Achernar said..
As no one else has ventured a reply, I will throw in my 2 cents.
I have no experience with Farymann Diesel, but can address the potential problems of owning an exotic or rare engine.
I tried, and failed, to fix up the 40-year old Bukh DV 10 LME in my boat. It was running before I decided to fix it. I decided to fix it because it had started to leak fuel as well as the customary dripping of the sump oil. I took it out and carted it off to a diesel mechanic, who fixed it up and got it running in the shop, for about $2800. OK, I thought, I have saved the cost of a new engine (say, about $9K to 10K), for a few years of extra life. Got it back into the boat, and it would not start, probably because I adjusted something between the workshop and the boat. Took it out, again, took it to the shop, who got it started, again, for another $300. Put it back in the boat and, probably because of something I did, the flywheel cracked when I tried to start it again, and that was the end of the engine. The whole adventure took most of my weekends for about 6 months, which included the shaft seal leaking and ruining the switchgear when the engine was out of the boat. Circumstances at home meant that I needed to simplify life so I admitted defeat and sold the boat (through an agent, because I was sick of it by then). I now know about marine Diesel engines, having learned the hard way. At least my losses were less than $10K - they would have been more on a bigger boat or a bigger engine.
Others on this forum could easily point out what I should have done better, but the point of this post is to share some lessons, which are ...
* Beware of exotic or rare engines.
* Beware of mechanics who know about Diesel engines, but don't know about your particular model, or about boat engines. I was not impressed when my mechanic called to ask what torsion settings were needed for the block. Finding the right manual on-line was really difficult.
By exotic or rare, I mean anything that is not currently available through several outlets. So, stick to the common brands, such as Yanmar, Volvo, Nanni, Beta, or at least a marine engine with a commonly built "block". Most Marine engines are marinized versions of common diesel blocks, so many of the parts should not be difficult to find, provided it is not an old model.
There are two problems with exotic or rare engines
Problem 1: Getting parts. My Bukh DV10 LME is out of manufacture and the manufacturer no longer exists. The gasket set cost $700. That's $700 every time you take the block apart (needless to say, I never intended to take the block apart again). I found one of, perhaps, only two remaining exhaust elbows in the Southern Hemisphere, and got it shipped from Auckland to Brisbane, which took much longer than expected. A common engine means that parts are cheap and easy to find on-line. You are also more likely to find the right manuals, with the right part numbers.
Problem 2: Finding someone willing to work on it. This is actually much harder than you might think. Many mechanics have a steady stream of Volvos, Nannis, Yanmars, whatever, and they don't need the headaches and trouble of dealing with something new, that could go wrong for them. So, you could find yourself doing your own repairs and maintenance, which can be fun, but which also, like me, could end up destroying the engine.
So, if you want an uncommon engine, go for it, but please carefully consider the availability of parts/maintenance/expertise. Having only one outlet for parts/maintenance/expertise seems too risky, for me.
Hi Achernar,
This is a very enlightening post and hopefully you have saved others the time and money you put in.
Saying I could have done it better or differently shows courage on this site.
Its easy to look on much better than we play.
