Engine Info Please - - - CUMMINS 450C Diamond Series - Page 5 - The Hull Truth

rebriel53 · 12-07-2008, 07:35 PM

chrisjb, sorry, didn't really read clearly the last paragraph of your post on air intake heaters and block heaters.
On the Cummins 6Bs an owner has the option of a bock heater and or an air heater. MY 370s have both, I'm up here in MA. I'm guessing 1/2 the 6B owners on Cummins have either disconnected or put an off/on switch to the air heater cuircit.
The air heaters on the Cummins are a big pain in the neck if the ECM is not running perfectly. Huge amperage draws, sometimes for 20 minutes or more or when you restart engines.

Most guys don't use them or use a momentary switch to pre heat the air @ start up. Block heaters are GREAT, but if you are on a mooring....no shore power.

I didn't mean to jump on your post earlier, but if you take a NEW Cummins 6B 300,330,370 mechanical out of the box, fire it up cold or hot, you WILL see some light crankcase fumes coming out of the breather that is on the left back corner of the engine, right in back and under the aftercooler. Seem crazy to me too, but that's the nature of the beast.....CCV, crankcase ventilation.
Regards, Bill

f08 · 12-08-2008, 08:59 AM

Please don't take this personally, but you guys are just demonstrating why forums are such a bad source for this kind of information. In my job, I do a lot of research, and forums are notoriously bad sources.

chrisjb, you say you have been a member of this forum for some time, but you are not understanding some of the basics of compression ignition. This is not your fault-you are just not going to find it out by searching through a bunch of old forum posts. Wikipedia, which also has its faults, is a much better source for this kind of information. Take a look at the diesel engine page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_engine and I think you will see that it gives a clearer and more logical presentation of the type of information you are looking for.

I am really not trying to insult anyone or any site, and I hope people will respond less emotionally to this post than to my others. Forums are good for discussion, but given how much time you are putting into this, you would be well served to start a wikipedia page for marine diesels.

prowlersfish · 12-08-2008, 10:22 AM

F08 you think you can learn about diesels ( other principles ) from wikpedia ? I guess thats why you pay to have yours fixed and me and Bill and some of the others fix/service our own , with the help of people like Tony. I would not ask for diesel addvice on a forum like this myself but a site like boatdiesel I would .

f08 · 12-08-2008, 10:39 AM

Quote:

prowlersfish - 12/8/2008 9:22 AM

F08 you think you can learn about diesels ( other principles ) from wikpedia ?

prowlerfish you think you can learn about diesels by searching through old forum posts? The fact that Wikipedia is such a better source says a lot about how bad forums are.

Quote:

I guess thats why you pay to have yours fixed and me and Bill and some of the others fix/service our own , with the help of people like Tony.

It doesn't make sense to make this self-reliance argument if you are relying on a mechanic anyway.

Tbrodes · 12-08-2008, 12:02 PM

F08, you obviously have a problem with forums...so why are you on the THT? Honestly, if you hate it...leave...no one would mind...

I'm just sayin....

prowlersfish · 12-08-2008, 03:51 PM

Quote:

f08 - 12/8/2008 12:39 PM

Quote:

prowlersfish - 12/8/2008 9:22 AM

F08 you think you can learn about diesels ( other principles ) from wikpedia ?

prowlerfish you think you can learn about diesels by searching through old forum posts? The fact that Wikipedia is such a better source says a lot about how bad forums are.

Quote:

I guess thats why you pay to have yours fixed and me and Bill and some of the others fix/service our own , with the help of people like Tony.

It doesn't make sense to make this self-reliance argument if you are relying on a mechanic anyway.

"you think you can learn about diesels by searching through old forum posts "

Can and have. their are good and bad forums IMO BD is one of the best

"It doesn't make sense to make this self-reliance argument if you are relying on a mechanic anyway."

I said I fix my own No one but me has laid a wrench on my engines in the last 1000 hours ! Did I ever say self reliant ?? thats your making up crap again . but now that you brought it up I would say I am mostly self reliant . unlike you who seem be total reliant on a mechanic ( and thats ok ) ok you are a mechanic working for Cummins that can't stand the fact the a owner or 2 can fix there own. ( and do a better job. )

prowlersfish · 12-08-2008, 05:17 PM

fo8 your done just one question what is your problem ???

you said "I am really not trying to insult anyone or any site" I say BULL !!!

Tbrodes · 12-08-2008, 05:47 PM

f08- you rant about how you never find anything in old threads...ur the precise reason why. You cannot bring constructive information (besides wiki...which is not even reliable...) and end up pissing everyone off, and don't help answer the question.

You did not make much of an impression for your first few posts.....

prowlersfish · 12-08-2008, 07:13 PM

A old poster under a new name still stink the same

prowlersfish · 12-08-2008, 07:15 PM

Sorry if I insulted you Fo8 5 times . I still can't find the insults disagreeing is not a insult . name calling is .

rebriel53 · 12-08-2008, 08:57 PM

Jeeze, folks...all this....mindless going back and forth..... EXCEPT for the real diesel guys.

