Cat 3208 Question

I was informed by a previous 3208 TA owner that running those engines at wot will blow head gaskets. maybe the owner had the governor set back to prevent that in future ?? That instance was in a 43 ft Hatteras .

Interesting...just to add to the discussion, a friend of mine who runs a water taxi biz, was considering a repower with those 3208 ta's and he also discovered in his research that head gaskets were an issue when these engines are run at wot and being a water taxi they need to run fast from cold start, so he passed and went to Volvo's instead, very expensive switch but apparently a good one so far.

And I had a friend who said he kissed a mermaid. I didn't understand his logic either but he is happy also. And as long as our friends are happy........

Cat engines have been around a long time. Any engine will have some personality issues but the 3208 family is pretty dependable less abuse.
I'm not a heavy CAT mechanic but have been around many CAT boats for many years. Like any manufactures package, if it's abused or run out of specs, something will fail.
Properly installed, setup and maintained, you can expect a lifetime of pleasures from the CAT 3208's.
Properly installed, setup and maintained, you can expect a lifetime of pleasures from the Volvo's.
Properly installed, setup and maintained, you can expect a lifetime of pleasures from the Detroit's.
Properly installed, setup and maintained, you can expect a lifetime of pleasures from the J D's.