COCONUTS Engine Hours
Subject: CAT 3126TA Main Engine powerplants with 4250 hours
.
Purpose: Explain the intelligent usage and resulting long life remaining in the main engines.
Service Background: Authorized Caterpillar technicians performed 1000 hour interval service jobs as follows: 1000 hours in 2008; 2000 hours in 2012; 3000 hours in 2015; and 4000 hours in August 2018. These interval service jobs were extensive. Required adjustment, maintenance, and repairs were made, though there were no repairs of significance and the aftercoolers were found in good shape. This may have in part be due to the fact we routinely check and change the zinc anodes, plus we had motored at least 840 hours in fresh water completing two Great Loops.
During the 4000 hour service in August, 2018, the CAT technician reset valve lash, though reported most were within spec, and adjusted injector timing. He checked many other items, but found little in need of further attention and stated the engines were in great condition.
Oil samples taken over the years have all been within spec and no anomalies found requiring further action. Oil samples taken at 4000 and 4230 hours just prior to oil and filter change were perfect.
CAT Major Service Guidelines: Our engines have burned a total 35,000 gallons; about 17,500 gallons each over their 4250 hours of operation. This equates to about 4 gal/hour on average burned each engine underway. This fact confirms our sustained, low load operational protocol described below.
CAT has a guideline of 30,000 gallons burned in the 3126TA before top end service. Subtracting the average gallons burned to date, leaves roughly another 13,000 gallons remaining to be burned in each engine before reaching the CAT guideline. Dividing 13,000 gallons by our average 4 gallons/hour burn rate yields 3,250 hours before engines reach the CAT guideline.
Krogen Express launched COCONUTS in 1996. We bought her in 2008 with just under 1000 hours on the motors representing annual usage of around 80 hours per season. The high seasonal average for most boaters is 100 hours annually. Therefore, with respect to COCONUTS, most buyers running 100 hours per season would not reach the CAT guideline for a theoretical 32 years, or around 2050.
In a January 28, 2019 email exchange with Mr. Rick Morris, Marine Manager, Fabick CAT, Fenton, MO, (the authorized CAT service center that performed my 4000 hour service), he advised “it makes a huge difference how the engines are ran and maintained. CAT always says fuel burn is the best way to go since that can indicate the load factor of the engine. With that said, CAT Guidelines are just that, Guidelines. For instance, we use a lot of the 3500 series engines in towboat applications and CAT Guidelines on them are do a Top End, which is a head change, injectors, etc. at 10,000 hours, 20,000 hours and a major at 30,000 hours. We are running most of our towboats at 30,000 hours for a Top End and 60,000 hours for a Major.” His message: load factor and maintenance make a huge difference.
During a ten day stop last August at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club in Peoria, IL (CAT Headquarters), we got to know a number of current and former CAT employees who were members. They advised our operating mode does not stress the engines and thus should defer major overhaul to 20,000 hours.
Operational Protocol: We operate our boat gently, conservatively and with attention to detail. Prior to every main engine start, we check the dipsticks on both the CAT engines and transmissions. We warm the main engines to operating temperature while underway at idle speed before throttling up beyond 1000 rpm’s. We run the boat at 1500 rpm’s to achieve hull speed of 9.5 knots, our operating speed the vast majority of the time. At 1500 rpm’s, the oil pan is 205 degrees F, a temperature that indicates the cylinders are hot enough to expand the rings, sweep the cylinders clean, and thereby prevent carbon build up. Every so often, we run the boat up to 2400 rpm for five minutes or so to “stretch her legs” and assure no anomalies.
We average 300 hours annually and enjoy the boat’s reliability. At the other end of the spectrum, the average cruiser completes 100 hours per year. A 100 hour/year boat engine has long periods for the bearings to dry out and corrode, thus these respective engines operate in a much more hostile condition and this infrequent usage can ruin engines in a marine climate. Low hour engines in older boats are usually preferred by most buyers, but hidden issues can wreck reliability.
Reading several diesel and boat owner websites revealed the obvious. The manner in which diesels accumulate hours is very important. Boats run hard near or at the pegs, or were over propped and under maintained needed major service quickly. Guys with CAT 3126's who responsibly operated and religiously maintained them like we do - 1000 hour service intervals, prescribed oil changes, fluid samples, zinc replacements, filter changes, et al - have run them past the CAT guidelines with no issues.
Oil and Oil Filtration: Over our eleven years of ownership, only Caterpillar prescribed oil and oil filters have been used in our engines. This includes CAT Special Application Oil No. 170 – 5262 (30w). CAT® SAEO™ was developed for Caterpillar 3116 and 3126 Mechanical Unit Injection Diesel Marine Engines with closed crankcase ventilation systems. The special oil is designed to reduce or eliminate formation of harmful deposits within specific engines. Our engines have accumulated all their hours while lubricated with only this oil.
