Billowing Smoke - Broken Turbocharger - But at least it got upgraded electronics! (6)

Putting on a Smoke Show for the Marina wasn't planned for today. We worked to get the new Arco Zeus up and running, and it is a beautiful piece of kit. But something we realized while testing, when I brought the throttle up to the higher RPM's was, well there weren't any higher RPM's. Just smoke.
So let's pull the #turbo and see what's going on.
I realize I did a pretty poor job and telling you how a turbo works. If you're wanting to learn, I'll work on my explanations. In the mean time, go check out this one • Turbos: How They Work ... they do a pretty good job, and they are WAY better at drawing than I am lolol.
Here is a link to the ZEUS regulator from Arco -
www.arcomarine...
Huge shout out to them - this regulator is awesome, definitely check them out if you're in the market and we'll give another update when we get the new alternator
Sit back enjoy and subscribe! Thanks all
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[@mikegeoghan6973]

white smoke definately a new pope

[@badcat4707]

😻😹😹😸😺

[@gregsly308]

lol nice

[@atemplin843]

Definitely! 😂😂😂

[@MrHenhei]

LMAO

[@kamelsr]

Getting a serious case of the deja vu's.

[@rodneyroundtree9581]

Oil seal blown in turbo. Explains lack of power if oil is in combustion chamber. Injector blown which would cause low power. Cracked head near a exhaust chamber. Oil seal in turbo is easy to determine if you pull intake pipe to manifold and see if Oil is in it. Or inspect turbo fan blade on the exhaust side. Injector you need the computer program to hook to computer (which I highly recommend you getting a diesel marine software) and do a cylinder cut out test. And check antifreeze level to see if it has gone down or system is overly pressurized. It could also determine a cracked head. But my money is on the Oil seal in the turbo. Or water seal if it's cooled via water.

[@richardtaylor5258]

Having blown a few turbo’s in my time…. Sounds like the impeller bearings have gone south. When the engine is cool gain access to the impeller, grab onto it and try to spin it. That’ll give you a good idea.

[@fxpthl]

After watching you “work your magic” with your motor, I have decided that one, your knowledge is almost scary and sailing is Not For Sissies! Bravo sir!

[@mykgrauss9872]

Thanks Brett. Nice job! Be safe! Regards, Myk

[@torresdelpaine8888]

Hey Bret, here is something you might consider in assessment of your engine’s “turbo”. I have not worked with turbos but I have with regular non-turbo marine engines. Turbo as you know is a mechanism that is used to compress intake air to get more power out of your engine. Diesel as a fuel is going to be burned in a fixed ratio with air. Your engine will likely initiate the turbo to compress intake air, and have some mechanism to “meter” the air so it knows how much fuel to match through the injectors. By measuring air, through either a Mass Air Flow sensor or a Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor, the computer is then able to calculate the amount of diesel fuel that the engine will need to inject into each of the cylinders. Engines measure air first, and then calculate a matched amount of fuel to inject, secondarily. So my thoughts are that when you start the engine and put it into neutral and then rev the engine up a little to 1500 or 2000 RPM, a persons initial reaction might be to think that the engine is working hard to achieve the RPMs, and that the turbo should then kick in. But this MAY NOT be TRUE, and here is why … an engine that is in neutral and being revved, is using ALMOST no more fuel than when it is idling. As you know, using very little fuel would also mean that it is hardly using any more AIR, because the engines computer always injects a metered amount of fuel to match the volume of air being measured through the throttle position, always burned in a fixed ratio specific to the fuel (in this case, with as your fuel source). Why is this important? Because only when the engine experiences a LOAD, will the engine have a need to burn FUEL … and therefore AIR! And unless you have LOAD - meaning the engine is in gear and the prop is turning and pushing a LOAD of water - you will not have a need for any volume of compressed air to match the small amount of FUEL being injected into the engine. It seems counter intuitive, but when you rev the engine in neutral you burn just a little more fuel than you would be burning as if it were at idle … and therefore just a little more air, and not anything large like what turbo air should be able to deliver. The reason why I say this, is that your turbo is not likely to be engaged in a manner that uses large amounts of turbo air, because there is hardly no AIR demand that will ever be created by simply revving the engine out of gear. Your turbo will not need to produce “turbo compressed air” until you give it a substantial LOAD- a REAL LOAD - which can only be achieved by putting the engine in gear and burning actual fuel created by pushing a heavy boat through the water (or through engagement of your propeller with the surrounding seawater). Anyways, not sure if your problem actually got resolved, but good luck!

