Tugboat EMD 16-645E3 blow down and start-up

We are in the engine room of an old tug built in 1960 by Blount Marine, where we see the full blow down and start-up of the Roots Blown EMD 16-645E3 engine. Enjoy the view as the engineer opens up all of the air valve cocks and blows the engine down to clear it of any moisture, then closes them up and starts the engine up. After the engine is started, listen to the engine as it revs a bit, after giving a bit of pressure to the lay shaft. If you have any questions about the video, feel free to message me. Comments are welcome. The video was taken on January 13th, 2017

[@a-k-jun-1]

For those that don't know, those knobs he's turning are directly into the combustion chamber. You open them and turn the engine over to check for and clear any coolant or fuel buildup in the cylinder before starting the engine. Kind of a safety protocol to detect problems and prevent bend rods in a leak situation.

[@edwardedward3335]

Я так понимаю, это чтобы не было гидроудара на шатуны дизеля

[@lucarambaldi2731]

​@@edwardedward3335 ESATTAMENTE IN CASO DI PRESENZA DI ACQUA NELLA CAMERA DI SCOPPIO...IN PRATICA SONO DELLE VALVOLE DI SPURGO PER ELIMINARE IMPURITÀ INCOMPRIMIBILI.!!!

[@gerardomendoza9688]

It'll be interesting to take them off while the engine is running to see what it looks like inside the combustion chamber I bet probably fire will come out through there like an exhaust...

[@Andy-x3e4z]

@@gerardomendoza9688no flames,just very hot air and a very loud hissing noise,it’s from the Indicator cocks.This guy didn’t examine the inside of the cocks to check for moisture.

[@heavymechandelectrical]

Wonder if they pack with carbon

[@captcharlescross8240]

I'm a retired tug captain after over 45 years on tugs. This brings back SO many memories. The 645 was always my favorite engines.

[@rolandashurst5843]

Love the all 2 stroke engine room. Especially as an old gm diesel tech. EMD remains one of the best engines of all time

[@lowbrowdutchman4030]

As an ex gulf of Mexico oil rig supply boat sailor I can say that emds and Detroit's are the most indestructible diesel engines you can put on a boat hands down. Definitely far less problems than any cat or Cummins, Mann or mtu.

[@carrollmccoun110]

I was a engineer on a tow boat in the Mississippi River for years. We had 645 EMD's on our boats. Our engine room was quite a bit bigger than this one. And ours was quite a bit cleaner than this one. I took great pride in my engin room and equipment. The 645 EMD'S would take care of you, if you took care of them.

[@Trump985]

Don’t know why this was recommended video but I used to be the engineer on a boat with a 16-567 I put 645 power assemblies in it and converted it to naturally aspirated the 567 turbo was a never ending nightmare a real pain to replace that monster did it twice before I put blowers and 645 kits in it. It was a very reliable engine after getting rid of the turbo

[@zanelindsay1267]

50% more power with a turbo but they are expensive to replace and the entire engine works a lot harder.

[@carterwebster5866]

Can't comment on the naval side of things, but in locomotives the turbos are amazing and rarely fail unless something goes seriously wrong

[@Trump985]

@@carterwebster5866 The 645 turbos are trouble free in my experience. The 567 turbos were a different story (again in my experience)

[@jwatt9570]

I worked on SEDCO oil rigs for many years. They had EMDS. So easy to maintain as long as you kept the air boxes clean. Wonderful piece of machinery.

[@hansenfiet2539]

I love hearing tugs going down the Savannah River……because they sound just like an EMD SD40-2. And this is why. They have the same engine block!

[@carlatamanczyk3891]

That sure brings back fond memories of when I was a tug engineer. Thanks so much!

[@lorettacaputo6997]

My dad was on the Nautilus during WW 2 as the mechanical engineer over those types of engines. He went to the diesel school probably in La Grange to learn about the engine. After the war he became a NYC fireman and served on the NY fireboat of Marine Company 1. I can't imagine being in the engine room and hearing that sound close up.

[@nathandevine552]

I thought that subs used the fairbanks-morse OP engine

[@GroovesAndLands]

@@nathandevine552 I think the opposed piston engines were for backup power.

[@The_DuMont_Network]

​@nathandevine552 Depended on the class and the shipyard. GMs, "Rock Crusher" Fairbanks Morse opposed piston engines, and for a while MAN and some Hooven Owen Rentschlers (HORs). The last two were not that successful. All were used as primary propulsion, either direct or through generators.

