How old is your diesel engine?

The engine in my fishing vessel is a Gardner 6LW. Over 60 years old, still all original except for the cooling pump. Leaks a bit of oil and burns about 2 litres a week when I work regular. I tell people I'm semi retired and only work about 2 or 3 times a week now. Engine runs about 8 to 10 hours a day.

Gardner's are probably the best thing ever to come out of Great Britain.
 
Re: Like people it not the years that count

Reccon diesels are like people, good fuel, regeular exercise, a portion of TLC and they will last for ever! My MD2B circa 1976 has just died of the engine eqivelent of coranary heart desease - it was laid up doing nothing (as was the rest of the boat) for 10+ years before I got her but although it has feww hours it just went into a terminal decline. Could be rebuilt but on the other hand the new beta will give us enough power to motor into a F6-7 and we wont need ear protection when its running!!
 
That's my guesstimate average of a mix of commuting stuck in Glasgow traffic where the motorway's a 5 lane car park and open roads where I can suit myself. Since retirement from full time employment the traffic jams are now a thing of the past and my average speed is rising! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
My Petter PH2WRMR diesel is still happily thumping away after 38 years of service. It starts very easily by hand. I use the original 'old spec' oils for the sump/gearbox and the reduction gear.
In my garage sits an identical unit (courtesy of Ebay earlier this year) in perfect running order, so I have an immediate source of spares, or, should the need arise, a complete spare unit, so hopefully many more years of chugging under Petter power!

Doug
 
"Give an engine clean air, clean fuel and clean coolant and it'll run forever." The edict of any transport engineer and their engines run hours and conditions that would embarrass most boat engines.
 
2 x 10.4 litre GMC Torroflow V8's fitted in 1972 with two spares, after much fettling and loss of skin now seem to run well (please god let them continue to do so).
 
Bedford 466 from breakers yard with 200,000 miles on the click when fitted in the boat. 900 hours runnning including round Britain trip (one gallon of oil a day) before replacing with new Cummins and selling Bedford to Nigerian fisherman.
 
Ours is an MD11C 1979. Reconditioned before I bought the boat four years ago. Well looked after and very reliable, always starts first time and only stops when I want it to.
 
Volvo MD2 no 5236 which I think means 1968. Still hand starts easily, even in cold weather, but badly needs descaling, which it will get this winter. Has never stopped , once started, but has been stopped for melting its Vetus waterlock box once.

The stern shaft, gland and A bracket, btw, are off the original 1937 Kelvin E2.
 
My (1980) Volvo TAMD40's ran sweetly until a few weeks ago when an exhaust valve broke up....ouch! That engine is currently in bits and the head away for repair. I still don't know what cuased it, but I'm suspecting a tight valve...so it's not obvious age caused it. The annoying this is that servicing and maintenance has been the top of my list during the 5 years I've owned the boat. Maybe they'll run better if I leave them alone ;o)

Other than that I have a Volvo 850 TDI with 251,000 on the clock. Looking under the bonnet, you wouldn't know it had done 20,000 miles. Fingers crossed, that'll keep going...time will tell I guess!

Cheers,
Paul
 
My 1983 Yanmar 1GM (pre 1GM10) is still running, tho' it's had several new bits due to abuse of the salt water in the bores variety over the years. Starts better than ever since the head had to be skimmed, especially as I use road fuel these days.
 
Early 70s Thorneycroft T90. Had some fuel problems and latterly a bit of overheating but basic engine runs well and uses hardly any oil.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
At an average of around 40 mph

[/ QUOTE ] I think I may have been stuck behind you. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
40 mph is a pretty high average, if you have a car with one of them computer thingys it gives your your average mph. unless you are charging up and down a motorway every day you will be lucky to average 30mph.
The proof is on my dashboard
 
Well I'm impressed by the number of old boat engines here! We'll soon need a Classic Engine Section in the forum /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Probably the biggest risk to many of these well-loved engines is the lack of spares as time goes by...
 
My late 50's 4-99 only seized due to outside error ... not engines fault.
The 4-107 that replaced it is estimated 60's / early 70's engine and purrs along ...

I expect it to outlast my time with the boat ....
 
Not diesel, I know, but my Stuart Turner P55 is 50 years old, and still runs sweet as a nut. Never let me down, always starts first dab of the starter motor - and during a windless week a couple of years ago it pushed a 6 tonner from the Crouch to Plymouth, without missing a beat. Only trouble was , the boat "hung a right" every time we saw a petrol pump!
 
Mines a whippersnapper at only 22 Years old.
Green jobbie 105 hp ,keeps going but likes lots of TLC!
1981 Ford Memaid on prevoius vessel,proper engine that one.
Needed Ear Muffs when on Full Chat engine was positioned next to the Helm!
Wife to Skipper---"DER WANNA CUP OF TEA! PARDON "DER WANNA CUP OF TEA "
Skipper "WHO,S FALLEN IN THE SEA?"
Apart from that what an engine! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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