BETA MARINE 28HP with PRM120 repairs

This video shows me repairing the main engine on a Westerly Fulmar sailing Yacht. Initially the work is to address the cooling heat exchanger and determine if the work can carried out with no major issues or prolonged delays.
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[@davidholloway14]

Beta 35 owner . I put stainless studs in the exhaust and nuts with and lock washers . makes gasket lining up a thing of the past.

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

Yes that's a great system.

[@apackwestbound5946]

Brilliant engineering, thank you for including us on this service & repair job!

[@paolobertini1315]

I congratulate you for the seriousness and passion you put into your work. Maybe if they found like you in my town. If I may, I’d like to ask you something. I also have a Beta 20 engine on my boat. I have problems with the heat exchanger. You can tell me what the characteristics of the coolant should be, and with what it should be mixed, tap water, distilled water, demineralized water. Thanks and greetings from Italy

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

Best refer to the user manual for the engine. But water carries minerals. Deionised water is low a conductive so aids in heat management Demineralised water will have less minerals to deposit in the coolant. As the quantity of the coolant/antifreeze mixe is small it would not be too expensive to blend a treated water. The quality of the coolant mix is dependent on the temperature ranges and the metallic components it works with. Beta marine state the type of approved antifreeze in the manual. If you regularly clean the and change the coolant say every year or two then tap water isnt an issue. But thats very general as tap water varies a lot from place to place. Best to avoid heavy water as the calcium build up can cause issues.

[@nogunwales9406]

Hi Darren, So you have moved into Yellow Belly Land to live. Good battle with the seized bolts , you came out on top though. Thought it was tight around my boats engine for working on, until I saw they put that one in a cupboard for you. Great work matey .Look forward to the next one.

[@braithmiller]

Thanks for the walkthrough on your work. The exhaust neck flange bolts/screws seizing seem a very common problem. Do you use an anti-seize compound on threads especially the ss in aluminum? I prefer the studs whenever possible to maximize thread engagement and reduce the chance of galling or stripping.

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

Another has suggested using stainless studs and I must admit it's a better idea. As for anti-seize, I didn't this time but may some aluminium slip. To be honest if the engine is serviced regularly along with the tube stack being removed I can really see a need for it. As you say studs do make more sense. To be fair on this engine the majority of the corrosion seems to be because of a leak from the raw water hoses. I really don't understand why common coated fixings are used except say cost savings.

[@jvkew]

Mark Twain once said, "One move equals two fires."

[@robertklein1316]

Fresh water cooling systems and saltwater will keep you in business forever unless they go for stainless steel manifolds.

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

Indeed.

[@interludo]

Impressive victory on four rusty nuts and studs! I used to dread/sh*t my pants at the thought of these battles..! 😫😂 Glad to know that I'm not alone feeling extreme happiness for not breaking or sorting out rusty fixings.

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

I was lucky

[@sailingalcanzar]

Its best if you ever have your tube Stack out take it into a radiator shop get them to dip it and pressure test it.

[@somyrab]

That drill won’t clean thro the length of the stack. I bought a 300 mm length of 3.5 mm Silver Steel and poked right thro. Some were blocked and needed a tap to get thro.

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

I didn't need to go to that degree. Mostly surface crud. But when you say a tap I hope you don't mean a thread tap. A water tap to blast it ?

[@somyrab]

No! Just a tap on the steel rod😂

[@urbanimage]

Interesting video. Assuming there are no existing bad indicators, at what sort of hours would you recommend servicing or exchanging the injectors on these small Beta Marine / Kubota engines?

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

From what I'm seeing in the workshop manual from Kubota it's states to check the injection open pressure at 1500hours. And check the timing after 3000hours. Injectors are possibly one of the most hardest used parts as the temperature changes causing thermal shocking and the conditions of use mean they will fail. But one should have respect for them as they tolerate over 1000 Deg during the combustion process. Quite a feat of engineering in material properties. Also worth pointing out why the fuel supply and return is vital to have working correctly which aids in cooling of the injectors.

[@urbanimage]

@@dhcrouchmarineltd3049 l expect most people tend to ignore than until things start to go wrong. I have a little Sea Otter with a Beta 10 / Kubota BZ482 that's just reached 3300 hours. I have to say, that appears to be working pretty much flawlessly at the moment. I guess should get someone to have a look at them though.

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

It's one of these things, if it's working fine don't fix it. But then idealism states do something at a pre destined time. My transit custom van is one with common rail, there has been big issues with the injectors and I had problems. All covered under warranty. I must admit I noticed a big improvement when I fitted 4 new injectors. It's sated to change them at 60,000 miles I plan to do just that once I reach 120,000. Currently on 87,000.

[@urbanimage]

@@dhcrouchmarineltd3049 Yes, indeed, for all I know changing the injectors in my Beta might turn it in to a racehorse - mind you it manages to push my little narrowboat along at a fair old lick by canal standards now. 'idealism states do something at a pre destined time.' Oh, yes, I got five years out of my last impeller. It only died because I accidentally killed it one day! I'm definitely the weak link in the system.

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

Ha, I think all humans are a weak leak. But then were also the means to make it happen. I try to encourage use of machinery to do things with respect and not trash them.

[@somyrab]

Just cleaned my stack nice to see I did it right! I missed the reason you removed the Elbow?

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

It was to have room to pull the stack out. Also the fixings were rotten.

[@albazar]

That's a long journey from lincoln.

[@somyrab]

Can you give details of the camera?

[@dhcrouchmarineltd3049]

Its a GoPro hero 7 and sometimes a mobile phone