whats the best book on marine diesels

[lilianroyle]

Can someone recommend the best book(s) for a not very knowledgable would be diesel mechanic?
I'm in the process of moving from sail to motor and need to take the engine side of things more seriously
thanks in advance.

 

[BruceK]

There is I believe a RYA course on diesel familiarization. The best book of course will be the workshop manuals for the diesel in the boat you choose. For the vast majority of us self help DIY servicing becomes almost synonymous with mobo ownership.

 

[AndieMac]

Boatowner’s
Mechanical and Electrical Manual
by Nick Calder
Fourth edition

 

[Canopy Locked]

MCA Approved engine course - plenty places that do them -
MCA Approved Engine Course (AEC) - Emsworth, Hampshire.

 

[volvopaul]

MCA Approved engine course - plenty places that do them -
MCA Approved Engine Course (AEC) - Emsworth, Hampshire.

The problem with RYA courses is that they only cover very basics , very often the engine they use is a fossil dragged up from the bottom of the sea .
People have modern engines these days of which bears no resemblance to the course offered .
You would be better buying what you buy and learning about it in depth from your own engineer .

 

[BruceK]

The problem with RYA courses is that they only cover very basics , very often the engine they use is a fossil dragged up from the bottom of the sea .

I checked, I still have both mine

 

[Greg2]

The problem with RYA courses is that they only cover very basics , very often the engine they use is a fossil dragged up from the bottom of the sea .
People have modern engines these days of which bears no resemblance to the course offered .
You would be better buying what you buy and learning about it in depth from your own engineer .

I did the MCA diesel course a couple of years ago and they did indeed use an old Yacht engine so nothing like those to be found in the average Mobo. That said we did learn some basics about Diesel engines

 

[Assassin]

Your main problem is that there are no set standards for diesel engines so for the basics any auto/industrial diesel engine manual for older diesels will give you the basics of diesel engine operation.

Money is the main issue and when diesel engines advanced most manufacturers did their own thing with regards to electronics and the way they control their engines so as VP and others have said you need to be model specific.

 

[BruceK]

To be fair, on a electronic cpu controlled engine the DIY tasks dont really extend past the owners manual on that score but the servicing components do. Understanding how to do basic servicing is pretty universal. Filter, oil, belt changes. Tappets. Raw water cooling systems, impeller filter baskets etc. Winterizing. Nobody starts out doing injection timing and the like and certain things should always be left to the professionals. But getting to the point where the owner can do basic stuff come end of season is not rocket science and with a modicum of familiarity well within the reach of most owners and I'd go so far as to say that all owners should know regardless of whether they do the work or not.

 

[Baddox]

I have an as-new copy of this book which several posters have recommended in the past. If you’re interested, PM your address to me and I’ll post it to you.

 

[Mr Googler]

I like book of Volvopaul

no preamble.....just the facts.

you won’t always like what the “book“ is saying.....but it will always be right! ???

 

[volvopaul]

I like book of Volvopaul

no preamble.....just the facts.

you won’t always like what the “book“ is saying.....but it will always be right! ???

There is no paper version but I might write one when I retire , it will contain the facts of 30 plus years experience, no holes barred as you might say , get your tissues ready .

 

[jrudge]

Bear in mind that as an owner you have only 2 things you can really do.

- service it
- get it going at sea.

Servicing is mostly fluids and filters until time to reset valve clearances etc.

Getting it going is likely to be fuel filters , impellers , a belt or a basic electrical issue. More than that you are unlikely to be able to fix it anyway.

Both of the above require a set of parts and the tools and know how to fit them.

 

[Portofino]

The owners manuals I have used a VP and currently a MAN handbook ( bearing in mind boats come with one per motor ) , so one @ home ...for consumable parts sourcing and the other on the boat , generally have the service stuff in there .
The valve lash inc , all the fluid drainage + specific winterisation for those in N climates .
They imho do assume some basic IC diesel or otherwise knowledge.

eg with the MAN manual + fuel filters it does not say anything about turning on the ignition when trying to use the manual lift pump to remove air .Nice pictures + Eng showing you how to change the spin ons etc .
Then at the end a hand pumping the lift pump up and down with a 10 mm spanner on the drain vent .....until the bubbles turn to free flow before you nip it up .
Point is no mention of turning on the ignition which opens the fuel solenoid .With out that nuance very little comes out , insufficient to accurately bleed .You can feel resistance/ vacuum on the pump plunger with the ig off .

I did the valves myself with a mate + an adapted ratchet to about 1m long....to swing about to bar ( rotate the engines ) .
Very simple as each cylinder has a separate cap , clear of anything so just two bolts and you are in .The gaskets are superbly engineered and we reused it .All Ok no seeps .

As far as EDC and other lets call it electrotwackerey that my barrier ,stop point .= Time for factory trained pros .
Same applies for major disassembly, not so much the technique ....more the scale + weight of the components, and the tricks of the trade at reassemble re gaskets etc .Don't fancy risking air + water to mix on the inlet side .


I do find personality it’s incredibly difficult to reconcile professional services fees and annual consumables the parts even the oils fully MAN spec I get at a fraction , plus no VAT to be added and labour is free , which then VAT ed .
I know they have to drive + general business overheads , but this year the 75L of oil cost be equivalent of £200 from a Swiss agri shop,and yes MAN 3275 spec .Other parts less than £100 , - oil filters + 6 fuel .
Its 1000 s maybe 3-4000 € for a MAN agent .
As far as labour ....this year me + Mrs Porto ....marina staff bring empties and remove full ...took a morning 3 hrs to do both .
Putting some perspective on it ...DIY vs Pros ...last year we only did 75 hrs and I feel this year it will be less for obvious reasons .
So it’s not as if we are in Nordy setting off for Antarctica in one hit .Thinking lorry or bus hrs etc ...you know how many times between oil changes those rings go up and down ....not a lot on a ave boat compared .

Air filters + impellers don’t need doing this time .

I have a copy of the RYA book , the basics .Depends on the OP s baseline if it’s pitched too low ?
+ as said the manuals .
Also in the manuals comes a fault finder specific to that engine for the “ get it going @sea “ scenario .