420 DA Thread

I am almost positive on my 420 I got the coolant filter. I know in addition the Cummins guy gave me the test strips - he said in Fresh Water, I should be good for 2 years...just said Test it - and if OK, don't worry about it.
 
WTF..... I called the dealer this am... They dont know either..

Nothing in the manual I have QSC 8.3's

Paging Frank.....


Rob
 
Guys - I'm not going to be much help on this one except to observe that y'all may be talking about 3 different engines.......Gary has QSM-11's, Rob's got QSC's and Skip (with the filter) had 6CTA's

The 6CTA is a mechanical engine that was marinized and the filter probably carried over to it. As I understand it the QS series engines are marine engines that were designed as such. The marine enviornment is different than industrial and vehicle applications so maybe Cummins left the filter off the QSC's.

But......stay with Cummins/Fleetguard coolant, additives and reagent strips. That is all I use in every diesel engine I own, except for the boat, oddly enough. I just don't have cooling problems or cooling system concerns at all. Antifreeze is cheap, so I change it frequently and I cannot tell you when I've had to have a radiator cleaned aand rodded. I use Caterpillar pre-mix in the boat and Its the same or a little better than the Cummins only because it does not seem to break down as fast and its easier to use than full strength Fleetguard.
 
Last fall during the oil and filter change process, the Cummins tech found a leaky fitting on the fuel return hose. The hose was covered under warranty and is a Sea Ray hose. Today, finally, the Cummins tech was dispatched to fix the leak. BTW, it only leaks when the engines are off.

The fix was to first find the fuel return shut off valve. It is somewhere on the port side of the boat south of the Racor. Then the tech drained the fuel from the line and used a hack saw to cut off the fitting. He clipped the ties holding the hose and put on a compression fitting comparable to the other Cummins hoses on the engines. The crimped fitting that Sea Ray uses is just not as good. The fix took about an hour as the tech always spends time cleaning the bilge and engine area where the work was done. I think this chapter is finally over.
 
Hi there everybody, I have been looking over this tread for the last few days and can not believe the wealth of information available. Like the rest of you I would like to do the annual maintenance myself (oil, filters etc..) My problem is that I wish that there was a place or person that you can hire to show you how to do it. I always believe that doing things yourself is great as long as you are doing it correctly. I am in the north Toronto are and if you know of anyone that I can bribe (with Canadian beer) to come up to my boat and show me how things should be done. I tried to watch the marine tech do the service but after driving for two hours to the boat the tech decided to tell me that he ordered the wrong filters and he would have to do the job tomorrow. I have a family at home that I need to get back to so he did the job with no supervision. Funny thing though the diesel oil is black as night and there has only been a few hours on the boat since the oil change.
Please let me know how I can build up my knowledge to attempt these jobs myself without worrying that I have fudged something up.

Thanks in advance.

I have a 2005 42 sundancer with 480ce engines.
 
Steve,
With the reverso oil change system and the proper Cummins parts the annual servies are really not that hard. I have minimal mechanical aptitude but did the whole thing myself. I had lots of help from fwebster, osd9, frankH, CJ Martin, and a bunch of other folks on this board.
Post your questions and I will be happy to answer them. If it a procedure I have never done before I will tell you that up front.
You can do this. I saved over 5K in winterization cost alone by doing it myself.

Send your questions--helping each other out is why we have this forum.

regards
Skip
 
Steve,
Skip is absolutely spot on. Maintenance is easy and with all the help that is available on this site, you need not worry. Just ask.....The answer will pop up.

Welcome to the board and good luck. Toronto is one of my favorite towns. Its been quite a while since I was there but as soon as my wife gets off her ...whatever... and decides to retire, its at the top of the must visit list!!
 
It's been a while since we have had any friendly 420 discussions - thought I would see how all of us are doing a couple weeks into the year...

I changed the racors last night - MUCH easier than I planned - but, wow, for the port and geny - you have to be quite flexible. But, not bad - they were about 1/2 black after 1 year...

All else has been good for me - I had a small leak - well - not sure?? Thought it was coming in where the depth sensor was - but, now I haven't had any water in weeks... I do have one small OEM defect - a small leak - they have to cut and patch - but nothing major, can wait till fall...
 
Just finished spending 4 days on the boat (2nd weekend). We took it on a nice leisurly cruise (5 hours each way). Did 4 different locks one of which is a marine railway that actually lifts your boat in a sling and takes it over a highway. Afterwards the railway submerges and your boat is let go. QUite an experience. Anyways no issues to report of (other than the water in the storage are).
Manged to swap out the DVD player since it would not play "24 season 2" DVD's. Funny, it would play Peter Pan but not "24". Replaced the Zenith POS with a Toshiba. Everything works fine now.
As for everything else, I live by the saying that if you look for trouble you will find it, so I dont go digging in the engine compartment (aside from looking at dipsticks).
 