[@laurapitre5797]

This is a diesel engine not gas.

[@MrSnookerballs]

@@laurapitre5797 he does state that he's talking about diesel engine. read again.

[@ivolimbo]

@@MrSnookerballsexactly, @laurapitre5797 is completely right.this is not a petrol engine. 1) there is no computer here. Purely mechanic 2)old marine diesel, no regulation on air mass, neither even a waste gate maybe, always charging full air mass to make the highest temp and pressure, just dosing fuel and not caring on excess air causing NOx. Opposite to Otto turbo engines or automotive diesel engines with electronic mgmt, where low loads mean low boost pressure, and high loads, high boost even at low rpm. On this diesel, boost is depending on Rpm mainly I would say. 😊

[@SirCarlosMusicBMI]

🎉🎉🎉 I’m so amazed by how much you know about so much! And when you don’t know…. You learn. I would have been lost just at opening the door to the engine 😮😂😂😂 But I’ve got to say that you DO know a lot about a lot of things. Keep safe and healthy my friends. Blessings,Carlos ✝️🙏❤️😊🇺🇸

[@rogergibb705]

Occam's razor. The explanation that requires the fewest assumptions is usually correct. Always start with the simplest answer, with the least componets, the easiest to complete first.

[@johnparker3065]

Brett, turbo engines like the correct fuel loads per cylinder. I have a 2006 4jh3-te. The Yanmar manuals have thousand hour service intervals tasks. One of item is remove, clean and test the injectors. Mine had 1400 hrs when purchased and 2250 when I read the manual. All were drippers when tested. They were replaced at $150 per. These are old school poppet injectors, any diesel shop has the equipment. High Output Small Case Alternators are great...... But have those big house batteries separated into Banks 1& 2. The failure mode is a case direct short to ground. Devastating to lose 12 Volt power half way on 3,000 nm passage.

[@edburke2902]

You might want to think about how you use that high output alternator at low rpm. It seems unlikely that with the little bit of use you gave it causing the problem, but low rpm with no turbo and more diesel going in may clog things up quicker than you may like. Also if you aren’t able to get low sulphuric fuel that could do it too. I have a naturally aspirated diesel in my boat and I try to run nearly wide open throttle for a while to blow out the carbon.

[@roberthardy2013]

If you ever contemplate splitting a unit ALWAYS lightly file / scratch marks on each removable part so that you definitely know where they go back as the original position.

[@hughpickrel569]

VERY INFORMATIVE! Thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.

[@johnjunior6101]

I actually think that Dingo is watching to make sure you do your projects correctly. Hope you both feel better soon.

[@Day_Tripper39]

Great video, Bret. Always keep the air cleaner clean. Bad things can happen if it gets clogged up. Glad Dingo is doing great.

[@CAPTJohn47]

Diesels like to work hard. Too much low load running will kill a diesel faster than full load operation. Keep your generator and your main engine will thank you for not running it at anchor. The good news is that that monster alternator will load up the engine when motoring and motor-sailing so that's a bonus.

[@danieldoble7674]

SV Delos had similar issues. They were informed that they were not reving the engine high enough and had the same carbon build up. Once they cleaned up and replaced the elbow they had the same results as you did. The engine reved up higher and the smoke was gone. So, reve the engine up high once in a while and that will help burn off the carbon.

[@ivolimbo]

Hi couple!!! So glad to be able to help you and to appear again somehow😊😊😊😊 you Brett did a great diagnose and repair on that engine. Congrats!! Hearing that lovely whistle again had to make to feel happy. Get on well soon, like dingo did😅❤

[@glennburch1081]

Reality sailing, the pros and cons. Your talents are saving a ton of money! Fascinating episode, thanks for sharing. Rest up, heal up, hug each other........ and the dogs too. Looking forward to seeing an episode when things are going a bit smoother with less stress, and seeing some smiling faces. Impressive work on the super charger, glad that went well.

