petter mini 6

[david100952]

I previously considered putting my outboard in a well but the forum came to my aid and dissuaded me from that foolish plan. Now I have an opportunity to buy a reconditioned Petter Mini 6 which would seem to be about the right size to do a retrofit to my Jaguar 22. The first thing that troubles me though is a review on one website stating the motors are "Heavy, harsh noisy and hard to start". Any experience or opinions would be much appreciated.
Thanks
David

 

[sailorman]

this range of engine imho were the worst ever made /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.
lister made good engines /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif petter didnt /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif.
this is a varient of a static engine used extensivly in plant applications, generators, water pumps ect.
very prone to con-rod through the crankcase /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[chrishelen]

Hi,the petter mini six is quite a good little engine IMHO,indirect injection so they need glow plugs,also some have a little pot on the rocker box to inject oil into the bore to increase compression thus aid starting,they do suffer from hot spots in the cooling water gallerys in the head and can crack,a new head costs between 400 and 600 quid.I have just replced my petter as it was a bit underpowered for my boat,they are noisey and they are old.mine had a new head two years ago and i sold the engine for £450 and it never used to miss a beat, hope this helps.Chris.

 

[Burnham_Bob]

I think everything you've heard is probably correct as far as noise and vibration are concerned but that applies to just about any diesel of that vintage. A friend of mine used to have a mini 6 in a GK 24. He eventually replaced it with a 1GM10 Yanmar, but before that it gave sterling service pushing the boat along.

Depends how much it's going to cost you - don't forget things like propellors etc which may need to be changed.

What did you have in before? It also depends on what reconditioned means. How much has been replaced? Installation might be a major job. My old Volvo MD1 failed and my Halcyon 23 was without an inboard for a season. An outboard on a bracket on the transom was fine for pushing me along on and off moorings, and a lot of small boats around here get along fine like that, but an inboard is a better solution.

Up to you but if you can get the Petter installed as an inboard without too much effort and it's not going to cost the earth, it's probably a bit like a seagull outboard. For everyone that hates them there's someone who swears by them.

 

[Gin]

I was once considering a boat with such an engine and was warned by a diesel engineering firm that many parts, particularly those with Italian gearbox components were impossible to replace; also that as the engine had an aluminium head it was prone to heavy corrosion. The received opinion was that such engines had just about reached the end of their lifespan.

I am sure there are still many around which have been looked after and will continue to serve, but I wonder if installing one of these afresh is a wise route?

 

[pete]

I fitted a used mini twin from scratch in my ex boat about 10 years ago as it only had an outboard. It did make the boat much more manoeuvrable, more economical, and more seaworthy in my opinion with much better battery charging. all in all it was a good move.
BUT
Some of the the parts are drying up and some are very expensive.
If I was to do something like this again I would look for a more modern engine because if you go to all the trouble fitting it and something serious goes wrong with the engine or gear box soon after you may have to replace the lot
I like the 1GM10s but I suspect good secondhand ones are as rare as rocking horse ****.
pete