[@The_DuMont_Network]

​​@@GroovesAndLandsSee my reply to another post. The Fairbanks-Morse Rock Crushers were used for primary propulsion. Noisy as a gutshit whore, but strong engines. The Detroit - EMDs were more reliable and easier to maintain though.

[@dougedwards5108]

I was a Detroit Diesel mechanic back in my younger years in south Louisiana . Oil field and marine both as they go together . I Love 2 stroke Diesels they are and always will be the best ! I'm 62 years old and retired now .

[@rich4880]

I worked on three or four crab boats that had two of these in the engine room, beautiful sounding engine. Helped the engineer do a power pack on one in rough weather and it really wasn’t that difficult. Had an inexperienced engineer one time on the boat and somehow he blew all of the inspection covers off and filled the whole engine room with smoke, after getting some new covers the engine ran fine. With the right muffler these things sound really good outside.

[@jimmyz003]

I love these motors. As a matter of fact, I love all motors. Life of an engineer. Cool vid

[@jwatt9570]

I worked for SeDco on the offshore drilling rigs. 135 and 700 series. Got to know every nut and bolt on these EMDs. So easy to work on. This video certainly brings back memories. Thanks for posting it.

[@chrisfisichella6659]

That gentleman handled that large engine expertly. I have always wondered what powers tub boats. Thanks for posting this video.

[@TheLouisamite]

The EMD is one of the best or the best engines ever built in the world, ,,and built-in the US ,,there's many engines out there that come close,but hands down the EMD is number one in my book

[@Smart-Skippy]

I used to rebuild these engines at Westrail, The Western Australian Government Railways. 645 E3 Turbo/Supercharged 16 Cylinder Locomotive Engines. 3300 HP in the L-Class Locos. Thanks for the Video.

[@blackbirdgaming8147]

Johan Rodrigues Because this engine is so large, the risk of water getting into the cylinders somehow after sitting idle for a period of time is actually quite high. If you tried to roll the engine over without doing the blowdown, you could seriously damage the engine, and possibly cause injury to yourself. Water doesn’t compress, and trying to do so usually results in an explosion of some kind. This is especially dangerous in a diesel engine due to how a diesel engine fundamentally works-compressing fuel air mixture a huge amount to the point where the air is hot enough to ignite the fuel. That takes a lot of compression. Combine that with something that you literally cannot compress, and that’s a disaster. Cylinder volume of the engine is given in the engine series, which is 645. Each cylinder displaces 645 cubic inches, or just a bit more than your average American drag race V8. With 16 cylinders, the engine displaces a total of 10,320 cubic inches, or 169.12 liters. As far as I know, idle is 315 RPM and redline is 904 RPM. All EMD engines are supercharged, but the supercharger does not cause the engine to produce more horsepower. It is there because all EMD engines except the 16-265H and the Caterpillar/Progress Rail-EMD 12-1010J are two stroke engines. The 16-265H and the 12-1010J are four stroke engines, and are modern designs. Two stroke engines have to have a supercharger in order to get rid of the exhaust gases that build up as a result of the two stroke cycle, since there is no true exhaust stroke like there would be in a four stroke engine. These are very powerful engines. The 20 cylinder turbosupercharged 20-645E3A was capable of producing 4200 hp and 23,219.4 lbf of torque at 950 rpm.

[@Schmoburger]

@@blackbirdgaming8147 i work around these exact engines every day in locos. We never blow them down unless theyve been sitting stabled in squalling rain for a lengthy period, and we generally stable them with the main engine still running in the sort of conditions to avoid any water ingress. Never seen one blow up yet. The design of the exhaust collector and stack makes it fairly unlikely for water to find its way as far as the cylinders.

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

Same type of EMD used to various diesel locomotives. Great reliable engine. Thanks for the interesting clip, enjoyed it.

[@bayouboattrash]

I used to work on an offshore tug that had 12 cyl turbo EMDs. Brings back memories!

[@jaylatham9800]

When I was a junior engineer on tugs if my chief walked into the engine room and my engines were that dirty he would have had a shit fit. I know she's an old war horse but show some pride and clean her up. It's been years since I've started EMD's so really enjoyed it. Brought back memories.

[@szaki]

Some engine leaks more than others. This is an old engine from the 60's, so give him a break!

[@christopherandrews4836]

Jay Latham what's the best way to get my foot in the door on a tug to become an engineer?