[@W.P._Joe]

"The turbo is making turbo sounds" 😂 Great Job!

[@donnordstrom31]

The only way for oil to get in there and get burned is past the impeller bearing/bushing. I know you said it had minimal side to side play, but... Remember that oil can be a fuel, if enough enters the air flow you might have trouble.

[@barroosa]

Dingo says, "If I only had thumbs I could help dad". So glad his joints are doing better. We have a 12 year old lab and Dasaquin has done wonders. Enjoying the content guys. Keep it up.

[@petemurphy9272]

over time the exhaust inlet manifold will carbon up and restrict air flow into the turbo and eventually the carbon will make its way into the turbo and clag up the vanes inside. Ensure the inlet manifold is clean. Can check health of the vanes by way of the control lever, which protrudes from the side of the turbo. the lever should move in its full range of motion without any sticking or jamming. Essentially it should move superfreely just using very light pressure(tip of your finger). If hard to move, then the vanes are clagged with carbon, need cleaning.

[@robm.4512]

Yup, all true for a variable vane turbo which is not uncommon to meet in the automotive world. In marine applications though, old school non-variable vane turbos are the norm so there’s no control arm or mechanism to clag up. Boat engines are generally derived from small plant and industrial equipment, like diggers and generators, that are built to operate for long periods at fixed rpm in a narrow speed range and be quick and simple to maintain, so the added complexity of a variable vane turbo isn’t a benefit. Cheers, R.

[@DoingitWrong]

First up, I really like these Expedition Engineering vids. Second, Dingo makes the best supervisor faces as he watches you work! 😂

[@gaylacrisler9818]

You da bomb!! A lot of what I heard you said was wayyyyy over my head but you clearly know what you’re doing. Great job!

[@paulsmith6553]

Great job Bret!, always good to hang out with you.

[@helihead11]

Troubleshooting helicopter issues we had a policy to start with least expensive items first, meaning clean things that are cleanable. Then move on.

[@willdekok6288]

So happy to see another upload! These are two of my favorite channels on KZbin!

[@96biggss]

As a mechanic, I can tell you it is the internal pil seal in the turbo. Replace it. Cary a spare turbo always. Your engine itself will last 5 times longer than any turbo. Turbos are for performance not durability.

[@8bluedge]

check turbo wheel end play, possible bad oil seals in the turbo, possible plugged oil drain back line

[@rovingfox2077]

Put honey on any burn. It takes pain away and helps a quick heal. I speak from experience. Cheers.

[@STEVEKRSNIK]

Please don't do that to a 3rd degree burn 😢

[@blueclue57]

Brett, someone else commented on your depth of knowledge.. I have seen you flying. I don’t know if your past experience is as a farmer or trucker. But clearly you have some good preparation for the mechanical end of this lifestyle. Good work!

[@mkllove]

Brett, white smoke is usually indicative of incomplete combustion. Whether that's occurring from excess fuel injected, too little air, too low compression ( as was your case from turbo being obstructed on hot side ) from turbo or cylinder head leaks related to gaskets valves or piston/ring failures. You mntioned adding engine room blowers... next episode or will that be TBD with some research and parts orders ? Sorry Jade, that you got the ouchie from fries... at least they were good I'm hoping ?

[@andylowrey5174]

My experience was with an Audi in-line 5 cyl turbocharged motor. It started with a puff of white smoke out the tail pipe on startup. Progressing rapidly to continuous white smoke. The cause was cracks in the cylinder head and a worn-out turbo. The combination of repairing them both exposed issues with a tired engine block, which had to also be rebuilt.🥴😬 If you have a lot of hours on the motor, maybe consider total rebuild.

