Yanmar engine anode life

[gordmac]

Looking for a boat and come across one with twin 4cyl Yanmars. Present owner is not mechanically knowledgeable and has had the boat about three years and around 550 hours.
I think the oil may have been changed once or twice but nothing else. I believe there are five anodes in the raw water system, don't think they will have been looked at. I would think they will be more or less non existent, how much damage will that likely have caused?
Anything else I should be considering about them? They seem well enough regarded.
Thanks in advance!

 

[PeterBoater]

The engines will need a 500 hour service if the manual calls for one, if not 500 hours then the nearest service to the 550 hours and the three years, plus all the jobs that would have been done at all the earlier services, such as belt and filter changes. Perhaps factor the cost of the service into your offer price. The only way of finding out if there has been any damage due to worn anodes would be to strip the heat exchangers and all other raw water components for visual examination, probably a costly exercise. Yanmar anodes are a bit of a variable feast, the four cylinder 4JH2-UTE, for example, doesn't have any at all but the six cylinder 6LPA series (admittedly not your engines) have between four and six, depending on the individual engines; the manual can be wrong on the number of anodes. Anode wear can be unpredictable; even when following the manual's anode checking/replacement schedule, some can be almost completely gone and others almost like new. Sounds like the gearboxes will need servicing too. In general, however, Yanmars are good ,tough, reliable engines. Some are used in continuous pumps, expected to run for 100,000 hours non-stop except for services.

 

[gordmac]

Thanks. Just a bit concerned about cooler corrosion. I think the engines are 4lha-dtp but the only thing on the photos is a plate with rcd6ly2x1 which implies a six. Four injectors though.