3196 Caterpillar soot

[DB360]

Hello Keith,
I know this a year old thread, but was wondering how you made out with the soot issue? I'm running into the same on my starboard engine. Port is fine. Coming up on 2000 hrs, so I decided on having both engines injectors cleaned and remanufactered, also had both aftercoolers cleaned out. She will get up on plane, but starboard engine doesn't get to WOT like the port side does. Thanks in advance.
Dennis

 

[DB360]

Hello Keith at "The Crime Scene",
Just wondering if you could check this old post out.
Thanks in advance!
Dennis

 

[The crime scene]

Hello Keith at "The Crime Scene",
Just wondering if you could check this old post out.
Thanks in advance!
Dennis

Dennis,

I just saw this. I had both turbos changed out and my engines work fine. The turbos were getting sloppy tolerances which was causing low air pressure. Low pressure means unburnt fuel. I had the fuel injector O rings changed also while they were changing turbos. I can cruise for hours and not have any soot buildup, which makes it worth every penny that it cost. I was pretty much washing the back of my boat at the end of every day on the lake.

Have a Cat tech run diagnostics on your engines. They will give you a full report on what the kitty's are doing.

Keith

 

[DB360]

Dennis,

I just saw this. I had both turbos changed out and my engines work fine. The turbos were getting sloppy tolerances which was causing low air pressure. Low pressure means unburnt fuel. I had the fuel injector O rings changed also while they were changing turbos. I can cruise for hours and not have any soot buildup, which makes it worth every penny that it cost. I was pretty much washing the back of my boat at the end of every day on the lake.

Have a Cat tech run diagnostics on your engines. They will give you a full report on what the kitty's are doing.

Keith

Thanks Keith,
Just had the injectors remanufactured, the aftercoolers cleaned out, a year ago I replaced the starboard turbo and have the new port side turbo on my workbench to be installed shortly.
These Yanmars have been great for me, so you are right about "worth every penny"! With info form this site, I will be trying some of the Diesel Kleen + Cetane Boost that was suggested hopefully to clean out the rest of the unburnt fuel and soot.
Do you think the chemicals you tried helped?
Regards,
Dennis

 

[The crime scene]

Thanks Keith,
Just had the injectors remanufactured, the aftercoolers cleaned out, a year ago I replaced the starboard turbo and have the new port side turbo on my workbench to be installed shortly.
These Yanmars have been great for me, so you are right about "worth every penny"! With info form this site, I will be trying some of the Diesel Kleen + Cetane Boost that was suggested hopefully to clean out the rest of the unburnt fuel and soot.
Do you think the chemicals you tried helped?
Regards,
Dennis

I have been using Diesel Kleen and Bio Kleen ever since I read Frank's article. I cannot remember what brand of stuff I was using prior. I also had my after coolers cleaned when the turbos were changed. I am fresh water and it had not been done in at least ten years (I contacted the PO and he said he never had them done in the eight years he owned the boat). I was surprised when the coolers were opened.....almost clean as a whistle. We are boaters and use the boat so I was not surprised. Water flows through them almost every weekend. There were some old impeller fins inside, but nothing major.

Check your hoses and lines to the turbos. Mine were getting pretty bad shape and I had those changed out. I could not see those very well prior to the turbos being removed. If you have the turbos off, change the lines. You do not want a hose to fail.

The Cat techs did recommend to let the engines idle for 5 minute or so prior to shut down. They said it would add to the life of the turbo since they run hotter than the engine and the idle time would allow them to cool down and not build up carbon as fast, which causes failure. Idling gives me time to batten down the boat and get shore power hooked up.

Keith

 

[carterchapman]

The Cat techs did recommend to let the engines idle for 5 minute or so prior to shut down. They said it would add to the life of the turbo since they run hotter than the engine and the idle time would allow them to cool down and not build up carbon as fast, which causes failure. Idling gives me time to batten down the boat and get shore power hooked up.

Keith

Keith,

100% agree. My "MAN man" said the same thing. My MAN gauges display EGT, and when I arrive at the dock they are around 380°, and after 5 mins they are ~250° and I shut down. That's the target (250°) he said to shoot for...