Greetings to the group. This summer my wife and I bought a 1995 4300 Convertible. We live in the Detroit area and do our boating in Lake St. Clair primarily, but do get up to Lake Huron and down to Lake Erie a couple times each season.
This is our first boat with diesels. The boat is powered by 6V92 Detroit Diesels. These engines are a whole other animal! I am totally lost in the holy room and hope the collective experience and wisdom of the group will keep me from making a mess of things. I'm hopeful other convertible owners will see this post and decide to join the forum. The convertible group looks a bit thin...
Keith
I would suggest that you visit boatdiesel and purchase a membership ($25.00)
You will find a host of information about your engines and proper maintenance and repair. [Only registered and activated users can see links Click here to register]
As for your boat...
I have a 2002 43 Open and we love the boat.
We have traveled and fished throughout the Bahamas and Florida Keys.
Congrats on the 43 Convertable!! A year ago Aug I bought a 1999 43 convertable in Marblehead OH and took a trip from Lake Erie to Reefe point WI where she is today. Awesome boats and not a lot of them out there. I have to 3196 Cat diesels and coming from a gas boat to these was pretty intimidating. I am learning how it all works and still trying to learn how everything works and how some of the wiring is run to be able to do a few upgrades. I am open to any questions and I figure we can learn as we go! Take care and HURRY UP SPRING!!
Karma - thanks for the boat diesel.com suggestion. I ponied up for a 2-year subscription before we bought the boat. They are great resource.
Since my initial posting, I learned that a Detroit Diesel service outfit in Ft. Lauderdale offers a multi-day DD owners class. Apparently, they have been having trouble getting the needed 4 people to enroll in the the class. I am hopeful they will be able to hold the class next spring.
Which 6V92s do you have? 550 Mechanicals or the 625 DDECs?
Both engines are good engines. They do however require great care in order to keep them running well. Change the oil often! I suggest every 100 hours or once per year. If you have to let the engines sit for more than a few months, I would change the oil prior to the dormant period. Check your oil before each trip! Detroits will burn oil and running low will be the kiss of death to a 6V92. Change your raw water impellers every year! Buy new ones, don't use that one that has been sitting in a box on the boat for 15 years. 6V92s do not like heat! Clean the heat exchangers and all coolers every 2 years! When you check your oil, smell it and look at the color. 6V92s have been known to dump fuel (bad injector) into the cylinders and it ends up in the oil thinning it out and eventually destroying the engine. The trick is catching it early before you have a catastrophic failure. My last recommendation is to run them easy. I suggest a cruise RPM of between 1800 and 2000 (provided they are able to reach their rated WOT RPM of 2350). This should give you the best life from the engines.
Don't be intimidated, just be diligent and you should have many years of fun with the boat.
Ahhh, I forgot one important item. Fuel!!!!!!!!!! Make sure you keep the fuel clean and filters changed often. Clogged injectors dribbling fuel into the cylinders can easily damage the engine by washing down the cylinder walls and thinning the oil. It is very important to keep the injectors clean and operating properly.
Chris, thanks for the advice. You've mentioned all the same things others have suggested. The engines are Johnson and Towers (?) 550 hp mechanicals. The prior owner and the local DD specialist both recommended running the engines at 1950 rpm, which I have adhered to religiously. I also confirmed that the engines reach 2350 rpm at WOT.
During the end of the season oil & filter changing session, my mechanic indicated the fuel filters were really dirty. So I panicked and had the fuel polished after adding Sea Foam and biocide. Expensive, but cheap considering the peace of mind gotten by minimizing the likelihood of clogged filters while underway.
The 550 HP mechanicals have a longer life span than the 625 DDECs. Obviously less horsepower equals more life. Keep them well maintained and you should get good life from them. The good news is these engines have been around a long time and where used most vessels from 40 - 55' from the early 80s up to 1998/9. Parts should still be available and the old time diesel mechanics can easily work on them. They are much simpler engines to work on than the new electronic engines.
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