MTU 12V 2000 M94 Cylinder Head Gasket Failure

Gentlemen .... good evening,

Three cylinder head gaskets in the same cylinder bank on a 2016 MTU 12V 2000 M94 engine failed which led to a severe oil leak as seen in the image below. The engine has 800 operating hours. The engine diagnostic data which was read by the local MTU dealer showed no engine overheating and no engine overload which are usually the reasons behind the failure of cylinder head gaskets. The local dealer is unable to explain the cause of the failure.

The cylinder head was dismantled and traces of mild corrosion were seen on the cylinder head gaskets and on the surface of the engine block as seen in the attached images.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced or heard of a similar failure and can explain to me the cause of such an unusual failure.

Thank you.

That was my theory and argument as well, but is that possible on a factory assembled engine?

Thank you Gentlemen for your feedback. Incorrect torque settings of the cylinder head bolts is the only logical cause behind this failure. However, it is not a standard procedure or part of the engine preventive maintenance checks to re-torque the cylinder head bolts especially on a relatively new engine with only 800 operating hours. It also not something anyone would expect on a modern 12V MTU engine. It is a very frustrating failure, especially that it is extremely difficult to address it as a warranty claim after 4 years.

The local MTU dealer has removed all 12 cylinder heads and all 12 gaskets will be replaced.

Your suggestion is correct and I also mentioned it to the MTU mechanic but unfortunately he had already removed the cylinder heads. It would have been an extremely useful check to confirm if any of the cylinder head bolts were indeed loose.

Capt. J, what do you mean with an engine "getting cold"? If you a referring to freezing temperatures, in our part of the world it is never cold. Even winter temperatures are relatively high. Night time winter temperatures are never less than 60 degF.

All 12 cylinder heads on the port engine have already been removed. I will have the starboard engine cylinder heads re-torqued which isn't suffering from any oil leaks but could show the same symptoms at a later stage if head torque is the problem.

The insurance will cover the failure and repair costs.

I purchased the yacht new in 2016. I took delivery of it in Italy in March of 2016. The only time it could have been subjected to any cold temperatures is at the shipyard before I took delivery of the yacht but I doubt that winter temperatures in Italy in the north Mediterranean region reach freezing levels.