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HI Everybody

I have a 56foot narrow boat with a Thorneycroft 4 cylinder engine.

How often should it be serviced?

I was told an oil change at 100 hrs and a major service at 500hours.

This seems a bit extreme to me as I can do 100 hrs in a couple of weeks cruising.

I have written to Thorneycroft but received no reply.

Can anyone advise me please

Jake

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HI Everybody

I have a 56foot narrow boat with a Thorneycroft 4 cylinder engine.

How often should it be serviced?

I was told an oil change at 100 hrs and a major service at 500hours.

This seems a bit extreme to me as I can do 100 hrs in a couple of weeks cruising.

I have written to Thorneycroft but received no reply.

Can anyone advise me please

Jake

 

Traditionally, hard working marine engines would get an oil change 10 or 12 times a year (twice as many for engines that are used day and night) and an annual complete overhaul - where the engine was completely stripped down, cleaned, inspected and all worn components replaced. I am sure that similar regimes still apply on sea going craft, where lives may at risk should an engine fail, but it is completely over the top for an under-stressed engine that spends all its time pootling around the inland waterways. Under these conditions, modern oils are easily good for 500 hours and an oil change every 300 hours would probably suffice for most types of engine. Similarly, a complete engine overhaul can generally be replaced by an annual inspection and the overhaul left until the engine is showing signs of wear.

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I posted this on the wrong site so here it is again:-

 

HI Everybody

I have a 56foot narrow boat with a Thorneycroft 4 cylinder engine.

How often should it be serviced?

I was told an oil change at 100 hrs and a major service at 500hours.

This seems a bit extreme to me as I can do 100 hrs in a couple of weeks cruising.

I have written to Thorneycroft but received no reply.

Can anyone advise me please

Jake

 

I dont know for thornycroft, but the usual time is every 200- 250 hours for many manufactures of marinised engines.

 

when we did a lot of inland french canals etc & the boat was underway for 3 months, I use to do an oil service at 6 weeks. engines were 2x mercedes benz om314. (a direct injecion 4 cyl diesel of 70s build) oils today are of a higher standard

 

hope that helps

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Is the engine a vehicle conversion? Typically, diesel engines designed for vehicle use need an oil change every 6000 miles (though some suggest 3000 miles). If you assume 30 miles per hour average speed in a vehicle this is 200 hours of use (or 100 hours if the 3000 mile figure is used). Boat engines are used at a more constant speed and a more constant temperature than in a vehicle so the oil change requirement is likely to be less severe in a boat than in a vehicle. However, a lot depends on the quality of oil used. Modern oils are likely to be longer lived than all-mineral oils. Hope that helps!

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The manual for my engine (Perkins 104-19 aka Duffields MC42) recommends oil changes at 100 hours. I too am sure this is OTT, and I usually go for around 200-250 hours before changing it. I do notice that the engine is perceptibly quieter after an oil change which sometimes makes me wonder if I should be doing it sooner.

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I'm quite shocked by all this "100 hours"... "200 hours" etc.

 

Do these intervals have anything to do with oil suppliers or are people missing a zero somewhere?

 

The last brand new car I bought did 220,000 miles before it packed up. Assuming an average speed of 40mph, that's 5,500 hours running time.

 

I never changed the oil. Nor the filter. Not once.

 

Lionheart's 4LW has now done around 2000 hours since its last oil change. When I dip it, it looks like new(ish) oil. I cleaned the filter out once about 4 years ago. But that was only because it was in bits to paint it.

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I'm quite shocked by all this "100 hours"... "200 hours" etc.

 

Do these intervals have anything to do with oil suppliers or are people missing a zero somewhere?

 

The last brand new car I bought did 220,000 miles before it packed up. Assuming an average speed of 40mph, that's 5,500 hours running time.

 

I never changed the oil. Nor the filter. Not once.

 

Lionheart's 4LW has now done around 2000 hours since its last oil change. When I dip it, it looks like new(ish) oil. I cleaned the filter out once about 4 years ago. But that was only because it was in bits to paint it.

220k is nothing these days. perhaps if you'd serviced it properly it would have gone on to the million mark! :)

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220k is nothing these days. perhaps if you'd serviced it properly it would have gone on to the million mark! :)

 

Well it probably would still be going. Assuming a service means putting anti freeze in it which would have prevented the splits in the cooling system parts and the eventual overheat and warped head.

 

It would still be on the same oil though :)

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My Lister Canalstar has an oil change every 100 hours or so...I can tell when it's getting near to an oil change 'cause it starts to chug every know and again...but...as soon as another 4.5L of Morris' fune lube goes down the shute after pumping out all the old stuff, she purrs once again...Every now and again I have been known to change the filter!

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HI Everybody

I have a 56foot narrow boat with a Thorneycroft 4 cylinder engine.

How often should it be serviced?

I was told an oil change at 100 hrs and a major service at 500hours.

This seems a bit extreme to me as I can do 100 hrs in a couple of weeks cruising.

