Cat 3126 Info

[becnme]

I am looking at 98-99 450 Sundancers with Cat 3126 engines. Does anyone know if these fall into the years when they had soft blocks and other issues? The boat I have the highest interest in is a 99 with 800hrs. The others range all the way down to under 300.

 

[Alex F]

Best way to do this is to call CATs with the serial numbers and they'll be the best people to provide most accurate info.

 

[Turtlesboat]

Do a search in these forums, FWebster has given a lot of info over the years on this issue. Personally I would think a 99 with 800 hours is probably not an issue. I have a 96 and in 2000 both engines were replaced. I think if the engines had an issue, it would have shown up by now. But like Alex stated, you can call CAT with the serial numbers or have an engine surveyor look them up and they'll be able to pull up the history for you. But first search this forum for the posts so you have a little background on the problems back then. It made me feel much better about these engines when I learned what the issues were and when they happened and when they were fixed.

 

[fwebster]

The 1999's were subject to the 3126 soft block issue as well as the TRW valve problem.

However, at 800 hours and more than 10 years of age, if your engines had been affected by either problem, it would have surfaced long before now. There is no doubt on the TRW valve problem since the bad valves usually failed before 150 hours. To be sure about the soft blocks, have the engines surveyed by a Caterpillar dealer and get the surveyor to verify the engine block casting numbers ......if they are FAP blocks, then ask the technician to do a blow by test. That test measures crankcase pressures.....high crankcase pressure usually means cylinder wear and combustion gasses passing the piston rings.

Again........the chances of one of the Cat problems affecting the 800 hour engines is slim to none..........that said, my recommendation on the 300 hour engines would be to exercise a more caution since it isn't an impossibility that either problem could exist.

Also, Caterpillar doesn't retain repair records on 10 year old engines, so you aren't going to learn anything by calling Cat. If you can get the local dealer who maintained the boat, he may still have paper work orders under the customer's name if some repairs were done. Getting them from him since you were not a party to the transaction may be easier said than done.

I am partial, but you are looking at one of the top 2-3 boats Sea Ray has ever produced. The 450DA has no bad habits and no systemic problems, so have fun shopping.........

 

[Turtlesboat]

by calling CAT, I was able to confirm the engine date of manufacture to double check that these were replacement engines for what I assume to replace problem engines in my boat. I didn't know that CAT doesn't keep repair records past a certain time. But now that I think about it, they were not able to tell me why they were replacement engines. Good to know.

 

[osd9]

by calling CAT, I was able to confirm ....... that these were replacement engines for what I assume to replace problem engines in my boat.........

Mike:

Were the original 'problem engines' in your boat 3116 or 3126? What Horsepower?

 

[Turtlesboat]

that I don't know, without some digging. I believe I have the original serial numbers for those engines somewhere in my pile.

 

[katricol]

I was told by the local cat dealer who changed out mine in 2001 that cat would have only replaced with the exact eng. unless someone paid the difference. This was in response to my inquiry if mine were electronic or not. They are not because the po did not want to pay.

 

[The Bill Collector]

Cat replaced my blocks in 2002 under a full warranty replacement..... And in '07 when I bought her CAT confirmed that.

 

[320Bob]

The 1999's were subject to the 3126 soft block issue as well as the TRW valve problem.

However, at 800 hours and more than 10 years of age, if your engines had been affected by either problem, it would have surfaced long before now. There is no doubt on the TRW valve problem since the bad valves usually failed before 150 hours. To be sure about the soft blocks, have the engines surveyed by a Caterpillar dealer and get the surveyor to verify the engine block casting numbers ......if they are FAP blocks, then ask the technician to do a blow by test. That test measures crankcase pressures.....high crankcase pressure usually means cylinder wear and combustion gasses passing the piston rings.

Again........the chances of one of the Cat problems affecting the 800 hour engines is slim to none..........that said, my recommendation on the 300 hour engines would be to exercise a more caution since it isn't an impossibility that either problem could exist.

Also, Caterpillar doesn't retain repair records on 10 year old engines, so you aren't going to learn anything by calling Cat. If you can get the local dealer who maintained the boat, he may still have paper work orders under the customer's name if some repairs were done. Getting them from him since you were not a party to the transaction may be easier said than done.

I am partial, but you are looking at one of the top 2-3 boats Sea Ray has ever produced. The 450DA has no bad habits and no systemic problems, so have fun shopping.........

Frank,
This potentially saves me a PM to you. I too am in the early stages of looking at a boat with 350 HP 3126 CATS but is a 2001 380 with 450 hours. Is this vintage engine subject to the problems mentioned above or not?

 

[fwebster]

Caterpillar was aware of both problems by 2001, the problem is that the valves were supplied by a vendor and carried no identifying numbers. Good valves with the proper hardness were intermingled with soft valves. On the soft block problem, other than a serial number and casting number on the block nobody can really tell which has the wrong metallurgy. Cat eventually fixed both issues somewhere between 2000 & 2002 and reissued the 3126 in lower hp ratings and I believe the 350 hp version is free of both issues.

However, the same rules would apply.........over 150 hours and the valve problem would have surfaced by now and get a blowby test done when you do your engine survey to see if there are combustion gasses in the crankcase. The blowby test is not normally done on surveys, so be sure to ask for it when you request the survey so the technician brings the test gear with him.

 

[320Bob]

Frank, thanks for the advice as always!:thumbsup: