How To Extend The Service Life Of Marine Engines?（2）
Make sure to replace the oil filter at the same time each time the oil is changed, and indicate the date for future reference. Always drain the engine oil when it is warm. Modern multi-viscosity engine oil does not have to be too hot to flow easily, but the engine oil should be much higher than the ambient air temperature. If you delegate this work to a mechanic, you have to realize that some mechanics may not be cautious, and they may drain the oil when the engine is cold. Draining oil from a cold engine will leave about half a liter of dirty oil, which will allow all the acid and water vapor to perform its magical effect in the long winter. Remember to change the oil filter when changing the oil. It can also hold about a part of dirty oil.
Therefore, if changing the oil more frequently does not significantly increase the service life of the engine, what then? Remember the sentence at the beginning of this article? Repeat: The most reliable indicator of engine life is the amount of fuel burned by the engine. This is why turbocharged and intercooled diesel do not last as long as naturally aspirated, they burn more fuel.
Therefore, the easiest way to extend the life of the engine is to slow down and at least reach the most effective cruising speed. It's that simple. Of course, there are other useful methods of operation, such as ensuring that the lubricating oil is hot before you load the engine, and turning off the engine after it has been idling for one to two minutes. Most of these are common sense, and frankly speaking, these are much easier to do than really slow down.
In the second case, the engine core is intact, but the auxiliary accessories have failed, whether your engine is old or new, gasoline or diesel, due to the Aral Sea environment, the components that reside outside the core engine Always in danger. Corrosion is the most important issue, and the fight against corrosion is eternal and can be said to be endless.
We should check the engine every month to see if there are any corrosion spots. When we find it, we should do the corroded surface treatment in time, and then apply the engine paint approved by the manufacturer. The key to anti-corrosion is to find out and actively deal with the damage before the parts are damaged and must be replaced. . Especially bolts and other fasteners. Once rusted, they may not work properly, leading to leakage and more corrosion, and may even overheat, which will be troublesome.
The greatest corrosion tends to occur at the elbow of the exhaust pipe of the engine, where the salt water mixes with the hot exhaust gas. In many new gasoline engines and most diesel engines, the elbow is made of stainless steel, so the possibility of corrosion is greatly reduced.
If your engine is a cast iron exhaust manifold, depending on the surrounding water temperature and salinity, their life expectancy may be shortened by at least two years. When a elbow fails, the result can be leakage (and more corrosion) to the engine overheating. The only way is to remove the exhaust hose leading to the elbow, and then look into the corrosion situation, it is best to check once a year.
Engine overheating is the main threat to its life. Repeated or long-term overheating will increase the temperature of internal components and may deform them, which will cause complicated problems such as overheating of the coolant. So reducing or avoiding overheating will increase the life of your engine, including replacing engine coolant and sacrificial anodes within the recommended time interval. During operation, please pay close attention to the coolant temperature gauge and ensure that the engine alarm system is normal.
For the same reason, check the filter element and filter screen regularly, and pay attention to cleaning. When the alarm sounds, please reduce the engine speed or turn off the engine and continue driving. Even if the speed is very slow, it will cause internal damage. This damage may not be obvious, but it will gather in the long run. Every overheating accident is a potential factor for shortening the life of the engine.
Any discussion about engine life that does not mention preventive maintenance, that is, replacing or repairing parts before they are actually needed, is incomplete. This is a controversial topic. There is a saying that succinctly summarizes the above point of view: "If it is not broken, don't fix it." Instead of taking out the toolbox, it is better to pay close attention to the signs of the problem and take measures when the problem is revealed. .