How long does a NB Diesel Last

[nb maggie]

I was wondering, from experience if people could say how long that an engine has lasted before being replaced or a major re-build.

 

I know it will depend on:

 

The engine

How well its serviced

Whether its used for short or long runs

How much its working when driving the boat

How much is spent charging batteries etc etc etc

 

But it might ne nice to know if people could say the make of the engine and size, size of boat and how many years and /or running hours it was working.

[dor]

My Mitsubishi 1.5 has done over 7,000 hours. It starts easily, doesn't smoke excessively and doesn't rattle uncomfortably. I change the oil every 250 - 300 hours. I have no reason to believe it won't go on for a lot longer. Mostly uased for cruising - I don't run it much for charging.

 

When I first got the boat it had done about 5,000 hours. I tried relating that to a car engine and equivalent miles and thought it must be about done. However you have to remember that a canal boat engine is relatively lightly stressed.

 

I'm told that 10,000 hours is not unreasonable. Can't say the same for gearboxes though.

[David Schweizer]

I'm told that 10,000 hours is not unreasonable.  Can't say the same for gearboxes though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

10,000 hours - barely run in! My BMC 1.5 has done over 20,000 hours the only significant maintenance has been a service replacement head at about 17,000 hours. The Newage PRM 160D (now called a 260D) gearbox is still the original and as far as I am aware has had no maintenance apart from a replacement drive plate. However it is a much larger (and more expensive) box than those fitted by most modern builders, so it should last longer.

[John Orentas]

As has been said narrowboat engines have a very easy life, change the oil regularly and there is no reason why they should not live for 20 - 30,000 hours.

 

A heavily worked lorry in use 10 hours a day for 5 years will notch up 15,000 hours. Many will do much more than that.

 

The life of a gearbox is very dependent on how well the engine assembly has been installed, many are subjected to extreme stresses simply because inadequate or too few drive couplings have been used.

[maffi mushkila]

I was wondering, from experience if people could say how long that an engine has lasted before being replaced or a major re-build.

 

I know it will depend on:

 

The engine

How well its serviced

Whether its used for short or long runs

How much its working when driving the boat

How much is spent charging batteries etc etc etc

 

But it might ne nice to know if people could say the make of the engine and size, size of boat and how many years and /or running hours it was working.

 

I have always been led to believe that a Diesel properly treated will last a life time.

 

And given that they have a relatively easy life on a narrow boat maybe two life times.

[Guest]

Modern truck engines have been known to do many hundreds of thousand miles without more than routine servicing (we saw a Scania at a truck fest with over one million on original engine). A lot depends on the driver. The man who fitted our Vetus claimed that diesels like to work hard, and hated charging batteries off load-his words not mine. The Yanmar single pot engine in our previous boat was from about 1972 and had spent its life in two different boats, but regretably had no hour indicator so I don't know how many hours it had run

[awatsonbcp]

most cars will average around 30 mph over their lifetime-less if used in L ondon!

 

10000 hours would be equivalent to 300000 miles by my reckining.

 

not much if you never rev above 2100 rpm

 

alan