Marine Diesel Engines: Maintenance and Overhaul Services

Blog | November 14th, 2017

Take a look at a marine diesel engine while it’s in operation. That compact assemblage of mechanical components is beginning to lag. In the short-term, we hold the power to rewind time and restore the engine. This is a duty we reserve for a maintenance strategy. Once complete, the machinery functions like new again. What if the problem goes deeper, though? What if the marine engine requires an overhaul?

Conduct a Maintenance Service 

Like the apple a day aphorism, a properly maintained machine shouldn’t require an overhaul for some time. The visual checks detect salt deposits before they undermine the machinery. Oil leaks are identified and addressed in the same manner. Next, lube oil filter replacements are conducted while the fuel filtration system is scrubbed clean. When those filters are replaced, the ship’s propulsion system will function smoothly for years, without so much as a mechanical burp.

There’s an Overhaul on the Horizon 

Most times, boat owners like to see land on the horizon. If an engine teardown is floating on the edge of this figurative skyline, like an incoming storm, it’s easy to assume trouble is in store. In this scenario, the engine will be broken down, the parts will lay soaked in oil, and that’s just how the work will progress, perhaps for weeks. A professionally trained marine engineering service does not subscribe to that way of doing things. No, a top-tier service understands that, no matter how well the engine has been maintained, there’s no avoiding the general wear and tear of critical parts. As such, this intensive operation adopts a planned method of disassembling the machinery. Drilling down in the processing operation, the cylinder heads and crankshaft seals are replaced. Intercooler assemblies are cleaned, fuel-water separators are swapped out, and all other parts are either cleaned or replaced with a properly sourced spare part.

Maintenance services are a necessary part of owning a boat. In fact, that’s one of the main duties of a ship’s engineer. Situated in the engine room, he changes filters and checks for fluid leaks, among other things. Meanwhile, on contemplating the overhaul of a marine diesel engine, there’s a whole lot more to do here. Taken back to drydock, the boat is locked in a controlled environment, a place where the engineering team can access every worn component. Once that teardown is done and the engine is reassembled, the newly integrated engine parts enhance propulsion performance and fuel efficiency, although this peak operational performance still requires maintenance, of course.

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