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Cat C32 possible major problem

Discussion in 'Engines' started by Fixinbones, Nov 17, 2019.

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  1. Fixinbones, Nov 17, 2019
    #1
    Fixinbones

    Fixinbones Member

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    So my captain went to take my boat from the yard down to my marina and when he started the port motor the mate noticed black exhaust fumes and then all of a sudden the engine lost oil pressure with alarm going off. Captain immediately shut down the engine. I’m waiting for cat to come this week and evaluate. Any ideas as to what is going on with inside the engine
  2. Capt Ralph, Nov 17, 2019
    #2
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Uh Oh, Your wife is gonna be pissed now..
    Don't tell her yet..
  3. Fixinbones, Nov 17, 2019
    #3
    Fixinbones

    Fixinbones Member

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    She already told me this is turning out to be more expensive than you said. Luckily I have cat extended warranties. And really lucky that the warranty goes to 900 hours and I’ve got 850 on the boat.

    Seriously though, does anyone have an idea of what might have happened. The motor was shut right down so it was only at item rpms.
  4. Capt Ralph, Nov 17, 2019
    #4
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Bad turbo bearing.

    You sure it was black smoke not blue?
    Neutral, low idle?
    What was oil level and color before starting?
  5. Fixinbones, Nov 17, 2019
    #5
    Fixinbones

    Fixinbones Member

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    Sorry the Smoke was white , gauge said no oil pressure. Also there was a rough idle. Oil levels and color fine
  6. Pascal, Nov 17, 2019
    #6
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Impossible to guess without accurate information

    First it was black, then white. white smoke is usually steam. Typically a tell tale sign of low raw water flow or coolant leaking (like a head gasket).

    Sure it wasn’t grey which can happen on a cold start in cold weather? Where is boat, what was the temperature

    how long did the engine run before pressure went to 0 ? Does the oil smell burned? Could be as simple as the oil pressure sender failing ...

    I assume the ER was checked for external oil leaks. Any engine work done while the boat was hauled out? Oil change?
  7. Fixinbones, Nov 17, 2019
    #7
    Fixinbones

    Fixinbones Member

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    Boats in Florida temp 70-80. Only ran for a few minutes. No engine work or service this time. ER clean for any leaks. Oils levels normal. Cant say if there was any black smoke first.
  8. Pascal, Nov 17, 2019
    #8
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    The odds of suddenly loosing oil pressure due to an internal issue are pretty low. Sure the oil pump could suddenly fail but that’s extremely rare. Was there any unusual noises?l before shut down? How many hours on the engines?

    my guess would be a failed oil pressure sensor or electronic issue reporting zero pressure not actually loss of pressure.
  9. Capt J, Nov 17, 2019
    #9
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Age of motor? Aftercooler leaked, saltwater went into oil? Possibility.
  10. Fixinbones, Nov 17, 2019
    #10
    Fixinbones

    Fixinbones Member

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    Engines have 850 hrs, not sure about any unusual event noises just rough idle. Engine built in 2013, 850 hrs.
  11. Pascal, Nov 17, 2019
    #11
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    oil wouldn’t be clean ...

    2013 should have the newer style aftercoolers.

    What did the surveyor say about the aftercoolers design? First thing my cat guy asked when he surveyed the Lazzara I run. He checked the SN numbers before even stepping on the boat
  12. Capt Ralph, Nov 17, 2019
    #12
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    White smoke is un-burned fuel igniting in the exhaust manifold.
    You dropped a valve or water in a lung and you pushed an injector out.
    Hopefully not bent a rod or damaged the liner.
    Either way, at least one head is coming off and the sump getting dropped.
  13. Capt J, Nov 17, 2019
    #13
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    cat recommends changing the aftercoolers every 6 years, regardless of style.

    I had a 2015 C32 that had a leaking aftercooler that ate 2 cylinders about 2 years ago.
  14. Capt Ralph, Nov 17, 2019
    #14
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Do you have telemetry recording (GP-Link) on your engines? OR onboard computer recording the engine pressures, temps & RPMs?
    Ask your Cat tech to load the last 30 mins of running on the engines. I'd like to see it please.

    Were going to be guessing past our thoughts now. Your tech will give you a better picture after he arrives.

    With his lap top, the tech will tell you what lung is dead, then pull a valve cover & injector and scope out the lung.

    Good luck.
  15. Capt Ralph, Nov 17, 2019
    #15
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Where in FL?
  16. Fixinbones, Nov 19, 2019
    #16
    Fixinbones

    Fixinbones Member

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    Not sure above the above. Still waiting for tech to get to the boat.
  17. Fixinbones, Nov 20, 2019
    #17
    Fixinbones

    Fixinbones Member

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    So the problem was water in the fuel. Sometime between filling up and having them detail the boat water somehow wound up getting into the fuel. Fuel filters were changed and the boat is running perfect. Obviously that could account for the rough idle. Not sure why the engine alarms would show no oil pressure.
  18. Capt Ralph, Nov 20, 2019
    #18
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Your post sounded like the end of the world. Glad not so.
    Wow.
    Now I'm going to blast your captain; Did he check oil and filters before he started the engines?
    Water takes a few to get into the filters so the water was there from last ride or the engines idled a while before they started missing.
    Did your captain look things over before he called you?

    First suspect O rings on fuel fill caps.