Replacement engine questions

[oldbilbo]

I've been offered a Beta "10 uprated to 14" by an experienced specialist. Apparently it has done about 30 hours, and was recovered from a beached 'total loss' and completely stripped/rebuilt.

What questions ought one to ask? What answers would satisfy....?

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

The asking price?

The most - and, probably, the only - 'satisfying answer' would be the sound of it purring away before the purchase is finalised.

 

[sarabande]

Will it fit the present gearbox ?

If the output power is bigger than the present donk, will you need/want to change the prop ?

Length of warranty ?

Availability of spare belts and filters (should not be a problem with Beta)

What's the cooling system - direct /indirect ? Is that the same as the currently installed one ?

Will it need new engine mounts ?


Basically if it is a (near) shoe-in for the present one, with not many structural / operating changes needed, then the controlling decision is the piggy bank.

 

[Avocet]

Was there any seawater ingress? (satisfactory answer = "no", but if not, then it would depend on whether it was running at the time the water got in. If it was, I think I might walk away). If it wasn't running when the water got in, I think I'd ask what the extent of the water damage was; how long it was in the engine, and which bits had been replaced as a result.

I'd also ask about a warranty. Satisfactory answer would be "6 months "return to base" parts & labour" - in which case, you'd have to pull the engine out and ship it if it went wrong, but the repair would be covered.

I'd want to know what the modifications were to turn it into a 14 from a 10. I don't know the product well, but it might be that they're the same and the 10 just has an air restrictor in it and a stop on the fuel pump. That would be fine, but if the 14 has other uprated components (bigger bearings, cooling pump etc) and those changes hadn't been made, I'd be a bit more wary.

There are other questions that you can probably get from the Beta website - like installation angles, engine mount footprint, overall dimensions , gearbox-to-proshaft coupling dimensions, gear linkage position and travel (to mate up with your existing Mores control), throttle travel etc.

Also (not that it will help you with this decision!) if it's going into a Cutlass, I might be interested to know how well it fits!

 

[Tranona]

The 14 is the same basic engine as the 10 but is fueled run at 3600 rpm rather than 3000. There are detailed differences in spec such as alternator and from memory fuel filters. 10hp is more than enough for your boat. In addition to checking what was done to the engine it would help to have the gearbox, but check the ratio and all the ancilliaries as the cot of these can soon add up.