[@D95SI420]

that poor motor is taking in such hot air, i bet the iat temps are crazy on that thing post turbo with some load. Heat kills everything, i would look into some exhaust wrap and a turbo blanket to help your engine bay temps and then add some ventilation to that tiny engine bay. If possible making a air intake that goes out to fresh air would help more than u would imagine and engine would be way happier. Its simple to add vents to that engine bay, make sure u have a in and out. There are several ways to accomplish this but have to see what would work best on your boat, that alternator will be waaaay cooler if u do this as well. Side note they do have water cooled alternators out there.

[@nutsandbolts432]

I’d start in the same place you did. White smoke when cold shifting to black smoke when warm is too much fuel or not enough air. Exhaust restriction is a problem on small marine diesels which can cause not enough air. It’s also the simple thing to fix and cheaper. Testing for bad injectors isn’t for the faint of heart. Replacing injectors isn’t too bad, but expensive especially if you don’t know if that’s the problem. Blown head gaskets are rare on diesels and are typically the result of poorly maintained cooling systems. It’s not impossible, but highly unlikely. I have seen more external cooling system leaks from head gasket failures than combustion gas loss. The examples I have seen were always because of cavitation eating away the head and block at the gasket surface causing the gasket to fail. It’s not like a gas engine where coolant can leak into the combustion chamber and blow white smoke. A poorly running gas engine might have cylinder pressures of 80 psi. A diesel won’t run with less than 450 psi. If that much pressure got into the cooling system, hoses and heat exchangers go boom. If the engine didn’t hydrolock first.

[@belindachappell9875]

So glad you’ve made this channel. Really interesting stuff

[@jorjimaco5331]

Good save.

[@Steve-Debs]

Bugger! Excellent vlog, well done.

[@mikewohlstein1162]

I had a 4JH-TE many years ago. Yanmar used to sell a product to wash the turbo insitu. Sounded like the engine would self destruct but would work and the turbo would be fine, and cleaned. I did this once a year and never had a problem with it. Check it out with Yanmar.

[@ExposingReflections]

Had an air filter colapse on one of my machines that was clogged up from dust. Smoked like a bitch. Running them too cool will carbon them up on the exhaust side, so never idle for long periods. If you're running it at less than 50% it will do this. Rev it up and make it work a bit. On a piece of construction machinery, we'd tarp off the rad 3/4 covered, for the night and rev them up 3//4 throttle, if it was below -40. Any less and the rings wouldn't seal and she'd spit a lot of oil out the breathers too. Keep em warm and work them hard. She'll be happiest and surprisingly doesn't use hardly more fuel than idling. Great vid. Bonus round...steel becomes very brittle when it's colder than -40. At -50 work carefully.

[@lazzj4995]

Holy smoking Toledo batman Brett, the Joker is in yr engine bay. Open source the problem - best way to break the code.

[@mikemoxley9477]

Thanks… great video with a happy ending!

[@christophelaglbauer]

hello from France sorry for my bad english language. For smoking engine. I think the alternator power his too strong for the engine. when the tork of the engine his strong no problem but the tork go down with the rpm go up. when the diesel engine too much force he start to smoke. for exemple the same thing happens when maxprop propeller his set to the wrong pitch. good luck Christophe

[@SVPirateBoat-vr2fm]

turbo diesel engines dont like to run at low rpm's for long periods of time. they need to spool up to burn up and clear out the carbon build up that happens at low rpm's. all you gota do is clear its throat after after its been running at low rpm's. spool the turbo up for a couple minutes. it will help the engine out a lot.

[@kevinschmit1710]

I really enjoy the new channel. This vid was very helpful and informative. I have the same engine and am dreading the day I have to dive into servicing the turbo. Your vid took away my fear-thanks. I just installed the Zeus VR too. Just curious where you connected the white (RPM) wire from the Zeus to where on the engine? Our Yanmar tach gets signal elsewhere.

[@ZacharyDeBoer]

Oil getting into the turbo would be my first thought.

[@Charlie-Oooooo]

Turbo! ooo...nice! So like your boat goes to eleven? 🎸🤘😎🤘 p.s. maybe check compression, injectors, air filter, and de-barnacle heat exchanger while you have your boat in wet-dock, unless you've done it all recently. Cheers!