This post.......bottom line....Auguste....got his answers on the survey (Tony Athens).......now he can do the travel, spark up the C450 stone cold........start from there..................deal with a straight shooter (Tony)..............make an informed decision..........and move on...........I think.....that was the substance..........of the original post................
Regards, and good night...Bill D.

auguste · 12-09-2008, 06:15 AM

Quote:

rebriel53 - 12/8/2008 10:57 PM Jeeze, folks...all this....mindless going back and forth..... EXCEPT for the real diesel guys. This post.......bottom line....Auguste....got his answers on the survey (Tony Athens).......now he can do the travel, spark up the C450 stone cold........start from there..................deal with a straight shooter (Tony)..............make an informed decision..........and move on...........I think.....that was the substance..........of the original post................ Regards, and good night...Bill D.

yup

Bugbuster · 12-09-2008, 07:31 AM

And anyone the can tell you what shape a cummins is in by looking at and starting an engine is pudry dang good. Oil sample, maintenance records and a laptop with cummins INSITE software will give you the skinny. I have it, but you can't use it. Hehehehe. Hey, they all run good right up until they explode. At least with a cummins you don't have to worry about it "running away" with you like a detroit and burning the boat to the water line, or your dump truck or your Pan, or your lowboy as has happened to me.

rebriel53 · 12-09-2008, 08:16 AM

captddis, you are correct. A cummins dealer/mechanic out my way was trying to tell me that "after cooler" maintenance only required every couple of thousand hours!

To each his own, me I'll maintain my 370s per tony's specs.

Regards, Bill

f08 · 12-09-2008, 08:44 AM

rebriel,

Why are you promoting this one mechanic so heavily? It's a little suspicious. And what do you mean by tony's specs? The cooling system maintenance schedule is in the manual. If the mechanics you are talking to don't even know about that, you are trying to do things on too low of a budget.

prowlersfish · 12-09-2008, 10:13 AM

Your can do after cooler maintenance every couple thousand hours per Cummins and end up replacing it becuse its so bad it won't come a part or you can do it more often and not have to replace the core or complete cooler . I trhink the answer is a no brainer but thats just IMO.

f08 · 12-09-2008, 10:27 AM

Quote:

prowlersfish - 12/9/2008 9:13 AM
Your can do after cooler maintenance every couple thousand hours per Cummins

You need to reread your manual. That is not the Cummins maintenance interval.

38Blackfin · 12-09-2008, 11:12 AM

Followed the whole thread, decided to stay out of it, but.....can't help myself.

Lots of opinions here, grain of truth in pretty much all. F08, you are largely right, most forums are a little useless overall, or at least it takes a lot of reading to get a little genuinely good info.

But, I gotta say this- boatdiesel.com really is different: extremely informative, to the point, very little opinion, tons of real life "this worked on mine" mine did this" "tried this, didn't work". The archives have years of technical info that you can not get from manuals, wikipedia, etc., it is accumulated over a lot of time and hands on ownership and wrenching experience.

Tony A. is getting a lot of attention here because of his experience, and because he is real quick to jump in and help out. I am a 30+ year boater, but a diesel newb (2 yrs), and guys like me really appreciate the insight offered, by a lot guys who are willing to share. You can post a question, and get an real answer.

good luck to all!

Randy

rebriel53 · 12-09-2008, 01:46 PM

f08, if you were a member of boatdiesel forum you'd understand what the term "tony's specs" mean.
Or is that a little too "suspicious" for you.
Goodness, where's Peter Compton when we need him

Oh, I forgot, "the mechanic" who said "a couple or 1000 hours before cleaning aftercoolers" well he's a Cummins Certified
Mechanic.

F08, I rarely get into "mud slinging", waste of time really but you asked for it.
I'll make you a bet that I can get 15,000 reliable hours out of a new 6BTA 370, maybe 25,000 with my own maintenance program developed from boatdiesel forum. No manual, I'll mail you the one that comes with the engine.
The secret, just run the engine @ idle for all those hours....like you do.

Your up to 8200 hours right.

Tell ya what, try getting those kind of hours out of your 370 running @ say 2200-2400 most of the time like normal boaters.
I'll guarantee you that engine of yours would have blown up thousands of hours ago if you'd "just followed the manual"!!

Have a good afternoon.

Bill

prowlersfish · 12-09-2008, 03:52 PM

Quote:

f08 - 12/9/2008 12:27 PM

Quote:

prowlersfish - 12/9/2008 9:13 AM
Your can do after cooler maintenance every couple thousand hours per Cummins

You need to reread your manual. That is not the Cummins maintenance interval.

No I don't I was using this as a example that some times you need to do things more often then the book says . I change oil more often then the book says be it car, truck or boat and I get good service out of them all better then if you go by the book .

BTW how often do clean the after cooler by the book ?