We also only use CAT Advanced Efficiency Engine Oil Filter Part No. 324-2598. Cat® Filters provide superior protection against particles that can make their way into the lubrication system during service or component wear. Although all engine oil filters remove some abrasive particles, many brand elements are not effective at capturing and retaining the particles that are most damaging to lubrication system components. Manufactured in CAT facilities with a strong, one-piece can design and a non-metallic center tube, Cat Engine Oil Filters maximize cleanliness and minimize potential leaks.
Fuel Treatment and Filtration: Obviously we only burn off-road diesel fuel in the engines. If available, we purchase ValvTect Marine Diesel, but if not, we pre-treat the incoming load of fuel with Stanadyne Performance Formula Diesel Fuel Additive.
COCONUTS uses Racor primary fuel filtration and we only use Racor filter elements, specifically Racor No. 2014 TR-OR (10 micron). After we purchased COCONUTS, we installed Wika vacuum gauges to alert us when the primary filters need to be changed well before filtration is compromised or clogged.
We also only use CAT Advanced High Efficiency Fuel Filter No. 1R-0751 (2 micron) on-engine filters.
Upon purchase, we also installed water in fuel alarms in the primary filter bowls to quickly alert us to an excessive water problem in the primary filters before damage occurs. The alarms enunciate at both pilothouse and flybridge helms.
Research has proven installation of an inline magnetic fuel conditioner breaks these larger organic molecular chains down to a smaller number of carbon atoms so they can burn more easily and efficiently resulting in cleaner cylinder walls. We installed Algae-X magnetic fuel conditioners at each Racor primary fuel filter. Algae-X has no moving parts; once installed it can be forgotten.
Air: The last point is the air that goes into the engine. Unfortunately, sea air contains a high concentration of sodium chloride (salt) and moisture which, when forced into an engine goes straight into the cylinder, if not through a turbo/intercooler as well and makes a microscopic grinding paste. To effectively combat this, COCONUTS is fitted with Walker Air Seps and we use only Walter (K&N) filters, specifically Walker Engineering Part Nos. CD 195 and CD 180.
Summation: Longevity depends on how the engines are run and maintained as much, if not more than the mere quantity of fuel burned. If run and maintained by her next owners in a similar manner as us, evidence suggests and I strongly believe the CAT 3126TA engines in COCONUTS will accumulate hours well in excess of CAT guidelines before needing major service. See article below written by Steve Zimmerman and published in the January/February 2019 issue of Passagemaker reinforcing the many many thousands of hours remaining in the engines.
William W. Brubaker, PE
Subject: CAT 3126TA Main Engine powerplants with 4250 hours
.
Purpose: Explain the intelligent usage and resulting long life remaining in the main engines.
Service Background: Authorized Caterpillar technicians performed 1000 hour interval service jobs as follows: 1000 hours in 2008; 2000 hours in 2012; 3000 hours in 2015; and 4000 hours in August 2018. These interval service jobs were extensive. Required adjustment, maintenance, and repairs were made, though there were no repairs of significance and the aftercoolers were found in good shape. This may have in part be due to the fact we routinely check and change the zinc anodes, plus we had motored at least 840 hours in fresh water completing two Great Loops.
During the 4000 hour service in August, 2018, the CAT technician reset valve lash, though reported most were within spec, and adjusted injector timing. He checked many other items, but found little in need of further attention and stated the engines were in great condition.
Oil samples taken over the years have all been within spec and no anomalies found requiring further action. Oil samples taken at 4000 and 4230 hours just prior to oil and filter change were perfect.
CAT Major Service Guidelines: Our engines have burned a total 35,000 gallons; about 17,500 gallons each over their 4250 hours of operation. This equates to about 4 gal/hour on average burned each engine underway. This fact confirms our sustained, low load operational protocol described below.
CAT has a guideline of 30,000 gallons burned in the 3126TA before top end service. Subtracting the average gallons burned to date, leaves roughly another 13,000 gallons remaining to be burned in each engine before reaching the CAT guideline. Dividing 13,000 gallons by our average 4 gallons/hour burn rate yields 3,250 hours before engines reach the CAT guideline.
Krogen Express launched COCONUTS in 1996. We bought her in 2008 with just under 1000 hours on the motors representing annual usage of around 80 hours per season. The high seasonal average for most boaters is 100 hours annually. Therefore, with respect to COCONUTS, most buyers running 100 hours per season would not reach the CAT guideline for a theoretical 32 years, or around 2050.
In a January 28, 2019 email exchange with Mr. Rick Morris, Marine Manager, Fabick CAT, Fenton, MO, (the authorized CAT service center that performed my 4000 hour service), he advised “it makes a huge difference how the engines are ran and maintained. CAT always says fuel burn is the best way to go since that can indicate the load factor of the engine. With that said, CAT Guidelines are just that, Guidelines. For instance, we use a lot of the 3500 series engines in towboat applications and CAT Guidelines on them are do a Top End, which is a head change, injectors, etc. at 10,000 hours, 20,000 hours and a major at 30,000 hours. We are running most of our towboats at 30,000 hours for a Top End and 60,000 hours for a Major.” His message: load factor and maintenance make a huge difference.