[@privateer177666]

Christopher Andrews the easiest route is thru attending a maritime acadamy, and getting a license. The old school way would be by getting any job you can w/any towboat, tug or maritime company and working your way up the 'hawsepipe'. This will take more time, sweat & elbow grease but will make you a better Merchant Marine Officer in the long run. I am recently retired from that career path myself after 30+ years underway. I quit high school & joined the Coast Guard for a hitch. I got out of the military and went to work in the shipyards. Got a job on a boat shortly thereafter. Be cautious what you wish for, you just may enjoy it.

[@postholedigger8726]

Jay Latham, In that case you should apply for a job on that tugboat, get down into the engine room and clean that engine. If you can find the time to criticize other peoples work you should have plenty of time to clean that engine. david

[@Reduxalicious]

You were probably off-shore on an ATB with a full Engineroom, a lot of Tugs these days Ship Assist wise only have ONE Engineer per watch running things down there and in the words of a Chief Engineer "Shiny and White won't make it right" Hell the rest of that Engine-Room looks pretty damn good all things considered, you want a clean and shiny boat go get on a Tractor.

[@joshuaschaeffer8327]

That was one of the quickest startups I have ever heard for any EMD diesel engine. Looks like it "works" for a living, too. Imagine that!

[@HeavyHaulagePilbara]

I have to agree with Joshua. Most engines that size that I work around have longer start cycle than that. Considering all the trouble for over pressure valves open/close sequence I'd expect a lot longer turn cycle for startup from "cold or potential wet cylinder" .

[@paulw.woodring7304]

More more recent EMD locomotive prime movers don't require the cylinder blow down step anymore. I was a CSX locomotive engineer until about 10 years ago, and the oldest EMD locomotives they had (that I ever ran) were GP38-2's and MP15's, which did not require that step. They did require a 30 second fuel pump priming of the injector rails which this one did not. I was surprised not to see the low water and crankcase over pressure warning pop-out buttons at the start station. The newest ones I ran, at that point SD70ACe's with 710 prime movers, were remote starting, just hold down a button in the cab and it went through the start sequence automatically.

[@dnsers]

I drove a few class66 locomotives, with the emd engines. Like paul mentioned. No engine blowdown required, just a simple push on the start button, and “ole’ reliable”was up and running. 2 stroke oil consuming critter

[@RYNT1157]

The GM locos in Ireland now have the 710 12cyl and the older ones the 645 12cyl and they have a purge control that pushes any impurities out of the cylinder head before it starts. The older ones had to be barred over manually after opening cylinder drain cocks.

[@Trump985]

@@paulw.woodring7304 interesting we still run 16-567s in our boats I call the 645 a new engine lol never worked or a 710

[@knuffelbaer1971]

The EMDs always sound unique and beautiful. I like them.

[@johanwilken7824]

We have 2 of these bad boys in one of our Cable Dredger. They are both fully operational and for me they still get the job done.

[@howlingwolven]

That sweet sweet sound of a Roots blown GM twinstroke. Nothing else quite like it.

[@william38022]

You say roots blown? did the manufacture of these engines have anything to do with fate root Heath corporation? They actually at one time made silver king tractors I was just curious.

[@mamabear3903]

Large engines like this have always scared me for some reason but I am also totally mesmerized and captivated by them!💜

[@Schmoburger]

We use this exact main engine in one of the classes of loco i work on which are an old 1980's double-ended design with an internal walkway through the engine room between cabs. I absolutely love them, but at the same time, i still don't like spending more time than i have to in close proximity, having seen how far the blast plates fly when there is a crankcase explosion. Also, this video doesnt come close to illustrating just how loud they are when running. At idle, i can't have a conversation with the guy standing down on the ground while im filling the oil, and at a few no tches of throttle its deafening... Gives you some idea of how loud that 6-71 genny is in the video given it drowns out the 654 almost completely.

[@amessman]

That shows you have respect for the equipment, I am the same way.

[@svtirefire]

Love the hinged valve cover "hoods". I wish cars were like that

[@chadmeyer9500]

Why? they leak oil and are a PITA. They're there to be able to inspect the engine and for ease of access when adjusting valves, injectors, etc and for looking for leaks or otherwise inspecting the engine. Nobody needs to be poking around inside a car engine unless they know what they're doing.

[@PSExcavationsLLC]

svtirefire ha yeah, try getting into the valve covers on a duramax V8, not a 2minute job... Unlike this EMD

[@hawser27]

There designed like that so you can easily pop them open to make sure prelube pump is working correctly. Yeah they leak some but if you wipe then down a little every time you head down to take readings and inspect it's all good.

