Official Cummins 6cta 450C thread

LMBoat said:
Great idea!....I've had a pair of these for 5 years and they have been awesome. Absolutely no issues, best boat engines I have ever had. 1,550 hours and growing. Would love to hear other's experiences and learning. What is the recommended transmission fluid change interval? First few times, I changed it with engine old (100 hrs), but oil looked brand new. Last few times, was 200 hours. Still looks like new.

I 've been pulling the aftercoolers every 2 years per BD recommendation, but they have looked great in the past. Should have pulled them this year, but I'm going to wait one more year. Strb engine is extremely difficult to do. Comments?
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FeLizDream said:
I couldn't find any thread for the Cummins 6cta 8.3, 450 C also known as Diamond so I,d like to start a new thread for this beautiful engines. I found information in this fantastic page all over, but with this thread I would like to have it all together in one simple thread. Hope you like it and help this thread start going on...

To start I would like to put all the information regarding maintenance,
This is a Marine Maintenance Part List from Cummins engine manuals, I am going to list parts and serial numbers:

Drive belt: 3911587
oil filter: LF 9009
Fuel Filter: FF5285
Air Filter: AH19002
Coolant Filter*: WF2071
Raw Water Impeler: 3897337
Zinc Plug: 68241

Engine rating 450 hp@ 2600rpm fuel pump: 3866799

Oil Engine:
use a high quality Multi-Viscosity SAE 15W40 (Cummins Premium Blue)
in Cold Climates: 10W30

Engine Coolant: use high quality Ethylene Glycol mix in ratio 50/50 water to glycol solution

The oil pan capacity is: 13.2 liters or 14 quarters ( always check level)

Basic engine Data is:
450C rpm 2600 fuel pump Bosch 23.3 fuel consumption
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FeLizDream said:
I couldn't find any thread for the Cummins 6cta 8.3, 450 C also known as Diamond so I,d like to start a new thread for this beautiful engines. I found information in this fantastic page all over, but with this thread I would like to have it all together in one simple thread. Hope you like it and help this thread start going on...

To start I would like to put all the information regarding maintenance,
This is a Marine Maintenance Part List from Cummins engine manuals, I am going to list parts and serial numbers:

Drive belt: 3911587
oil filter: LF 9009
Fuel Filter: FF5285
Air Filter: AH19002
Coolant Filter*: WF2071
Raw Water Impeler: 3897337
Zinc Plug: 68241

Engine rating 450 hp@ 2600rpm fuel pump: 3866799

Oil Engine:
use a high quality Multi-Viscosity SAE 15W40 (Cummins Premium Blue)
in Cold Climates: 10W30

Engine Coolant: use high quality Ethylene Glycol mix in ratio 50/50 water to glycol solution

The oil pan capacity is: 13.2 liters or 14 quarters ( always check level)

Basic engine Data is:
450C rpm 2600 fuel pump Bosch 23.3 fuel consumption
Click to expand...
I have the same set up I just bought last summer with 650 hrs cruised it from Miami to Boston the first week what a trip . only problem dripless shaft seal leaking .I have most taken apart ,But do not know the size of the coupler nut on the 2 inch prop shaft .Anyone have any info John
 
scooper321 said:
I did that. I've used the site before. But as I said, finding a radiator cap isn't as easy on that site as finding a hose or a pump. I couldn't find it on there. If you've located it, please post the link.
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Our engines are 50-50 water and ethylene glycol. The boiling point of that mixture is 223 degrees F unpressurized. Each psi increase of 1 increases the boiling point by 3 degrees. So a 15 psi cap will increase the boiling point by 45 degrees to 268 degrees before the cap opens to let out pressure. Thats plenty high enough of a boiling point to not be concerned with the coolant boiling when the seawater side is properly removing the heat from the heat exchanger. As a result I run a 13 psi cap to slightly reduce the stress on all the coolant fittings, such as the hoses and the turbo banjo fitting and the turbo to manifold gasket. That means I've got a boiling point of 262 degrees. I just use a regular old off the shelf STANT cap with the nice pressure relief lever. My buddy experimented with a 10psi cap but decided it made him too nervous so he is also at 13 psi.
 
