How many hours is too much?

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trit21

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Dec 16, 2007
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Live, Orlando: Boat, Ft. Pierce
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I know that this is a very relative questions, it depends on the use and maintenance. But, Cummins 6bta 5.9 370 hp, on a 2003 boat, has 800 hrs. Should that be an alarm?

6 yrs, 133 hrs per year.....seems a little high but as long as it was maintained right....or wrong?
 
Right, You answered your question, depends on use and maint. 800 hrs is not a lot, it's just more than most people like to see on a boat because we have all been programed to think that boat motors are boat anchors after 1000 hrs. In my business, we run 5.9's thousands of hours on construction equipment, and they are getting abused big time. If that motor was taken care of, it should have a long life ahead. Get an oil analysis and hire a good surveyor who knows diesel. Good luck
 
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100 to 125 hours per year is considered normal in my area. This is one of those situations where the care the boat and engines have had are more important than the hours clocked so far.

I've got 2 BTA Cummins engines in non-marine applications. One has 3500 hours and the other 3200 and both run like new, use no oil and leak nothing, but they have been cared for. I really think your issue with an 800 hour '03 is going to be to keep for over paying due to wear and tear on the consumables like carpets, upholstery, cockpit vinyl, canvas and on wear prone items like refrigeration compressors and pumps rather then engine time.
 
These engines are rated for 6000 hours before major tear down overhaul. yet, it is reported thes eengine sare still in great running condition after 12-15000 hours (off Boatdieisel.com). 800 hours of well cared for engine time is nothing, as Frank states do an engine analysis on oil and a separate engine survey from a Cummins specialist.

If it all reports out well just make sure the creature comforts are in good shape so you don't have to chase 10K into fluff replacement right away.
 
Thanks for the responses.....that was the same thing I was thinking but always nice to hear from some of the 'experts' from CSR.

'Experts' = know what the hell they are talking about.

Thanks again.

Asureyez, boat is actually in your area in S. FL., although not a SeaRay.
 
trit21 said:
Asureyez, boat is actually in your area in S. FL., although not a SeaRay.
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Well since it is not a Sea Ray the engines are at the end of their useful life. Just kidding.
 
Hour meters give ONE PIECE of information: how many hours the engines have run.

From that, we can extrapolate just about nothing. It doesn't even suggest that the soft goods will be worn more than a low-hour boat. Who's to say that one owner ran the boat a lot, and the other was 350 pounds and practically lived aboard without running it?
 
Not to mention what rpm's the engines were run...
I started mine at 5:30 a.m. last weekend for an offshore fishing trip, and didn't turn them off until 7:00 p.m. when we returned to the dock. Out of those 13-1/2 hours, less than half were at cruise, the rest at idle.
 
I would think the fuel that the engine has used would be a more accurate measure of use on an engine. That or the total R's turned, but I have never seen such a thing.
 
berth control said:
I would think the fuel that the engine has used would be a more accurate measure of use on an engine. That or the total R's turned, but I have never seen such a thing.
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You're absolutely correct. Rebuilds for diesels are in fact estimated based upon gallons of fuel burned. Do the new electronic diesels have the ability to keep a record of at least estimated fuel burn- kinda like Smartcraft does for gas engines?
 
My Detroit Diesel
Electronic Controls (DDEC) tell me how many gallons of fuel have been consumed since my engines were new. I tell my mechanic how many hours I put on the boat and he is like yea whatever and logs the fuel used in his laptop.
 
The hour meter itself is pretty useless information for a variable rpm engine. It is much more useful for engines that always run at a consistent rpm (like many generators). For variable rpm engines a meter that tallies total engine revolutions and an hour meter would provide a much better indication of engine condition. With this information the average engine rpm could be calculated.
 
Fuel Burn, rough estimate. Refer to the Log data in the eletronics either the Chart kit, or Speedo, and get the miles traveled since install, then divide by the hours, You'll get a rough idea of knots per hour. Estimate the fuel burn at that avg. speed from engine profiles data and then do the final math for the gallons used per engine over the vessels life.
 
If you want the real skinny on your engines performance, get a technician to hook up the laptop. Trust me, I do this for a living. Asking about major component life is like asking how long a piece of rope is. As many have stated, these engines can go out to 15K on hours if maintained at the proper level. Unlike a gas engine. the hardest thing on a diesel engine is fuel contamination, water, causing injector failure and long idle time. Diesels are made to pull. If you idle for a long period the engine can load up with soot and the engine oil will show high contamination. Fuel is part of the lubrcating system and if not completely burned it will wash down the cylinder walls and cause piston gulding. Get regular fuel/oil samples and replace filters often. Cheaper to buy oil and filters then replacing engines. The engine in a boat is much like that of heavy equipment in that you usually set the throttle and leave it. Unlike a car. The engine should make its most power at about 3/4 throttle. Any more than that and you are wasting fuel compaired to the little speed you gain.

From a Volvo technical support specialist. Smooth Sailing.
 
Good catch fwesber, I missed the model year. You are absolutly correct. Other than researching for engine spec not much good. Need to be old school and hands on for this one.
Thanks mate,
 
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