3126 CAT needs replacement!

I used to have some old test specimens lying around the house, but I think they got surplused... so I went out on the web to see if I could find a couple images to post to illustrate this... all I could find was a lab that had prices listed for failure analysis... 1-5k per job. Maybe it's time to take on a new side job?
 
I am not sure that a scientific analysis of the cause of the shaft damage is going to help my cause. I need to figure out if this is in fact a "covered loss". I tried to locate my insurance policy, but all that I have is a couple of the endorsement pages, and the bill! But not the main policy. I put a call in to my insurance agent on Friday to get a copy of the full policy.

I am also have no direct evidence that the broken shaft had anything to do with the engine failure, other than that the engine failed within 10 hours of the shaft brake. I wonder....could this all be a coincidence? Two catastrophic, but unrelated events?

I have maintained the engine according to factory recommendations since I owned the boat...I bought the boat with 150 hours on it. I am going to have a discussion with Caterpillar customer service next week, and see if they will pony up for some of the repairs.
 
I had no idea as to the specific language contained in my own policy (Boat US/ CNA).
This is verbatim:

" This insurance does not cover:
A) Any loss caused directly or indirectly by wear and tear, gradual deterioration, mechanical or electrical breakdown, overheating, ice or freezing, galvanic action, rot, mold or mildew, corrosion, weathering, marring, scratching, denting, vermin, animals or marine life; however, we will cover immmediately consequential property damage property damage resulting from any fire, expolsion, sinking, demasting, collision or stranding;"

In the definitions section of the policy "mechanical or electrical breakdown" is not defined.

This would seem to rule out your claim being covered under this policy, but would also seem to rule out an engine being lost from a plastic bag covering an intake (which I always thought was covered) because it's both "overheating" and a "mechanical breakdown" (??)

If there's a bad connection at the electrical panel that arcs and starts a fire, isn't that an "electrical breakdown"? No coverage??

I had a Florida General Lines insurance license in a former life but never dealt with this type of property insurance and terminology. Can anyone here define "mechanical breakdown" and "electrical breakdown" for me under the terms of this policy?
 
I don't know if I would like that language...

Mine reads as follows:

"We will not provide coverage for any loss or damage caused by or resulting from wear and tear, electrolysis, lack of maintenance, mysterious disappearance, corrosion, deterioration, mold, or fiberglass blistering. We will not provide coverage for any loss or damage to the provisions of your yacht, including alcoholic beverages."

I'm not even sure I like my language...


Guess my liquor cabinet is not covered... darn.
 
Well... I guess if I tell hire you to go out and sink my boat, as long as I tell them, it's covered.
 
searaycruisn said:
So far I have gotton a price of $11,500 to rebuild the long block, or $14,500 to rebuild the long block and all other components (Fuel pump, water pump, turbo, etc.). This is from an independent (not CAT) diesel engine rebuilding shop.

Still waiting for price of new engine.

Will call Zieglercat.com on Monday.
Click to expand...

If you bent a connecting rod, there should be no reason why you need to rebuild the other components like fuel pumps, etc.. In fact, you may only need a new short block (if available?) and transfer all the other components over.
 
And it doesn't cover "marring, scratching, or denting".

So, if my anchor were to lose hold and I got dragged into a bridge piling that trashed the entire side of my boat, I guess it wouldn't be covered, either. Seemingly another intentionally vague use of terminolgy- when does a "scratch" stop being a "scratch"...
 
We used to do a lot of rebuilding ourselves with trained help on our farm equipment shop, mostly Mercedes, MAN, Henschel, MF, Perkins and Ford diesel tractor engines and I have seen a bit of damage due to ingested metal from engines eating turbo impellers and such. I cannot imagine that this bent a connecting rod, trash the piston yes ... trash pushrods due to shrapnel keeping a valve open that then gets hit by the piston and bends the psuhrod yes. there is not enough of metal from a injector sticking into the combustion chamber to affect the con rods. If the shrapnel did not scour the bore, you would not need to rebore or re-sleeve. Only fitting a new piston and re-hone and re-ring the set. Hoen might also not be needed if the cross hatch is still there. So there are a lot of "ifs" i would analyse before commissioning work.

I would go with a reputable private diesel shop (Farm equipment? Semi truck shop?) to take your engine out, open it up and evaluate it. Then you can review and commission the repairs you actually needed and get a first hand view and explanation as to waht went wrong and what needs repair. Getting on boatdiesel.com and getting those guys to help is a really good idea. I hang out there a bit and its a really solid community with tons of knowledge.

I think by approaching this carefully and taking your time you can save a lot of money!! Your season is over anyway now so use the winter and ample time over jumping onto something driven by your initial emotions and manage this repair project yourself!
 
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I snapped a shaft on my 300 and the official cause was underwater obstruction and that is covered in most if not all policy's... What the carrier didn't want to do was pay for the transmission to pulled and torn down. The yard and my surveyor said it needed to be done. They got a surveyor I got a surveyor and then we got an umpire surveryor... 2 months later it was done and the insurance company paid for it and to top it off I got them to pay the $1,000.00 bill I was to incur for my surveyor...
 
THEBILLCOLLECTOR said:
I snapped a shaft on my 300 and the official cause was underwater obstruction and that is covered in most if not all policy's... What the carrier didn't want to do was pay for the transmission to pulled and torn down. The yard and my surveyor said it needed to be done. They got a surveyor I got a surveyor and then we got an umpire surveryor... 2 months later it was done and the insurance company paid for it and to top it off I got them to pay the $1,000.00 bill I was to incur for my surveyor...
Click to expand...

And did they cancel your policy after this? After our very first claim that paid out (bent shaft, 2 new props), we got canceled. I fought it and won, but it was a major PITA.
 
1st year of new policy with them.... Payout $22,000.00 and they didn't cancel or even raise my premium... Go figure ?
 
I posted on boatdiesel and am waiting for some responses.

I have also forwarded a copy of my insurance policy to an attorney who specializes in marine cases. I will be having a follow up meeting with him hopefully by the end of this week.

I received a letter from the insurance company today. They indicated that they "inspected the damaged propeller shaft and noted the beach marks confirming that the shaft failed due to metal fatigue. The beach marks and corrosion indicated that this condition of gradual deterioration had been occurring over time. Given these facts.....

What are "beach marks"?
 
searaycruisn said:
What are "beach marks"?
Click to expand...

There was a guy here on CSR, and I can't remember who it was, posted a picture of a bolt breaking that was a perfect picture of metal fatigue. The signs are a wavy surface on the break that looks like the ripples on a sand dune or beach where the metal "broke" a little then stopped then "broke" a little more then stopped etc... if you see that pattern, it's metal fatigue.
 
05062405m.jpg
 
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