[@danieljones317]

Cars used to be like that. Four bolts, though. If you mounted the gasket right, you could reuse it after adjusting the valves with no leaks.

[@michaelslattery2121]

I almost always found the leaks were from old, flattened gaskets and over tightened locking clamps. A new gasket, properly positioned (inboard) hinges and minimally tightened clamps were easily kept leak free. It was a different story on the top deck to block gasket leaks.

[@duckco1]

I used to have two in a harbor tug I ran. They were beast of motors. You couldn't kill em. They both ran extremely strong. The new boats today have caterpillars and lack a lot compared to these motora

[@dknowles60]

Actions speak louder then words. The railroad s love then and rebuild then all the time

[@alainfabre5821]

Ah le pauvre dans ce bruit et sans protection...Noisy room ! Merci pour cette très belle vidéo.

[@westtexasrailfan]

EMD SD40-2 prime mover minus the turbo. Sounds like an EMD 567 prime mover, the ones they used in F-units.

[@westerntruckandtractorrepa1353]

Similar procedure we used to do on Fairbanks 38 8 1/8 blow down and start up , all we used it for was snorkeling or emergency power during a reactor scram.

[@EdgarFriendly-op3rn]

Ran these aboard Nimitz, emergency back-up generators. It was a good day when we got orders to fire them up. Brings back memories.

[@mikeklaene4359]

Went to the US Army's school at Ft Eustis, VA in 1967. Was trained on LCM-8s, LCUs, and 45', 65' and 105' tug boats in the harbor craft boatswain's course. The LCM-8s had 4 GM 671 in line diesels, in two pairs to drive the twin screws. Wish I could remember what type diesels the tugs had.

[@luciusshuler8664]

mike klaene Most likely Detroit Diesels. Lucius, (LTC Ret) U.S. Army Transporter.

[@cmsracing]

mike klaene probley where fairbank morse 10 cylinder opposed piston engins. Atleast the one I was on where.

[@michaelgaley9532]

Former Navy EN1 those tugs Army ST had EMD 645 10 cyl the Navy YTB's had the GM 268 and 278 series first and FM 38D8 1/8 or F 5 1/4 Fairbanks Morse.

[@ThomasHermans]

you got to love that GM diesel just running like mad in the background.

[@tennif1]

Just think, this whole video was on the start up of a GM diesel.

[@yolo_burrito]

Yeah sounds like a 371 Detroit screaming wide open.

[@Colt45hatchback]

I always thought it was a compressor haha. I hear the gm sound now.. :-)

[@roadwolf2]

It’s a compressor building starting air for the main engines.

[@Turbocharge1000]

pause at 1 minute 56 seconds...the green airfilter box

[@TheNecromancer6666]

The 16-645E3 is Turbocharged as far as I know. It has additional Superchargers, but those are mainly for scaveging when starting and idling.

[@c.c.hiliner4753]

Love the 6-71 series generator speaking her piece!!!!

[@jeffgarrett2114]

It's saying Forget that 16cyl monster listen to me I'm doing all the work here!

[@Shane-Singleton]

I'm used to seeing these big EMD's start up on locomotives. The air starter on this tug really spins that thing over fast and kicks her off quick by comparison.

[@Trains-With-Shane]

That air starter really kicks that thing over fast! I love those old EMD 2-Stroke engines. My favorite is the turbocharged v16. I did get to put my hands on a roots blown 16-645 in a rail museum but it was a static display piece in a GP38AC locomotive that no longer ran. But it was still fun to climb all over and explore. I've seen so many EMD startup videos I bet I could do it from memory, lol. At least on one of the older units. Not sure about the newer ones with all of the fancy electronics. Anyways GREAT video!

[@beeble2003]

Is it air start? The railroad 645s don't have air start.

[@leewithey2014]

Brings back great memories. Marine propulsion. 567, 645, 710. 2 Engine and 4 engine configuration.

[@enginemaster01]

love the sounds of the Detroit diesel gen in the background

[@daniellibich1376]

When those had a position in a generator room when there was several caterpillar gensets and a few Detroit gensets at full song when those were in the engine room of a tugboat when those wonder if a Detroit powered air compressor was providing air to start an EMD 645E3 when it was the same engine that powers thousands of locomotives when once it was started it had drowned out the screaming Jimmy.

[@scenicdepictionsofchicagolife]

Man everything on this tug GM diesel uniflow 2 stroke

[@s38b36]

Had these on the Amy c McAllister and cape cod Moran boat I worked on. I was always wiping oil from those valve covers

[@bv8164]

Man. I love the sound of straight cut gears.

