We have this beautiful 1988 Morgan 40 yacht on our brokerage listing. Her name is WildCat, which we love. Everything on board is in mint condition, and it really seems like the perfect deal to prepare for a gorgeous summer 2023 sailing season.
But what about the Yanmar 4JHBE engine?
(asks the potential buyer)
After a visual inspection, we could tell it was properly taken cared of. But after so many years and 6000h, we needed to provide more clue that it wouldn’t fail in the short term. This is when we proposed to make an oil testing.
It’s a pretty straightforward process. First you get a small sample of oil in the bottle sent by the oil analysis lab. There is no need to change the oil in the process, as the quantity needed for analysis is so small. The engine should be warm when taking the sample.
Then we shipped to Firenze the sample for analysis.
We will comme back to you with the results 🙂
Oil testing informations
Oil testing is a pretty cheap way to provide a clear picture of an engine’s health. For instance a spectrochemical scan will provide information on the following:
Oil viscosity – How well adjusted are carburation or injection? Too fluid, it can mean it needs to be changed, or is polluted by fuel. Too thick, again need to be changed and/or polluted by combustion residues.
Fuel oil dilution – Low-level dilution means that the engine is well tuned. High dilution will signal a maladjusted carburation or injection or maybe an abuse of the choke.
Presence of water or sodium in the oil – Revealing a cooling system leak. Can be an internal coolant leak or water condensation. Check the cylinder head gasket side or a cracked cylinder head.
Metallic particles in the oil – It is normal for the oil to carry metal particles. But an excessive presence may reveal potential issues, depending on the metal detected:
- Aluminium: excessive piston wear.
- Iron: Excessive distribution wear.
- Chromium + Molybdenum: Excessive segments wear.
- Copper, lead and tin: Excessive wear on connecting rod and crankshaft bearings.
- Presence of silica: This will reveal an air filter malfunction, as the engine would swallow dirt, meaning either a defective air filter or a leak in the air intake system.
The report will usually provide information in on the following topics:
- Oil properties
- Oil additives (if any)
- Air admission quality
- Coolant circuit integrity
- Coolant condensation status
- Wear of main engine top parts
- Wear of main engine bottom parts
We could also test the coolant for contamination metals, but the buyer thought it’d be an overkill for the engine.
boatservicelicata.com 