> I see absolutely no reason a MB diesel, non-turbo, wouldn't work fine in a
> marine environment. Just make certain you use fresh water cooling and it
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> use a large radiator with air drawn and exited from on deck to cool a
> diesel.
Engines for marine application are required to produce power in a constant
manner and engine speed consistant with hull design. Auto engines need only
to make 15-25 hp for most of their lives and make their rated power at an
rpm that is rarely sustained in highway use. And that applies to auto
diesels too. Asking your car engine to produce it's rated power for hours on
end will quickly wear it out. That is why marine diesels typically produce
their power at a much lower speed and a lower power output than a car
engine.
As to your friends boat, perfection is in the eyes of the beholder.
And finally I did post that the diesel in question would work as a generator
engine. Detroit diesels have been widely used for decades as generator
engines. Nobody uses them much any more because they much too noisey and use
too much fuel.
> > > > This would be a good engine for a local fishing boat or for power
> > > > generation, both of which would use a non-automotive transmission.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> > As a generator engine it would work for a simple set running at 3600 rpm,
> > but the noise!
Ernie Sparks - 03 Sep 2005 05:54 GMT
>> I see absolutely no reason a MB diesel, non-turbo, wouldn't work fine in
>> a
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
> rpm,
>> > but the noise!
I was not referring to a turbo diesel although they also seem to work fine
in marine applications. The only difference between a marine diesel and an
over-the-road diesel is in the cooling system, and the fact that marine
diesels tend to get more attention and a cleaner environment. Otherwise
there is essentially no difference.....except price. a Cummins marine diesel
is almost identical to a truck diesel.
Incidentally, the same is true of gas engines as well. Most high-performance
boats use nothing more than hopped up auto engines, with the exception of
the high-performance marine diesels which are all virtually turbo-charged.
Have a friend with three in his ocean racer. Just touches the tops of the
waves on his way to Catalina Island.