I have written to Thorneycroft but received no reply.

Can anyone advise me please

Jake

Jake my Beta 43 gets serviced every 250 hours, oil and filter change. It is absolutely

delightful to dip the oil and see CLEAN oil on the dip stick at all times.

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It should be ongoing. Check oil levels often. Check hoses secure as well as belts for any cracks. Make sure battery terminals are clean and alternator wires not frayed or loose. A little bit of care often is better than a major overhaul once in a blue moon.

Also the fact you run your engine a lot is probably a good thing.

 

I posted this on the wrong site so here it is again:-

 

HI Everybody

I have a 56foot narrow boat with a Thorneycroft 4 cylinder engine.

How often should it be serviced?

I was told an oil change at 100 hrs and a major service at 500hours.

This seems a bit extreme to me as I can do 100 hrs in a couple of weeks cruising.

I have written to Thorneycroft but received no reply.

Can anyone advise me please

Jake

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I serviced my Gardner 2L2 yesterday (451 hours)stripped down filter and cleaned it with liquid parafin as learnt from this excellent forum. 4.5litres of morris goldenfilm and it sounds, just like it did the day before.

My 01 plate Skoda is now at 260k miles and still moving on original everything except tyres,brakes and cam belts.....oil chamge every 20,000 miles or so

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I am just about to service mine at the recommended 200 hours. It is a Perkins and we call here Dorothy (after the shop).

It is not worth ruining an expensive bit of kit to save £30 every 200hrs. Why take the risk? Unless you have £7000 plus to spare or even £25000 if it is a Russell Newbury of course.

 

Keith

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Why take the risk? Unless you have £7000 plus to spare or even £25000 if it is a Russell Newbury of course.

 

That's asumming that not changing the oil every 200 hours would break absolutely every single last part in the engine and gearbox.

 

Not really a valid argument is it?

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That's asumming that not changing the oil every 200 hours would break absolutely every single last part in the engine and gearbox.

 

Not really a valid argument is it?

 

Modern lubricants in modern engines are designed to last much longer and, with these, there is an argument that says you may do less harm by leaving them alone than by constantly changing the oil and filters.

 

In my view this argument is reasonably sound with modern car engines if you work on the basis that the car will depreciate rapidly, no serious safety issues may arrise as a result of premature engine failure and, in any event it will, inevitably, be replaced by a new and improved model. The issues with a marine engine are rather different - for a start many of us expect to keep our boats for far longer than we might keep a modern car, in some cases we have vintage engines that we wish to preserve for much longer than their original design life and finally, if a marine engine suffers a major failure at best it can be extremely inconvenient and at worse (especially if on coastal/tidal waters or a fast flowing river) there could be a serious risk to the lives of those on board and also those involved in any subsequent salvage, rescue or recovery. For this reason, it is sensible to pay rather more attention to the maintenance of marine engines that we may with a modern car engine.

 

Oil and fuel filters should be changed in accordance with the engine manufacturers instructions. In addition the old engine and gearbox oil should be drained or pumped out and replaced with clean oil, of the correct grade, at regular intervals - we do this every 300 hours.

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  • 2 years later...

In my quest for knowledge

and accepting the risk of " how long is a piece of string" analogy

How long in engine hours would a reasonably maintained engine lifespan be ? to be used as a benchmark to measure potential purchases.

eg. 1000k still new and smelling of paint from the factory :)

2000 bought second hand of Noah :) do not touch :P

 

I do accept that the longevity depends on the treatment and care given to any engine but an avg would be helpful..

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In my quest for knowledge

and accepting the risk of " how long is a piece of string" analogy

How long in engine hours would a reasonably maintained engine lifespan be ? to be used as a benchmark to measure potential purchases.

eg. 1000k still new and smelling of paint from the factory smile.png

2000 bought second hand of Noah smile.png do not touch tongue.png

 

I do accept that the longevity depends on the treatment and care given to any engine but an avg would be helpful..

Of what size /type of engine are you considering?

 

The extremely slow running engines (of yore) wear at a considerably slower rate than some of the smaller high revving ones

 

However, if you look after an engine, and maintain it correctly - it should outlive you

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when I boughr my Beta Kubota 90hp engine from Beta marine I asked how long it would last.

 

the bloke said 20 years

 

I said then what

 

he said 'i don't care i'll be retired by then' :lol:

 

hours would be more useful than years really...

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Oh I don't know, the mirrlles at prickwillow managed near 60 years service. Similar lengths of service for Vickers petter and Allen diesels at the pumping mueseum. Hours run wouldn't be of much use with a productive service life as long as that!

As for vehicle based engines, Patrick Moore's ford prefect did 600k plus, no help to you but megga hours and millage can be achieved.

All that's required is regular servicing and a bit of mechanical sympathy. If a boat you look starts and runs well, doesn't smoke rattle leak oil,water, fuel and doesn't look like it has been abused there's a fair chance it will last a good long while yet.

Edited by gazza
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