Put up the reference numbers for your original service parts

 

[Irish Rover]

Put up the reference numbers for your original service parts