[@donaldhoudek2889]

Always enjoy your videos! Keep them coming. I dread it if the 2 turbos on my F150 decide to head south, not easy access either.

[@nwindependent9195]

I love this type of video! Maybe you could start doing "maintenance Monday" or something......

[@lairdsimon5822]

Could just be a bad injector or fuel regulator as well. run the motor and listen and see if it changes pitch up and down. If it does then it is fuel supply. it's a good year to clean your injector every few years any way, helps with fuel economy as well. Love your work hope you find the problem.

[@ladyjoesmith]

Interesting eposode

[@arndtproehl]

A good one, once again! Thank you...

[@patwhite640]

-Turbo is blown. Check cooling likes to it or you'll burn up another one. -Rev/ cam/ crank sensor bad. - fuel issues since it won't rev higher then 2000. Black smoke is ok, white is water in cylinder. Gray/blue is oil in the cylinders.

[@vaalrus]

plugged air filter can scavange oil from the turbo, and cause smoke on it’s own, as well as cause the spool to fail.. I’ve had two fail on the yanmar powering my skid-steer.

[@MrAaroncissell]

Oh good. I thought you kinked an oil line and seized the turbo. Getting that cleaned out might help your heating problem as well. Carbon buildup retains high heat. Glad that it got caught while not 600 miles from anywhere.

[@js7127]

Thinking sitting in the marina critters populated and clogged up your exhaust. Turbo's normally don't just puke but possibility.

[@giles-df9yu]

Smoke, turbo seal or intake filter exhaust last . Intake Filter first ..

[@thevtech167]

So, I used to be a Nissan certified Master SCOPE tech. Smoke usually equals, a loose, bad piston ring. OIL slips past it. That smoke looked light blue which I think was piston ring? It's been 35+ years since I was a mechanic, but ya smoke usually means rings as oil is getting past it and being burned up. But cars are not boats so maybe??? After you fired it up, you have valve issues as well. That's called valve slap.

[@andersrydstrom4747]

Hi Nice work with the turbo. An other comment is that you can damage the crank and the bearing with the load from alternator. I think Yanmar have a diagram that shows how much load you can take in different directions. You have the power to get 240 amps from the engine, but it may hurt it.

[@randymiller4843]

It may be a run off diesel engine. Especially when you said the throttle wasn’t responding. You could have overfilled the oil which could have caused a run off engine scenario. Only way to stop a run off engine is to stop air flow to the engine.

[@dcallan812]

Not as great as the smoke rings from Mount Etna but still impressive. 👍👍 Personally I would have found the smoking fault, fixed that THEN upgrade the alternator. It just cuts something new going into a bust system and adding to any other issues. But Im not on the boat looking at it.

[@robertthorogood9250]

Fuel is Blue smoke Oil is white fyi.And you are on the right track.

[@ExposingReflections]

Antifreeze is white

[@bjrnkristiansen3420]

It could be a stucked turbo, I had the same problem(Cummins). Try to move the intake wheel on the turbo to check.

[@cbxdavid]

Judging on your info I would say the turbo seal. If the smoke was grayish, that is oil. Black smoke is fuel. The smoke at higher rpm is because the oil pressure comes up with rpm. Hopefully the turbo is the problem, that is the easiest option.

[@BobSmith-st1wq]

if you change the pulley to a smaller one on your alt. it will increase the output of the alt.

[@johanbostrom3237]

Rust stockning the turbin. Take of the elbow exh side and feel with your fingers, Remove the rust flake stocking the turbin wheel and make sure the rotor is smoothly rotating,. You can machine one fit stainless bushing in tc hosing when renovating the turbo. This is yanmar typical

[@bobcollard11]

Dingo is your inspector. Many other Vlogs have inspectors, cats and dogs. Sailing Yaba, The Duracell Project and Project BruPeg.

[@MichaelRhodes-w3k]

Loved this vlog, thank you.

[@ctown6971]

22:07 no "fuk up".

[@J_sLaXx]

white smoke indicates oil or coolant being burnt. sweet smell is coolant check engine oil for coolant in it... it will be milky. if head gasket blown turbo seal can induce oil causing smoke. check exhaust side of turbo, wet and oily = blown seal check turbo waste gate, shaft play on turbo. black smoke is over fueling or lack of boost.