[@ravenstorm1203]

Didn't know this engine went on boats, this is cool!

[@jayswarrow1196]

Okay now, those are my official favorite tugs from now on.

[@Zhukov-3]

A great symphony of power!

[@DaveNedley]

I found a 645E3 engine maintenance manual (turbocharged) recently from November, 1965. Pretty cool!

[@Mercmad]

I still have my blow down Key in my tool box. it's 40 years since i used it..... except we called it a baring over key, as the EMD's i worked on had to be barred over with a bar in the flywheel . .

[@CollinWeis]

At least locomotives have handles welded to their test cocks. At least, that's what we called them

[@JimNichols]

@@CollinWeis they aren't really supposed to have them, but to get engineers to open them and blow down an engine you have to be inventive, that and automatic termination if you hydrolocked and bent a rod on one of the engines I was CMO over...

[@Dick1938]

Better to manually bar an engine over than risk a hydraulic lock and a bent rod, or worse, by using the starter motor! Familiarity breeds contempt I suppose.

[@erikb8877]

When I was in the EMD factory school, my instructor said if I ever blew down like that, he would find me and horse whip me. He said ALWAYS bar it over manually unless it's an emergency. The truth is, if that cylinder is 10% full of water, there is no way in hell that "sniffer valve" can let it all out as fast as that piston is pushing on it. The starter and the inertia energy of the rotating assembly is more than enough to bend a rod. When I did a lead test to check the wear on the piston/piston carrier thrust washer, I inserted a length of soldering wire onto the top of the piston through the intake port, then barred the engine over by hand. Then I would measure how flat the lead wire was. I dont remember the exact specs but is measured in thousandths of an inch. My point is that if there is more than a cup of water in a 645 cubic inch cylinder, that's a bent rod. The other truth is, 95% of the time i did it just like this Chief did. The only exception was if the engine was shut down for a prolonged period.

[@mikeslatz1351]

@@erikb8877 You are correct. No where in the manual does it EVER say "blowdown", it's "bar over". Of course I did it this way myself also.

[@martinfiser2198]

3:31 that "redline" 🤗 dan that sounds perfect

[@kenneththompson1809]

krthompson According to the data plate this engine was manufactured in 1970 as a locomotive engine with a turbocharger and rated at 3000 hp. The brass plate tells me that it was converted for marine use by "brand X", probably by DEFC, Diesel engine fabricators of Houston, TX. As a marine engine model E2 it would have explosion covers on the oil pan with solid clips instead of spring clips holding down the top deck covers. It would deep marine oil pan, thermocouples on the exhaust legs and awhile bunch of stuff required by the American Bureau OF Shipping. With the blowers this rig it would be rated at 1950 hp. The engine block probably is probably out of a wrecked locomotive so going by the data plate I hope DEFCO game them their version of a parts book or they may have trouble ordering parts.

[@huntsbychainsaw5986]

I thought that engine sounded familiar.

[@sailorgabbie]

There are a number of them still out there, got off a ship with one just a couple of weeks ago. You can't kill 'em and they are fun to work on.

[@BrotherDamon73]

21 months on US Navy Tug YTB-820 1992/93. She’s still serving down in Guantanamo Bay

[@coniow]

I can't help but reflect on the simple idea of a cylinder drain: During the 2nd World War some tanks used rotary aircraft engines as power plants. Before starting this required the spark-plug on the bottom most (6 o'clock position) cylinder to be removed, and the piston rotated to Top-Dead-Center (funny, as the cylinder is upsidedown :-), to blow out the oil that had drained into it. If this was not done, it could write-off the crank-shaft due to hydraulic-lock in that cylinder! A not uncommon problem with un-trained drivers getting army surplus machines after the war. Thank you for posting.

[@Femmpaws]

Unlike aircraft where you can turn them backwards to clear the cylinders. As a rule you turn them backwards 9 to 12 blades when you have a three blades prop.

