QSM11 repair questions

SeaNile · Jan 20, 2022

Couple of questions regarding QSM repairs completed.

Back in 2013 a lot of repairs and maintenance was done on the engines and genset before the current owner purchased the boat and brought it from FL to his home port. Broker said, which makes complete sense to me, that the owner wanted absolutely anything and everything gone over and repaired before he brought the boat up the coast.

Engines- exhaust manifolds port and starboard were noted to be leaking so everything was disassembled, cleaned, replaced, etc. New manifolds, new gaskets, new bolts, thermostats, expansion tanks, etc. (20k repair). Oil noted to be leaking from oil pan- both engines had new front cover and gaskets installed (28k repair). New raw water hoses installed, valves adjusted and a few other minor things like zincs replaced.

Generator-remove and install new isolators, replace main bearing, belts, heat exchanger gaskets, valve adjustment (4200 bill)

So with these items being addressed in 2013 and also the usual oil changes, impeller changes current will those major items listed above need to be done again or have all the QSM issues been resolved and I'm good to go? I haven't confirmed the props, GPH or WOT info which is vital to these engines. Looks to me like the heat exchangers and after coolers need to be cleaned again but other than that the boat seems very well cared for with documentation of all the work done.

It's a weird feeling. In the back of my mind I know all these repairs are a good thing but when I add up the bills and see over 50k in receipts my initial instinct is to run!

Thoughts?

quality time · Jan 20, 2022

My initial thought is that somebody took the owner for a ride. $28k to replace the front cover gaskets? I know the front of the engine needs lifted to do this job but that sounds ridiculous.

If the manifolds are not currently leaking and the boat's been propped to keep load and fuel burn down I say you're good. Other than cleaning the coolers and exchangers as you mentioned but honestly that is the best time to repair the manifolds if needed since you're already in that far.

Jeremygavin · Jan 20, 2022

quality time said:
My initial thought is that somebody took the owner for a ride. $28k to replace the front cover gaskets? I know the front of the engine needs lifted to do this job but that sounds ridiculous.

If the manifolds are not currently leaking and the boat's been propped to keep load and fuel burn down I say you're good. Other than cleaning the coolers and exchangers as you mentioned but honestly that is the best time to repair the manifolds if needed since you're already in that far.

Agreed. If they got the fuel burn corrected then you have a much better chance of being good with the manifolds. As some have said, it is a crap shoot whether or not they will leak again. I have been lucky, my boat had around 950hrs last winter when we did all the maintenance to it with VERY little soot showing. I had the manifolds trued up, bolts replaced, ect just because we had everything else off and out of the way. I had bought the boat in 2017 with about 630hrs on it and it was way over propped but had been that way for the first 630hrs with no signs of exhaust leaks at the survey. I immediately brought the pitch down so the last 300hrs were at the correct fuel burn. Most of my cruising is at 2000rpms.

tc410 · Jan 20, 2022

@SeaNile, the manifold leaks are easy to spot. Look for black dust where the manifold bolts to the engine. It’s easy to spot against the white engine paint. If you don’t see any, then you should be in good shape. The other repairs that you mention don’t seem normal or routine to me, so I wouldn’t expect to encounter them again.

SeaNile · Jan 20, 2022

It's a good feeling to finally have a documented history of a boat with receipts and description of work. Once the big stuff was done at the time of purchase in 2013 it looks like all routine stuff with the last oil change being in June of 2021.

SeaNile · Mar 6, 2022

Went to check out the boat again yesterday and managed to take more pictures. I can't find any black dust anywhere on the engines. From talking to the broker, diesel guy that works on the boat and the owner this boat was maintained with an open check book.

See anything to be concerned about?

SeaNile · Mar 6, 2022

More pics

tc410 · Mar 6, 2022

@SeaNile Check your very last three pics. Looks like you could have some coolant leaking out of the fittings. Cummins use blue coolant.

SeaNile · Mar 6, 2022

And more...

tc410 said:
@SeaNile Check your very last three pics. Looks like you could have some coolant leaking out of the fittings. Cummins use blue coolant.

