Reputable cat certified mechanic

Xplicitlnck

Well-Known Member
Jan 2, 2012
4,030
Long island ny
Boat Info
330ec
Engines
Twin 7.4 straight drive
Looking for a certified cat mechanic on long Island. Looking for engine surveys oil analysis and possible 250 hour service on cat 3126 motors. Is ho penn my best bet?
Thanks!
 
Here the Cat reps has defined territories. There is one dealer in Northern IL and another in Southern WI...
 
HO Penn did my oil analysis at the end of the season. They were responsive and reasonably priced
 
Just used Blackstone for my oil analysis very informative nice people $30 a sample and they sent me out the bottles prepaid postage ahead of time
 
Just used Blackstone for my oil analysis very informative nice people $30 a sample and they sent me out the bottles prepaid postage ahead of time
$13 a sample from CAT - and they check more parameters than Blackstone - just sayin'!
 
Cat dealers work on Cat engines all the time so they know what to look for, know what they are seeing, and, they have all the specialized tools required. For example, if you need to have the overheads reset on 3126's, the mechanic will need the gauge blocks and dial indicators for the 3126. You really don't want to have to pay an independent to learn how to do it or to buy $2500 worth of tools needed for one job.

The only gotcha with a Cat dealer is you need to specify as closely as possible what work you want done to avoid the dealer sending 2 men in 2 service trucks (which they are now renting by the hour) to do a one man job. We have seen the Cat dealer send 2 men in 2 trucks, with per diem charges for both to do a simple oil change in Florida.

I have 2 friends who have recently used HO PENN for surveys and both were very pleased with the work and cost. On the other hand, Cat engines are very straight forward and easy to work on and there are some excellent independents out there working on boats. Just be sure you specify the work you want done and the level of testing you want the surveyor to do at the outset. The other comparison to a Cat dealer is you are assured of the quality of work done by a dealer and you have to do your due diligence when employing and independant.

So, keep things in perspective.....a 250 hour service on a 3126 as part of an engine survey will cost in the area of 8 hours +6 hours = 14 hours x $150/hour is about $2100. Just how much can you save on that bill by using a non-Cat technician and is it worth it?
 
Nope def not worth the savings lol.
So here's my question. How do I specify that I don't need 2 mechanics and 2 trucks ... the numbers you just ran off. Is that a guesstimate for survey and 250hr service?
Now would you engine survey or hull survey first? Boat is in water wrapped
 
How ?.......You ask the service scheduler/writer/manager how much time will his guy need with the boat? You will get some discussion about variables, then you tell him you just want a basic in the water engine survey to determine cooling system health and performance under load. All this amounts to about 45 minutes to 1-1.5 hours away from the dock running the boat at cruise rpms under a load at the end of which the tech pulls the oil and transmission fluid samples........takes me 10-15 minutes but I use the Cat oil sample suction pump. If you want a blow-by test, (and you should on any 3126 engine, there will be another 2-3 hours involved in setting up the meter and measuring blow-by gasses.

See......pretty easy to define how many mechanics it takes to do about 4 hours worth of real work plus travel time.
 
How ?.......You ask the service scheduler/writer/manager how much time will his guy need with the boat? You will get some discussion about variables, then you tell him you just want a basic in the water engine survey to determine cooling system health and performance under load. All this amounts to about 45 minutes to 1-1.5 hours away from the dock running the boat at cruise rpms under a load at the end of which the tech pulls the oil and transmission fluid samples........takes me 10-15 minutes but I use the Cat oil sample suction pump. If you want a blow-by test, (and you should on any 3126 engine, there will be another 2-3 hours involved in setting up the meter and measuring blow-by gasses.

See......pretty easy to define how many mechanics it takes to do about 4 hours worth of real work plus travel time.
Gotcha . Simple enough thank you for that!
Now you have me wondering. Why do you say that I should have a blow by test done on any 3126? I trust your advice but the fact that you pin pointed one particular motor has me wondering. Oryour just saying that because the motor in question isa 3126
 
Jonathan, I think for survey a single tech would be the norm on that size boat, but would confirm. You should also be able to get a set price before hand as they will gather motor info ahead of time so that they are prepared for that particular motor. My experience with Cummins and calling around to HO Penn was about 2k for both motors and gen. Time spent was about 5-6 hours. Tech spent about 2.5 hours before the motors were even fired. Most likely the hull survey will be cheaper. I'd have that done first if you are truly serious to move forward. Blowby is standard part of the survey for any diesel as it’s a good indication of worn rings/cylinders etc. I also used it as an opportunity to look over the tech’s shoulder and learn the motor/gen without slowing the tech down. If you get a good tech at survey you can really learn a lot.