[@Spartan043]

On EMDs, those test cocks are also used for compression-testing each cylinder. You can stick gauges on each one, do the blow-down sequence, and assess the condition of the rings and valve seats. Most of the time, though, they are indeed used to avoid hydro-lock from something like a cracked liner. These EMDs have unitized cylinder assemblies that can be pulled right out of the block from the top with a chain hoist, after dismantling the rocker assemblies and disconnecting the connecting rods from the crank. They also have welded blocks that are repairable. If an EMD ever tosses a rod (it can happen), the damaged part can simply be torched out and new steel welded in. Replacing the crank is a bit of a pain, because it entails pulling all the packs and lifting the upper frame off the crankcase. Hydro-locking an EMD would be a very expensive and time-consuming mistake. These engines are two-strokes and either roots-blown or equipped with a turbo-supercharger with a gear drive and overrunning clutch. The forced induction is a critical component of the engine because it is the only thing that forces the exhaust gases out of each cylinder, using a uni-flow design where the ports are in the sides of the liners. In that respect, it's kinda similar to a Fairbanks-Morse OP, but without being an opposed-piston engine (i.e. with a conventional cylinder head). The newest EMDs are EFI and there's no governor or lay shaft. MFI ones are fun because you can play with the lay shaft and rev it.

[@pathaze4299]

That looks like the same exact engine inside of some older diesel locomotives.

[@privateer177666]

Nothin’ like a two-stroke diesel to power up your day be it main propulsion or just a little juice for the reefers..... Ya gotta love them headphones.

[@blackadder4590]

Eargasm! ;-)

[@isfeldt34]

Love that sound! That and an EMD 567!

[@Schmoburger]

The 12-710 is an awesome sounding motor too... Has a real nice deep throbbing note. A lot of them have horrible crank harmonics though which is a shame... They all have a distinct lope, but some are far worse than others and vibrate badly through the rev range. The V16's however are lovely.

[@ibazulic]

I thought that all 16-645E3 engines had a turbo instead of a Roots blower. This sounds like a normal, naturally aspirated 16-645E. Cool video non the less :-)

[@teds4983]

So that what my dad did as chief engineer. Looks pretty cool, rip pop

[@garylarson6386]

I am retired electrician UP railroad, my hearing is bad because no one wore ear protection and he isnt either

[@rodzor]

Used to do this when I worked for the RR. Sounds the same as an old beltpack yard unit.

[@youngsuwarish9483]

I used to supervise servicing 2 of these engins which were coupled with 3.3MVA gen sets. Apparently these two generators were used in Vietnam's war by US army. I do not know how these two gensets came to Sri Lanka. Only issue I found was the oil leak on the exhaust near turbocharger inlet. Could not find the root cause but the problem was fixed by advancing the timing by couple of degrees. I still love the sound.

[@rogeranderson8763]

When I was a green deckhand, I forgot to CLOSE the snifter valves before I fired up the engine on a 20cyl EMD. You had to have been there, it was like the gates of hell opened up for a few seconds before I got it shut down. Fella will only do that once. -Veteran '66-68

[@deleteddeleted172]

When you reved it up it sounded exactly like the EMD F-Units.

[@privateerbouncher9622]

Funny as the F units has 567 engines. They are Technically the same, but the 645 has a larger volume then 567

[@truckinman86]

Love the sound of that ol’ EMD’s baby brother working in the background.

[@DirtPerfect]

Cool video thanks for sharing

[@b3j8]

Remember the very first tug I saw doing its thing on the Ohio River had an EMD 645. Damn she sounded great!

[@scottallred6452]

I did overhauls for artco 20+ yrs ago. soooo easy to rebuild . recently overhauled cat engines and they are easy also,just more o-rings

[@keithode1737]

The greatest internal combustion engine ever built after the Toyota 22R.

[@johnhartman5676]

I worked on these at the Milwaukee Road locomotive shops in Milwaukee in the 70's and 80's. I have no idea about what engine numbers mean. I never saw water come out of a test cock. The coolant was water with Nalco additive, not antifreeze.I was told when the early turbos came out, they had so many problems, some were converted to blowers.

[@amadorvegamedinajr6874]

still remember that GM engine. way back in 1995 when use to operate it and US Naval Base Cuba . now am still .working as Generator operator maintenance her my home country

[@haydenc2742]

Daggum what a big ole engine..when boat ain't moving is engine still idling? HUGE powerhouse...so cool!

[@midtiertom]

The onboard generator is running. When tied up, a tug is running on shore power, but under way, they have diesel generators to power the electrical systems onboard. They start the gen set to warm it up and check for issues, then set the switchgear to onboard, disconnect shore power, and start the mains. Once the mains are warmed up, she's ready to roll.

[@midtiertom]

Unless you're talking about the mains idling while the boat isn't moving.. That would be because the engine is hooked up to something called a marine gear. Simplest explanation is that it's a transmission for a boat. Has a forward, neutral, and reverse selection.

