Having a reliable engine on your boat is one of the most essential requirements for maintaining your vessel. Having a reliable engine like the Volvo Penta 5.7 gxi is not enough these days. Unfortunately, statistics have shown that most captains of their boats don’t have a clue about their engines and miss it when their engine is developing a serious problem until the minute that it splutters and dies.

Unlike a car’s engine, which runs and runs until the car is sold on, a boat is more likely to develop problems even if it is new. Here are a few things to watch out for when looking at your boat’s engine.

The difference between cars and boats

There is quite a disparity between automobile engines and marine engines. Firstly, the engine of a boat works much harder than a car. It can work up to twice as hard. An automobile’s engine comfortably and casually strolls through most of its life cycle. A marine engine on the other hand often has to spend much of its life swimming against the stream.

Secondly, the boat’s engine works in a hostile environment, provided by the water, often which is salty and corrosive. When this happens, the engine is more likely to break and need repairs as soon as possible. A car’s engine very rarely has to deal with this as it is encased in the car’s hood and the air is less abusive to the engine.

Finally, marine engines develop problems because they are left to be idle for such long periods of time. Boats can go without being used for weeks, if not months. If they are not laid up properly, and many aren’t this idleness allows rust to develop on the internal workings of the engines and this causes major damage to them.

Tips on what to look out for

One of the first things you should look out for is the oil. The oil keeps your engine running as it lubricates all bearing surfaces as well as the crankshaft, timing gears, pistons, and valves. Marine engines must work hard and so an oil cooler must be used to reduce the temperatures. You should smell the oil to see if it has been overheating.

Another thing to check is the exhaust smoke. When your boat hard starts it can indicate a problem with the plugs, battery, or fuel pump. If your boat smokes, usually black or blue, it should only last for a few seconds. If it lasts for a minute, then you need to check the leaks or problems with the combustion chamber.

You should check your engine hose regularly also. They need to remain healthy for your boat to run safely. Cracks can form in the rubber due to degradation. The cracks then absorb coolant in the system which attacks and weakens the hose’s reinforcement.

Marine engines

Marine engine problems can be difficult to spot and equally difficult to diagnose. You need to take good care of your engine and make sure that you have a reliable one bought. Just make sure that you do the research on the best engine for you.