Not sure if it would be useful to do a thorough survey and a service in one session. Unless I’m misunderstanding and you are thinking down the line. Do you know what’s required for the 250 hr service? It familiar with CATs but some are these lower hour service can be done yourself. Also note I pulled my own oil samples at the survey and sent off to HO PEN. Not sure what I saved but at least I knew the process going forward. Having done Blackstone and HO PEN I personally prefer the readout from Blackstone.
 
Jonathan, I think for survey a single tech would be the norm on that size boat, but would confirm. You should also be able to get a set price before hand as they will gather motor info ahead of time so that they are prepared for that particular motor. My experience with Cummins and calling around to HO Penn was about 2k for both motors and gen. Time spent was about 5-6 hours. Tech spent about 2.5 hours before the motors were even fired. Most likely the hull survey will be cheaper. I'd have that done first if you are truly serious to move forward. Blowby is standard part of the survey for any diesel as it’s a good indication of worn rings/cylinders etc. I also used it as an opportunity to look over the tech’s shoulder and learn the motor/gen without slowing the tech down. If you get a good tech at survey you can really learn a lot.

Not sure if it would be useful to do a thorough survey and a service in one session. Unless I’m misunderstanding and you are thinking down the line. Do you know what’s required for the 250 hr service? It familiar with CATs but some are these lower hour service can be done yourself. Also note I pulled my own oil samples at the survey and sent off to HO PEN. Not sure what I saved but at least I knew the process going forward. Having done Blackstone and HO PEN I personally prefer the readout from Blackstone.
Well thank you very much! Yes just getting my ducks in a row to be prepared for when I'm really ready. I've been finding and calling but 5 out of 6 calls. Boats sold already. So I find i need to jump. But as far as cat 250 service. It's gotta be done by cat mechanic.. I
 
Gotcha . Simple enough thank you for that!
Now you have me wondering. Why do you say that I should have a blow by test done on any 3126? I trust your advice but the fact that you pin pointed one particular motor has me wondering. Oryour just saying that because the motor in question isa 3126

I think its recommended on all CATs but the 3126 is a non-sleeve block so not only does high blow by likely mean rebuild but it might mean a reman block as well. We had it done on ours and they brought a special CAT meter with the acceptable range for that particular engine, ours were well below spec. It was a relief because the boat (like most of the era) was overpropped from SR and had about 900 hours on the OEM props. It's not the only measure over premature wear buy coupled with the oil samples should paint a clear picture of engine health.

Pretty sure the 3116's are also non-sleeved, but I don't know that for certain.
 
Well thank you very much! Yes just getting my ducks in a row to be prepared for when I'm really ready. I've been finding and calling but 5 out of 6 calls. Boats sold already. So I find i need to jump. But as far as cat 250 service. It's gotta be done by cat mechanic.. I
Congrats on the sale!
 
The blow-by test on the 3126 is needed because it was the engine that had the soft block problem in the late 90's early 2000's. Cat fixed or replaced all that they found and they stopped warrantying that repair in about 2004, so if you buy a boat with extremely low hours you could buy a bunch of future problems that end in engine replacements. The way to insure you don't have soft blocks is to check the blow-by for excessive cylinder wear.

The soft block issue was only on the 3126, the 3116 had no soft blocks so the blow by test isn't needed on 3116, but, you could do it if you suspect the engine has worn cylinders, but the signs are excessive smoke under load and at idle. the 250 hour service involves resetting the intake and exhaust valve clearances and resetting the injector clearance. These engines have a mechanically opened injector, unlike Q series Cummins which are electronically fired or the B and c series cummins which are opened by pressure from the injection pump. Cat's system is fully mechanical and the injector timing is cam controlled and adjusted by setting the clearance between the injector and the cam follower. Once set, they pretty much stay put so it is a service that is needed after break-in @ 250 hours then again at 2000 hours.

The 250 hour service requires a dial indicator with a mount made for the 3100 series head configuration and some milled gauge blocks. I've seen used sets on eBay from $1800 to $2600 and while I can do the work, it never made financial sense to own a set for a job that I've only needed to do once in 1350 hours and isn't due again on my engines for another 750 hours. Resetting the overheads on a 3100 series Cat takes 6-8 hours in case you want to do the math and see it makes sense for you to own a set of tools.
 
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