Marinizing a Kubota Z482 with Nanni 2.40HE Parts – Seeking Advice

[DMarius]

Hi there!

My sailboat is equipped with an old Nanni diesel 2.40HE, which unfortunately overheats due to an exhaust leak into the cooling water. Despite replacing the cylinder head gasket and having the cylinder head resurfaced, the problem persists. It seems likely that either the cylinder head or the engine block is cracked, making the engine beyond reasonable repair.

The exhaust manifold has been pressure-tested with compressed air and appears to be intact. Additionally, the heat exchanger was replaced with an external Bowman heat exchanger before I acquired the boat, and it functions properly.

I have the opportunity to purchase a used Kubota Z482 and am now wondering about the possibility of marinizing it using parts from the Nanni 2.40HE, which is based on the Kubota Z400 (the predecessor to the Z482). Has anyone attempted this? Do the gearbox bolts/bellhouse and exhaust manifold fit?

Extensive online searches have not yielded any descriptions of others who have undertaken this conversion. Are there any other potential issues I might encounter? I would appreciate any input.

Thank you!

 

[Tranona]

welcome to the forum

Suspect you are on your own with this one. Doubt that anybody has ever contemplated doing such a thing let alone actually doing it. The only way to find out is to try it or at least take the measurements . However even if the external bits look OK you will need to check the flywheel and drive plate are compatible.

 

[DMarius]

welcome to the forum

Suspect you are on your own with this one. Doubt that anybody has ever contemplated doing such a thing let alone actually doing it. The only way to find out is to try it or at least take the measurements . However even if the external bits look OK you will need to check the flywheel and drive plate are compatible.

Thank you for your response!

I was hoping to get a bit lucky and find someone with specific knowledge and experience regarding this issue. I noticed that there were discussions about converting a Z482 with Nanni 2.40/Z400 parts back in 2016 here on the forum. Unfortunately, it’s not clear whether the conversion was actually carried out, and I haven’t figured out how to send direct messages within the forum to inquire further.

I’ve found schematics for bolt placements/pattern for the bellhouse, etc., for the Z482, but it’s difficult to measure accurately while the engine is still installed. However, since the engine will be coming out soon, I’ll be able to check the measurements before deciding whether to purchase a new engine.

I will definitely keep in mind to check the compatibility of the flywheel and drive plate. Thanks again for your input, and I appreciate any further advice or information you or others might have.

 

[Tranona]

You need to become established with a few posts before you can use the messaging facility. If you have found the earlier thread you can click on the member you might want to contact to see if they are still active.

 

[Sadler25Owner]

Deleted for not reading the question properly.

 

[DMarius]

You need to become established with a few posts before you can use the messaging facility. If you have found the earlier thread you can click on the member you might want to contact to see if they are still active.

Thank you again for your response. I’ll hold off on sending private messages for now. The member is still active, but I noticed from a later post that they are now using a different type of engine, so it might not be relevant after all.

I expect to remove the engine within the day. I’ve also found a schematic for the bolt placements for the flywheel housing of the Z482, so I’m getting a bit closer. There is always some risk that things might not work as hoped, though. I’ll keep this thread updated with any developments in case it’s interesting for someone else.