During a ten day stop last August at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club in Peoria, IL (CAT Headquarters), we got to know a number of current and former CAT employees who were members. They advised our operating mode does not stress the engines and thus should defer major overhaul to 20,000 hours.
Operational Protocol: We operate our boat gently, conservatively and with attention to detail. Prior to every main engine start, we check the dipsticks on both the CAT engines and transmissions. We warm the main engines to operating temperature while underway at idle speed before throttling up beyond 1000 rpm’s. We run the boat at 1500 rpm’s to achieve hull speed of 9.5 knots, our operating speed the vast majority of the time. At 1500 rpm’s, the oil pan is 205 degrees F, a temperature that indicates the cylinders are hot enough to expand the rings, sweep the cylinders clean, and thereby prevent carbon build up. Every so often, we run the boat up to 2400 rpm for five minutes or so to “stretch her legs” and assure no anomalies.
We average 300 hours annually and enjoy the boat’s reliability. At the other end of the spectrum, the average cruiser completes 100 hours per year. A 100 hour/year boat engine has long periods for the bearings to dry out and corrode, thus these respective engines operate in a much more hostile condition and this infrequent usage can ruin engines in a marine climate. Low hour engines in older boats are usually preferred by most buyers, but hidden issues can wreck reliability.
Reading several diesel and boat owner websites revealed the obvious. The manner in which diesels accumulate hours is very important. Boats run hard near or at the pegs, or were over propped and under maintained needed major service quickly. Guys with CAT 3126's who responsibly operated and religiously maintained them like we do - 1000 hour service intervals, prescribed oil changes, fluid samples, zinc replacements, filter changes, et al - have run them past the CAT guidelines with no issues.
Oil and Oil Filtration: Over our eleven years of ownership, only Caterpillar prescribed oil and oil filters have been used in our engines. This includes CAT Special Application Oil No. 170 – 5262 (30w). CAT® SAEO™ was developed for Caterpillar 3116 and 3126 Mechanical Unit Injection Diesel Marine Engines with closed crankcase ventilation systems. The special oil is designed to reduce or eliminate formation of harmful deposits within specific engines. Our engines have accumulated all their hours while lubricated with only this oil.
We also only use CAT Advanced Efficiency Engine Oil Filter Part No. 324-2598. Cat® Filters provide superior protection against particles that can make their way into the lubrication system during service or component wear. Although all engine oil filters remove some abrasive particles, many brand elements are not effective at capturing and retaining the particles that are most damaging to lubrication system components. Manufactured in CAT facilities with a strong, one-piece can design and a non-metallic center tube, Cat Engine Oil Filters maximize cleanliness and minimize potential leaks.
Fuel Treatment and Filtration: Obviously we only burn off-road diesel fuel in the engines. If available, we purchase ValvTect Marine Diesel, but if not, we pre-treat the incoming load of fuel with Stanadyne Performance Formula Diesel Fuel Additive.
COCONUTS uses Racor primary fuel filtration and we only use Racor filter elements, specifically Racor No. 2014 TR-OR (10 micron). After we purchased COCONUTS, we installed Wika vacuum gauges to alert us when the primary filters need to be changed well before filtration is compromised or clogged.
We also only use CAT Advanced High Efficiency Fuel Filter No. 1R-0751 (2 micron) on-engine filters.
Upon purchase, we also installed water in fuel alarms in the primary filter bowls to quickly alert us to an excessive water problem in the primary filters before damage occurs. The alarms enunciate at both pilothouse and flybridge helms.
Research has proven installation of an inline magnetic fuel conditioner breaks these larger organic molecular chains down to a smaller number of carbon atoms so they can burn more easily and efficiently resulting in cleaner cylinder walls. We installed Algae-X magnetic fuel conditioners at each Racor primary fuel filter. Algae-X has no moving parts; once installed it can be forgotten.
Air: The last point is the air that goes into the engine. Unfortunately, sea air contains a high concentration of sodium chloride (salt) and moisture which, when forced into an engine goes straight into the cylinder, if not through a turbo/intercooler as well and makes a microscopic grinding paste. To effectively combat this, COCONUTS is fitted with Walker Air Seps and we use only Walter (K&N) filters, specifically Walker Engineering Part Nos. CD 195 and CD 180.
Summation: Longevity depends on how the engines are run and maintained as much, if not more than the mere quantity of fuel burned. If run and maintained by her next owners in a similar manner as us, evidence suggests and I strongly believe the CAT 3126TA engines in COCONUTS will accumulate hours well in excess of CAT guidelines before needing major service. See article below written by Steve Zimmerman and published in the January/February 2019 issue of Passagemaker reinforcing the many many thousands of hours remaining in the engines.
William W. Brubaker, PE
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