Westerbeke 7.6 BTD Vibration/Noise reduction

We have the soft-sided version and it came with the boat so I can't comment on how effective it is. I have talked with others about it vs. the metal version for access and I can pass on most owners of the metal version tell me they are a PITA to work on the generator if needed. Our soft version can be removed in a few minutes if that long.

 

I’ll just say I am in a similar situation. I’m working on painting and detailing mine and already have new isolators and am going with the soft sound shield. I know it’s not super helpful but at least you know I’m on the same path as well as a larger exhaust.

 

David,

I have an 8.0 BTD Westerbeke and the first 5 years the noise was not objectional. Then we had an undetected seawater leakon the back side of the engine because it was totally invisible from the front or side and the seawater ran off the back of the deck the generator was mounted to......more about this later....

At the same time, I was ready to do the valve service and torque the head. I've got a lot of diesel experience, mostly with small industrial type engines., just like the Westerbeke. It sounded like the Westerbeke generated a bit more diesel knock/clatter than Kubotas, Cummins 4B's, Cummins 6B's, Yanmars, and Perkins that I have in other applications. Since I was at 1000 hours, I decided to have the injectors pop tested and cleaned it necessary. The injectors tested to new specs. Since injector timing is largely dependent upon the valve clearance, I ran the valves then replaced the rusted frame rails and the isolators and the isolator's mounting hardware. The difference in noise and vibration was dramatic! The valve lash was corrected - fixed the excessive diesel knock and valve clatter. The Isolators were shrunken and cracked and as hard as plastic to boot. - really helped dampen the vibration.

I considered a sound shield and a muffler change. The noise I was getting was not from the exhaust, it was engine clatter so I abandoned the new muffler idea until I took care of the needed maintenance items. I run a lot of boats for our dealer and have grown to hate sound shields. You cannot see the engine to spot leaks or things that are abnormal and checking the fluids is difficult. This can lead to undetected leaks that do damage if not caught in time and failure to check oil and coolant because of difficult engine access. If you are running someone else boat, you cannot "forget" the oil and coolant levels no matter how hard of complicated the access, so you grow to hate sound shields. This was going be my last resort to quieten my Westeerbeke.

Bottom line for me in my situation was that my generator noise was valves that needed adjusting to control clatter and diesel knock and thew vibration was just due to the rusted mounting rails that didn't support the 8.0BTD ant longer and baked isolators they were more solid than soft so they transmitted the generator vibration rather than isolating it.

I would encourage you to take this one step at a time and if you can avoid having to install a sound shield.

 

Mine is in the aft center near the transom so. My plan is to raise it up on 4x4 blocks and refinish the rails and replace the isolators as well as paint the mounting base. I should have this done in the next few months so I can report back then. I just take care of a few other boats that need attention over the next 60 days so I have to work mine into the schedule.

 

Josh,

If your generator mounts like mine, at the rear of the bilge almost against the transom on the centerline, you can make it a one man job if you do it in halves. Remove 3 of the rail mounting bolts, then loosen the aft port nut and use the 4th rail mounting bolt as a pivot. You can lift and rotate the starboard side/end of generator out into the center of the bilge then put some blocks under the generator to support it while you repair the side of the generator that sites nearest the transom. When done with the aft side of the generator, rotate it almost back in place then block up the center of the genes with a 2X4 on end and repair the front of the generator.

 

As I said earlier, I'm not sure how much impact the soft shield has because I have never run the gen. without it, but I will beg to differ with Frank on the ease of inspection, full removal, and replacement of it. I have the soft shield and it has a velcro panel in front for an oil check and overall visual inspection of the front of the unit, this is easier than pulling the dipstick out. Complete removal is under 2 minutes as all pieces are just velcroed together and reinstall might take a couple extra to get the seams lined straight.

 

Thanks Frank I didn’t think of pivoting it. I was just going to lift it on blocks and try to figure it out but once again you have a better idea! I’ll follow that advice for sure. My bottom rails are rusted on the bottom, not badly but I want to prep and paint them anyway. It was interesting to hear how your injector service and valve lash adjustment made the genset quieter. I will follow that advice as well. How did you remove the injotor without damaging it? Westerbeke has them priced like they are a rare earth metal so I don’t want to damage it.

 

The injectors have a sealing ring between them and the head. If a reputable shop pop tests your injectors, they will come back with new crush rings on them. Most Westerbeke injectors have 2 ears on them with a bolt thru each ear that holds the injector into the head. Remove those small bolts and gently pry the injector out of the head and send the whole shooting match to the diesel repair shop for testing.

Testing isn't expensive, but if a rebuild is necessary it will be several hundred $ per injector. If your generator is running well and not smoking, you probably only need to test and clean the injectors. My cost including, freight both ways, for testing and cleaning was $75.

 

Looking at your last photo, if you need more help with noise, I think there is room to glue sound deadening foam above and beside the generator. I think I'd try that before messing with a sound shield.

 

Mark,

The critical component that will get overlooked when do your pre/post-run before leaving the dock or upon returning to the dock is the seawater pump. On the 8.0-BTD, when your family and guests are antsy to leave, I'd bet you that you and others with sound shields frequently do not check the seawater pump and plumbing for leaks on the back side of the generator engine. This pump is troublesome because the impeller cover is very difficult to remove and replace without leaks (it is a Westerbeke thing caused by a paper thin fiber gasket). We have 3 Westerbeke owners in this thread who are or have had to deal with leaks and rust damage from this area. If you have escaped the "fun" of repairing/replacing the generator support system, congratulations!