Lifetime of a 1GM10 ... sad

[mortehoe]

No UK Yanmar dealer would answer the question of how many engine hours will a Yanmar 1GM10 last,

Answer: Only obtainable from the USA on the phone : "Max out at 2000 hours with an average yottie usage of 80 hours per year. When the hour meter clocks 1.2k it's time for not just a new engine but a whole new propulsion kit ... "

 

[ksutton]

Yes very sad and very poor guidance from USA but not uncommon in my experience from customer support on that side of the pond.
Typically the same Yanmar engine regularly used in an industrial application, (gen set, agriculture, water pump or even every day work boat), would do a minimum of 1,500 hours a year. So according to the USA feed back you got, a new engine every year and a half, I think not and Yanmar would not be in business today if that were the case.

 

[vyv_cox]

My 3GM30 has done 1600 hours and is still just like new. Has the original belts and has never needed any form of mechanical maintenance. Uses no oil, starts instantaneously every time.

 

[blackbeard]

Am I missing something here?
2000 hours at 80 hours/year is 25 years by which time the engine might well have perished; through corrosion if nothing else.
I don't think your US contact has said anything about mechanical wear and tear. My 1GM is well over halfway to 2000 hours and shows no sign of mechanical wear; like vyv_cox's engine uses no oil.
If my car (diesel) engine had stopped at 2000 hours I would be a bit annoyed, it's way over that now and still running though I can't claim that it uses no oil.

 

[mikejames]

I managed to get the answer "at least 5000 hours" while buying spares at the local dealer based on the fact that as a water pump motive unit they run for years.

I own a 1983 1GM which has clocked somewhere about 800 hours in the last 10 years counted on a digital hour meter, and I suspect saw at least as much service with Forethought's original owner.

I have a spare injector which I exchange after having it serviced or just clean the soot off every couple of years, when the engine gets harder to start.
Exhaust elbows corrode.
Water pump bearings and spindles wear out.
Water leaks make oil pipes rust.
Alternator belts wear out every couple of years - corrosion on the pulleys made them rough, also the pulleys were misaligned with the assembly of the engine.

Not engine but semirigid coupler breaks. P bracket shakes loose with broken coupler. Propellor de-zincs when anodes vanish. Cutless bearings go every 5 years.
It still works the same , taking the boat to hull speed

 

[oldharry]

2000 hours is reckoned roughly equivalent to 80,000 miles on a car engine! Road diesels wear more quickly anyway because of the varying loads and stresses, and are generally reckoned to last 200000 miles if looked after before needing serious attention, which is equivalent to around 5000 hours running.

This assumes of course that the engine has enjoyed regular servicing and - critically - regular oil changes every 100 hours or annually. Forget the oil changes and 2000 hours engine life is probably about right!

 

[mikemonty]

No manufacturer in their right mind is going to promise you "n hours lifetime". Unless the claim is backed up with MANY provisos.
I was asked to provide this kind of guarantee recently for a rotary machine and provided at least a dozen bullet points off the top of my head that had to be met before the machine could be said to last 20 years.
One could use the machine per the manufacturers recommendations and have it last 25 years, or one could have sand in the lube oil, have it last 25 minutes and claim it was guaranteed to last 25 years.

 

[William_H]

The whole question of engine lift is a bit arbitary. It depends on having oil changes regularly and no failings of the cooling system. Then it depends on whether it has short runs or very long runs. All this of course relates only to honest wear of the pistons rings and other rotating gear. The anciliaries will fail from corrosion dpending on the environment.

It is interesting that small aircraft engines (petrol) generally have a mandatory overhaul period in the around 2000 hours but also a calender life of 20 years. The big radial engines post war in the 1800 to 4000 cubic inch displacement category were battling to make 1200 hours before total overhaul. That was for a highly stressed engine but very long runs in airline use. Now of course aircraft engines are more critical than boat. I reckon diesel engines in power generation work can last very long time. so it all depends.

Then if you are prepared to overhaul and replace components then an engine should last for ever. Like grandpa's axe with 10 new handles and 2 new heads. olewill

 

[oldharry]

Theres an old saw that says yacht engines never wear out, they always fail from either neglect, or corrosion related problems.

 

[R32Stbrigid]

My 3GM30F has clocked up 3200 hours in 13 years. Starts and runs like new, with virtually nil oil consumption.

 

[moondancer]

My understanding FWIW, is that diesels (or outboards for that matter) in leisure marine use rarely wear out. The main issue is corresion from intermittent use or lack of use, often exacerbated by poor winterisation. Anything that has contact with sea water is at further risk - which is why exhausts and heat exchangers often need replacement.

The larger Yanmars have a fresh water cooling system with a sea water heat exchanger - the 1GM10, I believe, has direct sea water cooling.

The question probably isn't how many hours will my engine last - 'cos the answer would be loads if used a lot, rather how many years will it last before corrosion is a problem.

The answer is likely to be - not as long as a fresh water cooled engine - but a long time depending on how you use it and look after it.