I wasn't sure that what blue stuff was given it was visible on both engines. At first I thought it could be a kind of grease, etc.

If it is coolant, is this an easy fix? Just tighten up the bolts?

Jeremygavin · Mar 6, 2022

Non of the pics are of the area where you would look see the exhaust leaks. You need to look between the heat exchanger and head to see where the exhaust manifolds mount to the head. This is where you would see soot if you had a leak. You are looking for diesel soot around the mounting flanges on the exhaust manifolds.

Strecker25 · Mar 6, 2022

SeaNile said:
And more...

I wasn't sure that what blue stuff was given it was visible on both engines. At first I thought it could be a kind of grease, etc.

If it is coolant, is this an easy fix? Just tighten up the bolts?

not a Cummins guy so this could be off base but what metal is that flange? It almost looks like oxidation

ttmott · Mar 6, 2022

tc410 said:
@SeaNile Check your very last three pics. Looks like you could have some coolant leaking out of the fittings. Cummins use blue coolant.

That piping is all raw water. It almost looks like some sort of a sealant; there should be nothing but a coat of lubricant on the O-Rings behind those flanges. I wonder what that is all about....

TNT8808 · Mar 6, 2022

@ttmott...did they use some type of bronze adapter? I blew up the pic, and it looks like it's potentially oxidized with some type of grey lube or never seize as well.

Screen Shot 2022-03-06 at 6.29.10 PM.png

ttmott · Mar 6, 2022

TNT8808 said:
@ttmott...did they use some type of bronze adapter? I blew up the pic, and it looks like it's potentially oxidized with some type of grey lube or never seize as well.
View attachment 122029

I seem to remember those AC closeout plates being bronze. Could be corrosion from a raw water weep.... But it looks odd..

tc410 · Mar 6, 2022

ttmott said:
That piping is all raw water. It almost looks like some sort of a sealant; there should be nothing but a coat of lubricant on the O-Rings behind those flanges. I wonder what that is all about....

Being on the raw water side was exactly my concern. Seeing something that looks like anti-freeze on the raw water side is never a good sign. I suspected some sort of corrosion initially as others have mentioned, but zooming in, the blue stains appear to run down the engine at point of attachment. Anyway, hopefully a simple solution, but I’ve never seen something like that before.

Maybe A Dancer · Mar 6, 2022

TNT8808 said:
@ttmott...did they use some type of bronze adapter? I blew up the pic, and it looks like it's potentially oxidized with some type of grey lube or never seize as well.
View attachment 122029

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I used this product on a raw water hose that required removal to access a zinc on my Yanmars:

Rectorseal Blue Pipe Thread Sealant 1.75 oz - Ace Hardware

It made the periodic removal so much easier

could be a coincidence, but it looked EXACTLY like what appears in the photo above.

RWS

SeaNile · Mar 7, 2022

Frustrating….I got one very reputable Cummins guy saying everything is fine, don’t over think it but clean up the area, new gasket and lots of grease. Other well known (yet a little in your face) says they look like shit, leaking coolant, gasket dust is everywhere, heads are leaking and guarantees the engines won’t reach 2370.

Scheduling survey for next week. Not even sure who to trust anymore. I could always go with “ignorance is bliss” attitude!!

Jeremygavin · Mar 7, 2022

That is concerning that you got two different opinions on the motors. Is there one guy you would trust his opinion over the other?
The chrome piping is carrying seawater from the seawater pump to the inlet on heat exchanger and then from the heat exchanger to the after cooler. I have to assume the blue is seawater corrosion and not antifreeze because I don’t believe there’s any antifreeze at those connections.

quality time · Mar 7, 2022

I agree that looks like corrosion from seawater leaks, strange that all of the connections are leaking though. It also looks like the area where the wiring harness plugs are has been repainted bright white. This isn't a normal area to touch up so was this replaced?

Seems the seawater leaks should have been evident to the owner especially with engine access on a Dancer.

Maybe A Dancer · Mar 7, 2022

Suggest spraying some BRAKLEEN solvent on the mystery blue stuff

If it melts off easily it may just be excess blue sealant shown above.

If it doesn't then you can rule this possibility out.

BEST !

RWS

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