Sabb diesel

[helenrose]

Hi, i have a sabb 10hp diesel in my new to me boat,the engine runs fine and is very reliable,one thing that worrys me though is the cylinder head near to where the cigarette plug is and right under the injector gets quite hot,the rest of the head and engine is nice and cool,is this ok?or do i need to strip the head and clear the waterways,but i suppose thats where the combustion chamber is and it would get hot,

but a new head is £800 so i dont want to break it.





so if there is a nice person out there who is willing to feel his cylinder head for me i would be very gratefull,

thanks
Chris.

[jasonlambert]

Hi Chris

It might be worth removing your cylinder head and checking around the cylinder liner, mine was silted up and the water flow was very restricted. (and it cost me a new cylinder head) the way i did it was to remove cylinder head and the water plug and use a hose pipe to flush out the system you'll be surprised at how much sand there is in there i also used an old metal coat hanger to loosen all the debris don't get it stuck in your engine though!!!
the temperature sensor is around the area you mention is the engine running hot?
The sabb is a very forgiving engine you can remove the head and have it back together within an hour i use Sleeman and Hawken for my spares they are very reliable and got me a new head next day delivery
Jason
ps make sure you change the oil after pumping water around your block it shouldn't be contaminated but water can easily get down the con rod shaft

[helenrose]

Thanks for the reply Jason, I have been told i am worrying about nothing, as usual.

the water flow is fine and the temp gauge hardly flickers even after a longish run, have you a oil pressure gauge fitted to your engine?

I would like to fit one to mine but i wouldnt know where to start!

regards
Chris.

[helenrose]

Hi jason thanks for the reply,

i have been trying to PM you but its not working for some reason,
i think i will try the 15/40 oil and change it a bit more often,
as to the pressure gauge,the engine is splash lubricated so no oil pressure.
regards

chris.

[jasonlambert]

Had a major disaster today we set of from hull marina this morning and after only 2 minutes out of the gate against the Humber tide the engine cut out not so bad we raised the sails and my brother helmed us while i checked out the engine the exhaust outlet spring had broken dropping the valve into the cylinder head we decided the only option was to return to the marina so we turned about but with the strong tide and lack of wind we overshot by 200 yards ended up being towed back to the marina by Humber Rescue i will find out tomorrow the full extent of the damage but i think the engine may be beyond repair can anyone suggest a suitable replacement for a sabb diesel?

[Athaena]

Hi Jason,

Sorry to hear your bad news and I'm afraid I'm not able to suggest a replacement.

However, I might have been admiring your boat last weekend at Hull marina. Were you in the South East corner near the Sea Chanty stage when the Clipper Round the World fleet were in town?

If you need an extra pair of hands at any point with the engine lifting give me a shout. At least I'll have a good excuse to visit Kildale Marine

Chris

[helenrose]

Hi Jason,
sorry to hear the Sabb has broken down,would it be cost effective to repair it?
Sleeman hawkins will advise you on this and have all the spare parts.
best of luck,

Chris.

[jasonlambert]

things might not be as bad as they first seemed the engine and head are not written off cylinder and liner are still in-tact just got to get a new valve guide and as luck would have it i have some spare valves and springs am gonna try sleeman and hawken tomorrow and a local company that specializes in cylinder heads but got to weigh up which will be most cost effective a lift out or a repair. i am hoping a repair with a short sail back to goole.
have had quite a few comments while i have been on her this year 'is that a eventide', 'how old is she' ,'not seen an eventide for ages', etc. even an 'oh she looks older than that with the hardware onboard (is that a complement or not?)

[vince]

Depends if the 'hardware' was you! Engine fixed yet?

[jasonlambert]

yes she is up and running again thanks got next day delivery on the parts and as ive said in earlier posts the engine is a dream to work on it took less than an hour to get her back together and up and running
now i think about it the 'hardware' could be me

[Fiddler's Green]

Glad to hear you have repaired yours Jason.

re the hot spot on the head on Helenrose, I would suspect silting, worth trying to flush with a closed circuit with descaler in it, Job to do ashore, container over the back to catch the exhaust water filled with descaler and a pipe from the bottom of the container to the inlet seacock fitting on the hull, if you have an open hole you can poke a hose up with tape on it to make it seal, otherwise run the pipe on board to the inlet on the pump.

I have a 5 gallon container I hang on the back, with a hole cut out of the top for the exhaust, takes about 4 gallon of mix and I can run the motor for 20 odd minutes before it gets too hot, but it makes the descaler work well. I have a heat exchanger so it is only the salt water jacket on the heat exchanger I am cleaning out, but it does the trick works better with direct sat water cooled motors of course. The tub will be filled with crud when you are done!

Check hoses, they can get blocked with scale too!

Hope this helps,
Regards,
John