[@melvinmccoy9830]

One thing about those Woodward governors, they last forever. And the same color green.

[@paulryan147]

Served my apprenticeship in the railway. GM V8 and V12s all the way. That was 40 years ago...😊

[@RaviKumar-hi2lv]

I worked on offshore rig having 345 emd same engine in transocean shelf drilling and fd9

[@RDL1984]

I'm not hearing the characteristic turbo whistling of these engines like the diesel train locomotives.... It sounds like an atmospheric 16-645C....

[@ralfie8801]

That’s because it doesn’t have a turbo. It has 2 roots blowers, but is considered to be a naturally aspirated engine because the blowers are only there to provide scavenging air to the cylinders instead of positive boost pressure.

[@michaelbauers8800]

So many engine startup videos on youtube, so little time :)

[@Bullzeye1000yds]

You betcha! That engine runs so smooth at 400 rpms. We had the 20- at my plant. 4 Mw stand-by and emergency generator engine. At 900 rpms, you couldn't stand beside her and even yell at each other. She burned approximately 400 gallons an hour at load. But, you could balance a nickel on her deck. Love 'em.

[@hambuga69]

Reminds me of when I worked on a boat. The boat I worked on had two EMD Model L16-645F7B engines.

[@TRX450RVlogger]

Your average car has a hood and valve covers under the hood... this particular engine has an entire room and a hood for valve covers. I wonder what those knobs were that he was turning compression release?

[@roadwolf2]

TRX VLOGGER those knobs open valves in the cylinders that allow the engineman to blow out any condensation (blow down)that has formed in the cylinders since the engine was last started. If it was left the engine could be damaged on startup

[@knobsdialsandbuttons]

Impressive engine ! 👍

[@cprs5000]

Hi I like all your videos great job does stationary EMD 645 have low idle feature at 255 RPM it sounds like it started in high idle 318 RPM

[@FL92002]

It's not exactly a stationary engine; it powers a tugboat, which is very much moving. When the engine is not taking power, it's usually around 250 RPM or so, but as soon as it's put into clutch, it goes up to about 315-320 RPM.

[@teds4983]

FL92002 thanks for the video, my dad was a chief engineer for a long time. He passed earlier this year. Rip Ted

[@tickedoffsheikh8587]

Its a sad day for those that revered the diesel engine and especially the two stroke Detroit Diesel of the past. Why don't they make them anymore? I missed the sound of the 6V 53 GM fitted to the Timberjack 550 skidders 'barking' in the dense rainforest of Guyana. Does anyone remember those flambouy red machines with the Gearmatic-190 winches?

[@The_DuMont_Network]

Tree huggers complained about pollution. To be fair, 2 strokes do emit more pollution due to the design of the scavenging system. Do a little research, they are fascinating.

[@andrewlove3686]

the fishing boat I worked on had a 1942 atlas imperial 6cyl and we had to blow it down every morning. sometimes we would have to fill up the air tanks twice to get her to start when it was cold. another boat I worked on had an enterprise 6cyl.

[@andrewlove3686]

we repowered and the engine is at a museum in San Diego now.

[@electric7487]

Awesome! It's got twin "superchargers", too.

[@erikb8877]

Roots blowers. Not for boost, for scavenging. The engine wouldn't run without them. On the turbo versions, the turbo is mechanically driven when there isn't enough exhaust energy to spin the turbo.

[@sadelsor]

Perfect start !!

[@NIGHTLAMP12345678]

You know its a Large diesel when the engine to start it is bigger than most lorry engines...Thanks for the video/digital recording... :-)

[@chadmeyer9500]

What are you talking about? Its air-start. A 5-hp portable air compressor will start it if you have a large enough reservoir and air starters are smaller and lighter than electric cranking motors. The engine running in the background is obviously NOT starting it.

[@Buick_GSX]

Chad Meyer the engine in the background is the auxiliary generator for the electrics and such

[@mzee5533]

I can’t handle the noise of these beasts.

[@Creeperboy099]

Is that a Detroit I am hearing in the background?

[@Cnw8701]

That's actually a 16-645E, the "3" stands for the turbocharged version. This is roots-blown. Wonder why the tag said that?

[@rearspeaker6364]

must have been de-turboed.

[@ralfie8801]

The engine came from a rebuilder. The blocks are all the same, the rebuilder probably just builds what he has orders for at the time and if it means building a naturally aspirated engine using a turbocharged engine block, then that’s what happens.

