Last week Edward – our new apprentice – got his first taste of a marine engine room and his first key lesson from such an experience.
We were called to the vessel to resolve the exhaust leak on an MTU 12V2000 engine, so Edward and one of our MTU trained engineers headed over there.
Once onboard, their first task was to remove the lagging and disassemble the exhaust to check the condition of the gasket and mating surfaces, and any other signs of the cause of the leak.
It may not be obvious from the photos below, but you can make out the witness marks on the housing (and Edward taking it all in!).
The problem was the bolts used were too long, preventing the housings from sealing correctly.
A change of bolts to the correct size was all that was needed. (If the correct length bolts were not available, then longer versions can always be cut down, as long as they are the right thread).
The use of the wrong bolts had caused a build-up of exhaust gases in the engine room, and the need for a call out; both of which could have been avoided by using the right components for the job, no matter how minor, or insignificant they seem.
