3208's smoken!!

Hi,

The 3208 has been a good horse for many years.

Before you go throwing your hard earned money around why don't you tell us a little more about the smoke you see. Colour and when it is visible are good indications of what might be causing it and how it might be reduced or overcome.

What is the service history of your engines?

Do you do regular Lube Oil samples?

Do they burn much Lube Oil?

Do they fume much when running?

I have 3208ta 355HP in my boat. They smoke like crazy at start up, particularly in cold weather. Once warmed up, they run clean. The white-ish smoke at start up is mainly unburned fuel. If you still have (black) smoke when they are warm, I'd look at after coolers and turbos. 2500 is not many hours unless they are rated at the upper horsepower, ie 435.

Hi,

From the brief description you have given here I would suggest the following.

1, Drain the Oil and change the Filters. Add the exact amount prescribed in the service manual. Run the engine at idle for 5 mins. Let it sit for 1/2 an hour and then check the oil. Mark the stick where the maximum level is. This is a Caterpillar technique known as "Calibrating the Dip Stick".

2, Have the timing and Valve lash checked and adjusted as required.

3, Inspect the Turbos and Inlet tracts for Oil fouling. If your engine vents go back into the Turbo inlet section you could well find oil build up and poor performance as a result.

4, Have your Injectors removed, checked and serviced as required, this will also be a good opportunity to do a compression test on the engines which will give you an idea of you have any problems developing in the rings and or valve sealing areas.

If you have a lot of smoke on startup you could try fitting Cat Jacket Water Heaters. These run on AC Power so you will need to have your boat docked somewhere where you can get Shore Power to heat her up prior to starting. If you go with the heaters tr and get the water as high as 80 C ( 176 Deg F). You might get a surprise just how much this will clean up the cold start emissions.

You don't have to do all these steps at once I would suggest you start with the Oil one though as burning a lot of Oil can also lead to buildups on the Valves and Turbine wheels of the Turbos which are the things that actually drive the compressors so any loss of performance there has a direct effect on the air in side of things. The Injector tips can also get a lot of crud on them from poor combustion.

Hope this helps and please let us know how you get on.

Seadog,
K1W1 is correct about calibrating the dipstick. The rule is not to fill the engine oil to the full mark, but to the point where the oil level remains constant (as long as it's above add). Too much oil will either cause too much internal pressure and blow out the seals, or burn, giving a blue-ish tint to the exhaust (also one sign of worn valve guides). I ran a 36 Chris Craft with 3208's, and besides having to change the oil pans since the engine sat so low in the hull (corroded from the salt water), were easy to work on and had good power. Smoked when started, ran a little rich which gave a hint of black smoke while cruising, but would keep in ticking.

Hi,

I would say the simple answer is you can't do it.

The C7 ACERT Engine is an Electronic Injection Engine using the ADEM III ECM.

This equipment is not intended or setup for a refit to a 3208.

I haven't seen a 3208 at close range for more than 20 years but seem to recall that the Injector Covers on a 3208 are the Valve Covers. These can be taken off and stripped, primed and painted- you could do this while doing the valve lash and testing the injectors. If they are really goosed there must be a ot of those engines hanging about in SA that you could get some covers off. Ask at your CAT Dealer if they have any old covers lurking. I was once looking for a Front Crank seal carrier for a 3306 and went into Gailey and Roberts in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.( The local CAT Dealer) I was directed to the junk pile outside and ended up with an early model front cover that didn't use the aluminium adaptor thing that had fallen apart on my genset.

If you are going to run up the Mozambique Channel I can understand your interest in having as reliable a vessel as possible. If you are going to get your injectors done I would also suggest that you at least get the Injector Pumps bench tested and don't forget about the fuel filters.

Some of your smoke related issues could also be closely related to what you are actually burning. Have you had your tanks cleaned in recent times? Take a sample of the fuel you have and have it tested. It will give you peace of mind if nothing else.

Hi,

You will get re man parts for the 3208 from CAT but there isn't any particular thing such as an Upgrade Parts list I know of.

You might find tht in the course of time that the part No of your injectors has changed, about 14 yrs ago CAT brought out a whole range of new style injectors for existing engines. These mostly involved more spray holes in the case of the 3500 Engine Family and a thinner end with a thinner washer for the 3300 Family of engines.( this makes the fuel atomise quicker and therefore mix better into the hot air charge) Both mods were designed to improve the combustion space performance and reduce visible emissions out the exhaust pipe.


If your basic engine ( Rings, Valves etc) are ok and you apply some TLC you will get a lot more service out of those puppies as long as they are not a pair of the full high HP that 3208's were once able to do.

Avoid long idle times

Idling your engines for 30 minutes a week after cold startup will lead to glazing of the cylinder walls.

Hi,

This is one of the things that could be identified by Oil Sampling, amount of Fumes, Crankcase pressure and a Compression Test.

It could definitely be something that leads to high oil consumption, the burning oil might be some of the smoke you say people complain about.

Getting the correct fill level might solve this problem alone- you have to start somewhere so why not start with the cheapest and easiest.

Hi,

1, Drain out all the oil in the engine and change the filters

2, Fill it with the amount of oil the service manual says it needs with filter changed.

3, Start it and run it at idle for 5 mins. Let it sit for 1/2 an hour and then check the oil. Mark the stick where the maximum level is. This is a Caterpillar technique known as "Calibrating the Dip Stick".

The mark you make might be 10 0r 12mm ( 3/8 to 1/2") from the full mark but don't worry this is not unusual. It will also negate any problems you may have with the wrong length dipstick as outlined above.