[@donaldbrown9437]

Very interesting! Great fix!😊

[@SirCarlosMusicBMI]

I do really Love these videos on your newer channel. But I’m just curious 🧐… Are some of these clips from other videos?? Or am I just having DeJaVu ? Thank you 🙏 Blessings,Carlos ✝️🙏❤️😊🇺🇸

[@williamhamill813]

You can put in a boost gage there should be a port.

[@crushednutts8934]

Nice save.

[@bradmottishaw467]

I really hate how jealous I am of your home.

[@bearitraeb]

You could of done a reel or a questionnaire to ask the engine question.

[@afrahoerbst6237]

So nice to watch :)

[@timoouwehand6178]

Engine air filter probably okay on a go-kart but I would have a bigger and more efficient one. More on the cramped engine room ... why install sensitive electrics up high in this space? Heat rises let alone its always better to keep any weight down low in a boat. Smoke out the exhaust .... if its a blown turbo it happened because turbo had blocked oil feed and along with high rpm cooks the exhaust input compressor wheel and smoke comes from any residual oil and /or water if turbo is one that has water cooling as well? Heat is the cause no matter what the culprit. Keep up your learning and try avoid using apps to monitor crucial parts of the mechanicals.

[@barrycashman7001]

Blown turbo

[@RandomPrecisionMotors]

I used to have a Plaque in a boat once that said "A boat is a hole in the Water into which one pours Money."

[@guydavis4796]

You are burning oil, so you either have valve seals that are possibly dry rotted and cracked or hard or you have something going wrong with the turbo seals

[@QWTrucker]

It’s not a head gasket if the head gasket blows out the engine won’t start there is no compression. Check pipe and fuel filters. If you ever have a miss fire check the glow plugs if they have oil on them check valve cover gasket loss compression and oil is like milk head gaskets.

[@drewbear4471]

What's up Evans, Have an amazing day!

[@petemurphy9272]

the turbine housing can be removed and the vanes cleaned without issue.

[@jimromero1384]

Good job.

[@tunatyme720]

I would say needs a tune up ,, spark plugs, wires, dis cap and rotor and a gas filter 😅🤣🤣🤣 satire folks Bret will fix it 💪💯🇺🇲

[@chhindz]

Have heard of some people derating alternator so it is not running full blast less heat. After watching video and reading comments I'm not sure anybody has definitely found source of smoke. My own has the symptoms but without turbo.

[@guydavis4796]

Also, check your blinker fluid. That may be the issue lol

[@greglynch3662]

Great video!😊

[@bryanb1259]

Dingo loves helping his human

[@moccaluis]

😂🤣😂 is fringe fries that’s what it is. A Belgium invention. 👍🏻

[@Steve-Debs]

1 minute 29sec in and I stop the vlog for my guess. It’s dumping fuel it’s not burning it when the rev’s go higher. Gets to a certain rpm and that would be about 1500 rpm and that’s all hence turbo won’t kick in. Clean fuel lines filters and injectors. Check the fuel pump on engine. Now back to vlog,,, lol

[@curtishyde1842]

Believe it or not even on the video as the RPMs went up I could hear the turbo winding up

[@jeffreyschermer8047]

Prep H is great for a burn

[@roybrunner1896]

Love your videos! I noticed in the background you have a couple of older cameras. Being an ex Naval Photographers. I’m curious what they are? Nikons, Cannon, Leica?

[@theadventuresofcatdaddy6600]

Do yourself a favor and get a SS elbow from HDI Marine. Cheaper than a stock Yanmar and will last a long time. I have 2 that are 9 years old and have been on two different 4JH engines and they still look and perform as new. Save your old one as a spare, it will develop a crack in the weld and leak seawater.

[@Daveincc]

That was pretty caked up. Long hours at lower rpm’s , weak injectors dumping fuel , worn or stuck ring. It looked like some oil and un burnt fuel.

[@SaYeager]

O ring

[@del19961000]

👍👍👍👍👍