Ugh.

The injectors arrived late yesterday (Thursday), and the mechanic was here by 8:30 today (Friday) to install them. We started the engine, waiting anxiously, hoping that the snapping sound would be gone and we’d be on our way. Sadly, it was not to be. This is very bad news.

It’s likely a bearing or something just as bad. Regardless, fixing it requires hauling the boat out, removing the engine, and looking to see what damage is done. At some point the labor costs are such that a decision needs to be made you as to whether a new engine should just be installed. At least it would have a five year warranty (hah!). We don’t know where the tipping point is, but we should have more numbers on Monday.

I called Beta Marine U.S., explaining the situation, and he said he had never heard of such a thing happening on one of their engines. I asked if he would be willing to cut a break on the cost of a new one given that it’s only 6 months and 500 hours out of warranty. It’s not out of the question, but he would need to see the engine first which is understandable. So that’s not necessarily off the table yet.

In the meantime, the quote for a new engine without a transmission (since we already have one) is $8,964, and he has one in stock. He’ll get a quote for a long block engine (which is an engine without all of the parts that we don’t need – mounts, bell housing, etc. because they could be transferred onto our existing engine) on Monday. Beta is based out of the U.K., so the long block engine would take a couple of weeks to arrive.

We can’t get hauled until maybe Wednesday, so we are in a holding pattern, racking up marina fees at $138.80 a night (Wednesday morning will be 10 nights), not to mention what the injectors, the mechanic, and the tow has cost to date. Needless to say, morale is low on the Pegu Club at the moment.

6 thoughts on “Ugh.”

  1. The news isn’t good no matter what. With the noise, I tend to lean towards a wrist pin or connecting rod, but no matter, this is a lot of work.

    I’m very interested to hear what they find. 9K is a lot of money and you haven’t gotten to labor yet. I’m interested to hear what replacing parts and machine charges would be, but then as you say, A new engine has a new warranty.

    A bearing or a wrist pin might mean you can just replace the bearing after turning the crack shaft. A wrist pin might mean the cylinder is gouged, which might be able to be honed, then oversized rings and you might be done. I’m interested to hear.

    Good luck.

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    1. Thanks, John. Yep, it’s some hard decisions for sure. Roll the dice with a repair which may cost almost as much as the engine, or replace with new and a fresh warranty. Either way, it sucks. Kimberly

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  2. Yeesh! Sorry for the bad news. Your blog is an important resource for many sailors – particularly those who are refitting a boat. If they’re smart, Beta will realize that their response is likely to impact their sales on this side of the pond for some time.

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  3. I’m sorry for your engine woes and my only real question would be why would you need a haul-out to do that work?
    I don’t mean to be a part of an already shitty situation but I believe all things on a boat are fixable as long as you work together…Beta wants your money for a new engine and I have learned to never trust a marine diesel mechanic as far as you can throw them. You already know my thoughts on an ultimate fix so I won’t flog you with that. But my recommendation would be to anchor outside the Coastguard station right there in Charleston, pull that engine apart and fix it yourselves right there in the anchorage…Another option you might consider is an outboard off the transom…I know that none of this sounds good but you can do this and it’s better than swallowing the anchor! Good luck…

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    1. We definitely aren’t going to swallow the anchor, and we seriously debated doing this ourselves. But ultimately we decided that given our current base of knowledge on diesel engines in general, combined with the stress it would add, we’re going to let the mechanic deal with it. We have some referrals for some excellent mechanics, so should have another post detailing all of that soon. And I do love your ultimate fix, but it’s just not the right situation for us now. I’m jealous of yours, though! Thanks, James! Kimberly

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