ZZ13 said:
Our engines are 50-50 water and ethylene glycol. The boiling point of that mixture is 223 degrees F unpressurized. Each psi increase of 1 increases the boiling point by 3 degrees. So a 15 psi cap will increase the boiling point by 45 degrees to 268 degrees before the cap opens to let out pressure. Thats plenty high enough of a boiling point to not be concerned with the coolant boiling when the seawater side is properly removing the heat from the heat exchanger. As a result I run a 13 psi cap to slightly reduce the stress on all the coolant fittings, such as the hoses and the turbo banjo fitting and the turbo to manifold gasket. That means I've got a boiling point of 262 degrees. I just use a regular old off the shelf STANT cap with the nice pressure relief lever. My buddy experimented with a 10psi cap but decided it made him too nervous so he is also at 13 psi.
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Now you tell me? LOL I received these last week!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C9SP4W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No worries. I understand your logic. The 15 appears to be what the engines call for, so I'm comfortable with these.
 
John Landers said:
I have the same set up I just bought last summer with 650 hrs cruised it from Miami to Boston the first week what a trip . only problem dripless shaft seal leaking .I have most taken apart ,But do not know the size of the coupler nut on the 2 inch prop shaft .Anyone have any info John
Click to expand...

I'm not sure you'll find the answer in this thread. This is for the Cummins engine discussions only. You might want to try the general maintenance thread:
http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?forums/general-maintenance-repair-questions.21/

Or, perhaps in the 410DA/Express thread:
http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php...dancer-express-cruiser-official-thread.53469/
 
Hey guys had Cummins on the boat for sea trail everything went well but they did Recommend cleaning the heat exchangers the water pressure was 30psi and spec is 15psi. Only thing that kind of confused me was the tech said it could wait until the fall to get done.
 
Vetman001 said:
Hey guys had Cummins on the boat for sea trail everything went well but they did Recommend cleaning the heat exchangers the water pressure was 30psi and spec is 15psi. Only thing that kind of confused me was the tech said it could wait until the fall to get done.
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If it’s a salt water boat and you don’t have any meaningful service records of the seawater cooling system, I re immense all the following:

1. remove heat exchangers and have them cleaned and pressure tested

2. remove aftercoolers, take them apart, clean them and see how much corrosion there is on the inside of the aluminum housing. Pressure test the core and/or the fully reassembled unit.

3. replace the transmission oil coolers. I wouldn’t keep one installed for more than 10 years.
 
Looking for some advice on the best location to mount the oil pan heaters. I read that the bottom of the oil pan is preferred but could also be mounted on the side. doesn't seem to be much room to really get under there to make sure it has good adhesion. Where I can get my hand it doesn't seem to be a flush bottom. Also wouldn't mind being able to keep an eye on them to monitor for any wire breaks etc. Curious what others have done.
 
Yes, so it says I need to attach to bare metal. How do you remove the paint from the bottom of the pan. I assume it’s painted?
 
Irie308 said:
Yes, so it says I need to attach to bare metal. How do you remove the paint from the bottom of the pan. I assume it’s painted?
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I cleaned up the surface with coarse sand paper, and a solvent.
Full disclosure: I didn't remove all the paint. Because of my previous experience with pan heaters, I knew they would work fine over the paint as long as the paint wasn't gobbed on real thick and it wasn't lifting or loose. If there is an air gap (loose paint) the pad can overheat in that spot and damage the pad, voiding warranty. I sand down enough to know there was a good, solid, abraded surface. Before retirement we had several air cooled diesel motors in our construction fleet that we installed pan heaters on, never had one come off and that was a pretty tough environment. Sealing the edges with silicone is very important. Don't skimp on that part of it. Be sure to get it fully sealed so no water or anything can find it's way in. No one can see it under there, smear it around the edges good. Be careful after install and using them for the first time...the tendency is to reach under there and "check" to see it they are working. Those things get HOT!
The pan heaters worked well on motors that we couldn't use regular block heaters on for winter start up, and the ones in the boat work well in a different way. On the boat they keep the oil very warm for faster warm up for no sitting at the dock waiting to build a little warmth before pulling out, less cold smoke, and the ER is always dry and dampness free. I removed my PITA air heaters and have no issues running the pan heaters. I think you will like the difference they can make.
 
