1990 420 with 3208 diesels EXHAUST QUESTION

see ray

Active Member
Sep 28, 2008
506
Cleveland OH / LakeSide yacht club
Boat Info
NEW 05-360 DA ,
(SOLD) 06 40DA HARD TOP. 8.1L HO 420 hp L
Previous boat 05 340 DA 8.1L 370 hp
Engines
8.1L HO 420hp
V Drives
Is there an upgrade exhaust system , so that the
diesel smell/and exhaust go away ? Has anyone
attemped this. I'm looking at buying one but we
are concern that the smell at idle and stationary
will be terrible . I know at speed it shouldn't be an issue
help !
 
They are old school diesels and that is the way they are. My Cummins are the same way. It's because they are non electronic control which in some ways is better. Once mine are running they will stay running with no electrical power.
 
Are these motors high maintenance . They look very clean,used
in fresh water only, owners highly maintained them , there are only
760 hrs on them , I read a lot about additives for fuel at fill ups ,
And filter changes , Do you have a 420 ? Are the filters easy to get too ? And how many qt,s of oil do they each take, should I use the synthetic rotella or just the regular stuff ???m
thanks in advance! For your help .My thought on the exhaust thing was, can you put the exhaust to exit underwater like the 95/96 sea ray gas motors . Would this cause back presure and wdid Ty have that on the diesels , of those years !!!




They are old school diesels and that is the way they are. My Cummins are the same way. It's because they are non electronic control which in some ways is better. Once mine are running they will stay running with no electrical power.
 
I have the 375HP 3208s in my 52' KhaShing. they have about 2200 hours and they are 30 years old. Mine run like sewing machines. They start right up, smoke a bit when cold and they have required very little maintenance other that the normal suggested items. The only fuel additives I use are Startron for Diesel as a stabilizer and to fight the algae that forms in the tank.

But they are diesels and the exhaust is going to smell like....well, a diesel. You aren't going to get away from that. I have a 2006 Ford with the 6.0 diesel and even though it is a cleaner burning motor than the Cats, you still smell diesel exhaust.

My Cats hold about 5 gallons of oil and I am currently using Delo 400 30wt. I am due for a change and I am considering going to Shell Rotella. 5 gallons is only about $70 at Wal-Mart. I would not hesitate to buy a boat with those motors but if you think you are going that direction, be sure and have the engines inspected by a qualified Cat mechanic. When I had mine inspected prior to purchase the port motor had a blown head gasket. I had the top end of that motor gone through and as well as the cooling systems on both motors. I replaced both recirculating pumps replaced, the heat exchangers cleaned out, the transmission coolers replaced, new impellors in the raw water pumps and several hoses replaced. The bill was $11,000 and the seller paid for everything. I asked and he agreed. Never be afraid to throw the poop against the wall to see what sticks.

When we first bought the boat the diesel smell was unpleasant but now 3 years later we hardly notice it.

Good luck with you decision.
 
Thank for all the info ,the boat is a 90 420 rea ray and looks like new( other than the dated / but timeless look ) it was always fresh water. A lot of boat for the$$$$ . I will get a motor/ complete survey , did you use the marina tech for motor anallisis,or did you go direct to cat
these motors are 375 hp,
 
Yes it looks new I have been on it , it was well taken care of they are realtor friends of mine,
my biggest qualm was/is that I never had a diesel boat. Lol
 
Are you at ceder point this year? That is were we intend to dock ,I sways docked at
battery park. Are there get togethers and group trips and group activities at cedar point ?
 
There are two organizations within CPM: Point Yacht Club (Pt YC) and Commodores Cruising Club. (CCC)

A few years ago, a bunch of CCC members on Dock 7 left CPM as a group. I thought they went to Battery... C&B are on 6 now, which has historically had a heavy PtYC presence. I'm not sure if CCC is very strong at CPM now. I've never belonged to either group. I like to believe I'm too young, which really isn't true... ;)

Whether or not you join a club, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a marina anywhere in the country that has more people on their boats (even if they never start the engines). Loneliness and quiet are NOT problems we have!

I don't know if Chris had any engines problems. They left the dock regularly and she produced no smoke when warm.

I love over the smell of diesel, so I'm too biased there to help ya!
 
do you still have this 420 if so I have a question I also have a 1990 420 I'm having a low RPM problem I have 22''x26 props do you know what props are on your boat and how many RPM you are turning at WOT thanks
 
I had a 1992 440 with the 375hp 3208's.

You will get some smell when you fire up from cold. Normal, you just have to accept it. Once they get warmed up, though, they really don't have much of a smell. You may notice a bit of the "station wagon effect" once in a while, but I only noticed that when getting up onto plane, you get a burst of fumes. Other than that, nothing to worry about.

Filters are easy. 4 gallons of 15-40. I used Rotella, sampled every year.

These are great motors, easy to maintain and just like to run. It is a great match for this boat. It handles like a dream around the docks.

You will have a 1000 hour Cat service coming up. Valve lash and after cooler cleaning. Heat exchanger if you were in salt, but you are not. Don't skip this service. Change your fluids and filters on schedule, do your impellers, belts, etc when needed and go boating. These are easy motors for a new diesel owner, IMO.

And repeat after me: "I love the smell of incomplete combustion in the morning". Learn it, love it.
 
All of these boats smoke a little when starting these engines from cold. I have a 1990 420DA too and my engines have about 2000 hours on each of them. The important thing is to keep them regularly maintained. I’ve just bought all of the spares from CAT to do a service on both of them and the generator too (WstBk). For reference that’s cost me around 1,600 euros (filters, zincs, belts, water regulators etc etc) but I’m sure parts are cheaper in the US. Read up on it and learn how to do a basic service and get to know your way around the engines, it will save you a load of money and get you out of trouble too. You will find that getting hold of parts for the boat not that easy but some suppliers do have most of the bits still.. however, there are some parts that are simply ‘gold dust’. i.e. a replacement systems panel. Engine wise, CAT still sell everything and also lots of aftermarket suppliers too. I personally think this is a great boat, I did 1500NM over two weeks from Italy to Cyprus in the med and the engines never missed a beat. The engines should give you 21 knots at 2400 revs, if they don’t there is something wrong, maybe props need adjusting, injectors or fuel filters or simply needs a good clean underneath etc, but that’s a good indicator when you do a sea trial with the boat. If its been run in freshwater, that’s ideal, you wont have so much clogging issues with the sea cooling part of the engines. Buy it and enjoy it!
 
Try adding wolverine oil pan heaters and/or CAT block heaters. They are less smokey when preheated.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,950
Messages
1,422,902
Members
60,933
Latest member
juliediane
Back
Top