[@Romans--bo7br]

FL92002...... GREAT Video... thanks for filming and posting it. Love the 2 cycle GM Diesel running in the background as well (6-71 running the air-compressor?). I do have something to point out or question, depending on how it's taken I guess. "IF" as you state, the tug was in fact built in 1960, when was this naturally aspirated 645 installed? The 645 was still on the drawing boards at the time and did not even go into production and minimal sales until 1965... and not fully available until 1966 for the most part... especially the marine versions, though EMD did field a single SD40 locomotive in 1964 for testing purposes. Also, this engine is, as I first pointed out.. Naturally Aspirated (Roots Blowers) and is therefore Not a 645 E3.... but would be an "E". E3 is the designation for Turbocharged versions, which this one... is clearly Not. It may well have been an E3 version originally, but somewhere along the way... it was converted back to a naturally aspirated engine... or, de-rated... which was common practice for the Railroads to do so, rather than paying $22,000. per Turbo for rebuilding... as they had a lot of problems originally with the Overrunning clutches disintegrating (especially on the 16 & 20 cyl. versions) until EMD went to ceramic materials in the clutches.... so, the railroads would typically just revert back to natural aspiration until EMD figured things out. My guess is that this engine was originally a railroad application, especially with the "E3" designation which for the Railroads was applicable, and as a 16 - 645 E3 would have been rated at 3,000 hp originally - which meant it was Turbocharged.... and first introduced in 1965 to the railroads. The 16-645 E was introduced in 1966 and was Roots Blown (naturally aspirated), like this one in your video and was rated at 2,000 hp..... which was the far more common setup (in hp ratings) for marine applications in that time period, especially for tugs, and other vessels of that size. Anyway.... Thanks again for the great video.

[@chuckg2016]

Thank you for the instruction with solid technical information!

[@rearspeaker6364]

thes maybe a used engine assembly, de-turboed after installation.

[@ralfie8801]

The boat might have originally been powered by a 567 that had a catastrophic failure and needed to be replaced, or changed for a more powerful engine. But a 645 would fit where a 567 once resided with very little, if any, modification to the engine room of the boat.

[@brockwaymt]

I see why many have t handles welded on. It’s much faster than that pin wrench. But this setup looks much cleaner.

[@biscuitninja]

Zip ahead to 2:58

[@timjohnson1199]

I wish they would have shown the drive. I used to work for Falk.

[@zanelindsay1267]

All the years I worked on a major railroad I never saw shop mechanics use the EMD tool to open and close the cylinder flashcocks, they just used channel locks. I reckon marine engineers have more personal interest in maintaining the machinery.

[@ralfie8801]

The flash cocks we use have hex heads welded on, we open them with a 5/8” combination wrench, when we open them. That just doesn’t happen before any startup unless the machinists that pressure tested the cooling system didn’t close them, it’s just not that necessary on a locomotive.

[@The_DuMont_Network]

​@@ralfie8801Most of ours had a small T handle on them. We only did the test if the engine had sat awhile or work had been done.

[@thegroncho]

El sonido del 16-645 al igual que el sonido de fondo del Detroit es música para los oidos.

[@kaduskye]

Esse Sr. se ainda não estiver surdo, certamente ficará. Ha sala de maquinas o ruido passa de 117 decibeis. A exposição diaria à esse nivel não pode passar de 5hs. O zumbido nos ouvidos são um presente para a vida toda.

[@Thetrucky69]

THIS ENGINE SOUNDS TUFF.

[@mafiosino]

Thetrucky69 Believed me they are

[@CodeCreatures]

Wait a second, the description says the tug was built in 1960. I thought the earliest application of a 645 was in the SD40X in 1964; was this 645 installed later in this boat's life?

[@rearspeaker6364]

up above your comment is the answer, its a detuned and marinized 645E.

[@TevisC]

The giant EMD is quieter than the Detroit in the background!

[@douro20]

Are these straight-through cooled or do they have heat exchangers?

[@joenichols590]

The ole reliable EMD 645 it's a shame they don't make the 645 anymore it was one of my favorite of the old GM built EMD engines I use to work where the had an EMD powered emergency generator set

[@williambullard9599]

Turbo charged love it. LST 529-1123 class. VietNam good memories.

[@beeble2003]

It's not a turbocharged engine.

[@hoost3056]

Always been curious about this.....how frequently did you have to change the oil and filters, and what kind of oil does it take ( weight and brand ).

[@ceccoonrailroad]

Definitivamente Detroit Diesel es N 1 en el mundo 🔝