A few weeks back we made the offer of a free survey to our UK-based subscribers.
One of the operators that took advantage asked us to attend a vessel to survey their two Volvo D9HM main propulsion engines.
They thought there was a fairly strong chance that some components were starting to leak, and when we got there, they also informed us that the port side turbo was known to be damaged and the engine was down on power.
Our engineer carried out a visual inspection of the engines and room and found the following.
- Various leaks from coolers (coolant and oil)
- Corrosion to coolers
- All air filters clogged and starting to fall apart
- Air intake boxes have broken brackets
- Oil leaks from the rocker covers
- Port side turbo damaged
- Starboard propellor shaft seals leaking
- Rear gearbox mounts worn heavily
- The engine room is a good size with room to work on one engine at a time, however, there are no beams or hooks to use lifting equipment for anything of substantial weight
Recommendations:
There’s quite a lot that needs to be done now, which we’ve shared with them:
- Turbos on both engines need replacing, along with new air filters and airboxes
- Both rocker covers will need to be removed to fit new seals which involves removing the injectors so borescope inspection can take place at the same time
- As a result, the injectors will need all new seals fitting, and – in our opinion – the injectors should be tested/overhauled whilst they are out as good practice
- All the coolers (the charge air coolers and the lube oil coolers) on the engines are made from aluminium and will have to be removed and inspected – they all have corrosion to the edges where seals are fitted and are already leaking various fluids
- After all remedial work has been carried out all the fluids will need to be replaced along with new lube oil and fuel filters
- It was also noticed that the rear gearbox mounts are all heavily worn and need replacing along with the propellor shaft seals on the starboard engine if desired, the Bartech Propulsion team will be able to do this
The outcome they wanted? On one level – there is work to be done.
But on another level, this is the clarity they wanted to ensure that their engine runs smoothly, that they don’t experience unnecessary downtime, and that they can continue to rely on their vessel for a long time to come.