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my3sons said:
I cleaned up the surface with coarse sand paper, and a solvent.
Full disclosure: I didn't remove all the paint. Because of my previous experience with pan heaters, I knew they would work fine over the paint as long as the paint wasn't gobbed on real thick and it wasn't lifting or loose. If there is an air gap (loose paint) the pad can overheat in that spot and damage the pad, voiding warranty. I sand down enough to know there was a good, solid, abraded surface. Before retirement we had several air cooled diesel motors in our construction fleet that we installed pan heaters on, never had one come off and that was a pretty tough environment. Sealing the edges with silicone is very important. Don't skimp on that part of it. Be sure to get it fully sealed so no water or anything can find it's way in. No one can see it under there, smear it around the edges good. Be careful after install and using them for the first time...the tendency is to reach under there and "check" to see it they are working. Those things get HOT!
The pan heaters worked well on motors that we couldn't use regular block heaters on for winter start up, and the ones in the boat work well in a different way. On the boat they keep the oil very warm for faster warm up for no sitting at the dock waiting to build a little warmth before pulling out, less cold smoke, and the ER is always dry and dampness free. I removed my PITA air heaters and have no issues running the pan heaters. I think you will like the difference they can make.
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Excellent info. Just what I was looking for. Thank you!
 
Just curious if those with 2 1500 watt pan heaters run them 24/7/365. They can cost $200 or more per month to leave on all the time. Do you pay for metered power?
 
hottoddie said:
Just curious if those with 2 1500 watt pan heaters run them 24/7/365. They can cost $200 or more per month to leave on all the time. Do you pay for metered power?
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Those are some pretty serious pan heaters!
Mine are 250 watts each.
No metered power at our marina. The only places I have ever paid for metered power were stays of 1 month or longer at transient marinas, and that was only a few times. I can remember our electric bill for a marina in Florida was around $50 for the month of December that we stayed there. I can't really remember what they charged/kwh. I know it wasn't much. Transients are most times billed for just the cost of the power as we are getting dinged for the transient dockage.
 
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Installed the 250 watt pan heaters but now I’m hesitant to leave them on all the time. Am I just being paranoid? Thought about using a smart outlet to turn them on and off remotely with Alexa. It’s been chilly here in the NE so won’t really need them once things warm up but want to reduce the smoking at start up for now to give my dock mates some relief.
 
Started up the engines today to do a once over to make sure everything was good.... I had very little throttle response from stbd eng.... this is what I found. It had to have happened on the half hour ride from storage to marina. Very surprised I made it no problems.
Something to check for you other guys

FF083C67-A807-40B8-9B3C-C7773919A08A.jpeg
0365AC6A-7E74-45B3-AD79-0FC20A85E552.jpeg
 
I just received my new sea water pump from seaboard. Has anyone swapped theirs out. I am doing the port as that is leaking and easier to access. Any tips or tricks that I need to know
Thanks
 
jjcllc328 said:
I just received my new sea water pump from seaboard. Has anyone swapped theirs out. I am doing the port as that is leaking and easier to access. Any tips or tricks that I need to know
Thanks
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It's straight forward plug and play. Just the typical stuff, make sure any remnants of the old gasket are removed from the mounting surface, wipe it clean and put a little RTV on both sides of the new gasket before installing it. If access is a little difficult, take a picture of the elbow orientation then swap over the elbows before hanging the pump on where it's hard to get to, buy a M12 x 1.75 bolt and cut the head off or use a short piece of all-thread in the top bolt hole to hang the pump from while installing the bottom bolt, then remove the all-thread and put in the top bolt, that should allow you to do the install one handed. You are going to love those pumps come impeller change time. Good luck.
 
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