Vetus - Mitsubishi engines

[johna]

I am looking to re-power and the M3.28 Mitsubishi by Vetus would fit well and the fact that the raw water pump and fuel filter are located on the side (usually prefered to be on the front) would be of benefit as my only access to the front is from the top and side.

I do not know of anyone with a Vetus engine and therefore it would be helpful to hear from anyone who has experience of them. Cost and availability of spares etc.. I have owned Yanmars and fitted a Beta in a previous boat so I know the advantages of those engines, but with the offer avaialable on the Vetus for LIBS it is very attractive.

Look forward to members views.

 

[Koeketiene]

Guapa's fitted with a Vetus engine - P4-21. But it's Peugeot based.

No had any major problems - blocked fuel line (could have happened to any engine) and a small electrical problem (loose contact). Other than that nothing.

Have not had any problems obtaining parts either in the UK or continental Europe. Could not say further afield.

 

[david_bagshaw]

our bow thrust and 15kva generator are powered by an m3.10. Done thousands of hours @ 3000 rpm

A very robust engine, had problems with the heatexchanger exhaust elbow casting, but this was much improved by a later version. equally the pump drive was improved. Imagine the m3 refers to the same cyl block


spares easily available inuk as engine is popular in canal boats, have used uk supply and mainly in nl.

 

[halcyon]

Had a new Vetus 13 hp back around 1995. Lost a complete season sailing due to problems with installation, due to engineer and engine due to Vetus after sales service.
Leson learnt,
Check out proposed installation, our engineer had it totally wrong ( he was an official Vetus dealer ), keep photos, notes and copies of all letters, make notes of conversations.
If you have to chase Vetus with a problem, phone at least twice a day, every day, after a few weeks they get totally fed up and listen to you.
Not a happy bunny, but spent around £4,000 on engine, ended up fitting the engine myself, and spent 5 months tied up on pontoon, with un-useable engine.

Brian

 

[ridgy]

I have an M2.04 which is basically the same engine with one less cyclinder. Not much report really, starts everytime and only stops when I tell it so no complaints. I get my bits from either ASAP or www.abcpm.co.uk

 

[boatmike]

I fitted a Vetus Mitsubishi M4 as original equipment 4 years ago (built the boat myself). apart from regular oil changes I have done nothing to it. It starts first time, runs well, and does everything it says on the tin. The basic engine is in vans, trucks, industrial equipment and loads of stuff worldwide, if you want spares you are not reliant on Vetus therefore and they should not go obsolete as quickly as some other makes designed specifically for the marine market. Frankly some, (but not all) of these are designed for light leisure duty only and nowhere as robust as the Mitsubishi which is a heavy duty plonker. The Vetus bits, (manifolds etc) are equally robust and things like heat exchangers are on the shelf of most dealers. If not Vetus direct in Southampton can always get things to you by post. Good choice I reckon....

 

[ShipsWoofy]

We had an old 2 cylinder unit that when running was a lovely motor, much smoother and quieter than the yanmar 3GM in the other hull.

I fell out of love with it quickly as the heat exchanger rotted and replacement cost wrote the engine off. I replaced with single cylinder yanmars to reduce weight.

The things that sometimes concerned me, but did not give problems included the electric shut off and heaters. No method to reduce compression and no way to hand start.

As said my concerns never came to fruition, maybe it is being an engineery type that I look at machinery with a view to what will go wrong or need repairing as it ages. The modern units seem to be far more electronic than the one we had!

I like agricultural engines on yachts, after all they are auxiliary power. Though I must admit a few more cylinders would be nice when motoring home on mirror seas just for the smoother sound.

OTOH. Pug diesels are generally the best engines in cars, so maybe VETUS pugs are a different beast. (thinking while I write) every problem I had with my Citroen diesel engine was electrical, such as fuel stops jamming on (twice).

Beta nanni and yanmar appear to be the favorites around here.