Hey, I have a question for all the 420DA owners. My wife and I were talking about the fact that we wish we had more room on the boat. We looked at one of our slip neighbours who just traded in his 540DA on a 580DB and wondered why he would switch to a bridge boat since he only boats with his wife.
My wife and I love our express cruiser and wish Sea Ray would go the way of the new Viking V53. Here they enclose the cockpit to make it more of a climate controlled luxury entertaiment area (just like the Neptunus hardtop models). I think if more boats were built with this design, there would be less sedan bridges out there.

Would any of you guys consider a sedan bridge. Why or why not?
 
I may get a bridge boat someday. They offer better visibility, and probably offer a drier ride in the rough stuff. But that drier ride (i think) is offset by the pitch and roll effect of a higher center of gravity helm. Plus, on a bridge boat, I would be totally reliant on the admiral for line handling. Impossible right now as she is the designated kid watcher (our boys are 2 and 5) so i dock and handle lines myself, which I could not do easily on a DB. I also like the fact that I see all activity in the cockpit from the helm of a DA...critical with small kids.

My wife really likes the DB interior spaces and storage. Again, maybe when the kids are older.

regards
Skip
 
Skip -
Agree 100% with you on handling lines etc.
I take my DA out all the time by myself - no problem - I can dock myself on days other than today (45 mph winds here!! but it is from the south - so it would just push me back...so maybe I could??)

with a bridge - you always need 1 or 2 people who know what they are doign with you... and that isn't possible all the time.

Plus, I am not a fan of the lines...
 
Very good point there Skip. You know I never even considered the fact that you would need 2 people to handle the boat. Like you my kids are 4 and 8 but my wife does a great job of handling all the lines and docking. We just make sure the kids are occupied during docking. For some reason this is the time they decide they need attention. Anyway, I always loved the lines of the sundancers the bridge boats never appealed to me but as I age they are suddenly becoming more appealing.
Pitch and roll is definetly amplified on a bridge boat.
One thing that really sticks out is the fact that most of the smaller bridge boats have no windshield wipers, so in the rain, you are getting wet if you want to see where you are going.
 
I don't think you need 2 people for a bridge boat. I take mine out alone all the time (well... the dogs can't do the lines yet but we are working on it). I couldn't dock it in some wild storm/wind but most of the time, it's easy to do by yourself. One has to remember that the heavier the boat, the more it tends to stay in place where you put it. You can't dock a 480 by tossing lines and pulling yourself in. Even if I have guests on the boat, I usally dock it by myself because they'll just get stupid on me. I should tell you all about the time someone grabbed a piling (hugged is a better description) trying to stop the boat for some reason and it just pealed her off the boat... F = M*A. Big "M" gives big "F" so keep "A" small.
 
A hard top eliminates the wet factor and longer LOA gives you the space you need. Bridges are nice but the older you get the more you appreciate an express. If you don't mind the extra work of washing and washing a bridge boat go for it. Expresses are easier on both counts and cheaper to hire done when your arthritis kicks in at age 50.
 
Nirvana would be an express to run around on the water with and a sedan bridge while at the dock in the marina. Now if only I could win the lottery!!! :thumbsup: You all have a great weekend.....Helloooooooo Summer!!!!!! :cool:
 
I would be in a DB right now if it were not for the "roll" factor. Two seasons ago, the admiral and I went for a ride on friends bridge boats, and we hit a few rollers. It was at that exact moment in time that I saw my dream of owning a bridge boat fade away. The two other women on board became somewhat frantic, and my wife osmosed their fear.

I tried to convince her otherwise, but it just ain't gonna happen.
 
Just to pipe in alittle... My windshield vent stopped opening.. After checking everyting ( fuse under the dash etc ) I simmered for a few days finally took the boat pole to it .... Now it works fine......


Wish i thought of it sooner....

Also I got tired of the cockpit door having the play in it when it was locked in the open position. The dealer said the door stop was not adjustable .... It's a piece of rubber with a philips screw threw it... Unscrew the screw pull out some more rubber RESCREW. No more door movement.... and to think i didnt mess with it for a year.....

Rob
 
Steve36, Take a look at how the new 55Da's and last years 60Da are set up, exactly like you are looking for. These are express boats that have enclosed helm/lounging areas with the new 55 having a retractalble "sunroof". Even a 48DA can give you that feeling with the glass up to the hardtop effect. I was on that 55Da (hull # 2) at the boat show two weeks ago and that is one sweet boat. They also had hull #1 at Miami Boat show. Just have to wait a couple of years so that the $1.5 price drops down huh? It's as nice as that Viking your looking for (that's the one made in England by Princess Yachts and badged Viking) IMHO.
 
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