Recently we were completing the health check and maintenance routine on one of four back-up generators and found the result of problems caused because a much-needed upgrade hadn’t been carried out.
It was obvious there was a problem when we removed the injectors for a borescope inspection on these Mirrlees Blackstone engines and found a pool of coolant on top of the piston.
Looking into the cause, we found the injector tube had cracked, and the cylinder heads still had the original design copper injector tubes and not the upgraded stainless steel type.
When using copper for this application it can become brittle with the constant heating and cooling, making them susceptible to cracks and compromising their ability to effectively seal o rings.
After years in the field, the manufacturer recognised the problems with the copper design and upgraded them, but knowledge of these upgrades does not make it to every operator reliant on engines and that’s not an issue solely with MAN (now owners of Mirrlees).
Luckily the client has an effective maintenance schedule in place so this was picked up before significant damage occurred, if he hadn’t, the engine could have hydrauliced which will cause major damage!!
The cracked injector tube has been replaced and we have a programme in place to upgrade all the tubes to the latest specification.
This client has seen the benefit of regular maintenance and health checks as well as working with engine specialists who have knowledge of manufacturer upgrades.
If you would benefit from a structured maintenance plan or are experiencing engine problems, get in touch.
