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#Mirrlees #Blackstone 12 ESL Fuel Injection Pumps & #Injectors Ready for Overhaul at Bartech.

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Last week we got a call from an operator facing some major downtime issues, the situation provided a good example of how well-managed strategies can prevent these emergencies.⠀
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The engine drives a safety-critical pump, and when a fuel pipe failed, they were looking at shutting down the site.⠀
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I’m sure you have reviewed critical spares holdings and from my experience, there are usually plenty of discussions between technical, operational and financial departments!!⠀
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Whilst this will normally include gaskets sets, some injectors, filters with possible additions of sensors, a couple of cylinder heads and maybe a turbo, it doesn’t always include pipes.⠀
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For the operator above, we were able to manufacture, test and despatch replacement fuel pipes within 6 hours of the call, but the reality is that might not always be possible.⠀
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For such a critical component it should definitely be considered as part of your contingency spares strategy.⠀
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P.S. Here are some kind words from the client: “As always Rob, amazing result. Thank you so much!⠀
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If you would like any help in reviewing your spares holding strategy or have any fuel pipe requirements, we’d be happy to help. Contact us now.⠀
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** Due to the short time taken to get the pipe despatched, I don’t have a photo,⠀
but this is an example of pipes we have made previously.

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#Cat 3406 & #Iveco 8281 SI15 engines overhauled and sent out ready for our engineers to commission.

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Our engineers were on-site recently, carrying out a top-end overhaul on an emergency generator engine when they came across an issue that is often overlooked.⠀
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But if left unchecked, it can drastically impair your engine’s performance.⠀
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As part of the works, our team inspected the magnetic speed pickup…⠀
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You can see from the picture below that the flywheel magnetic pick-up was covered in a 1mm depth of black dirt.⠀
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The dirt on the probe was deep enough that it was actually rubbing on the flywheel teeth and could have been enough of a “shield” to corrupt the signal from the flywheel teeth to the probe, leading to issues with starting and running performance.⠀
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In the past, we’ve attended engines that refused to start and discovered the cause was solely debris on the magnetic pickup.⠀
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Once the pickup was cleaned, the engine started straight away.⠀
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As a safety-critical engine, you would want to know it would start when called upon and because this component sits unseen in the flywheel housing, it is often overlooked.⠀
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How often are magnetic pick-ups inspected on your engines?⠀
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If you have any concerns or would like Bartech to help with an upcoming work scope, contact us now, we’d be happy to help.

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We’ve just started supporting a new marine operator, and the other day they were getting some concerning noises following the #overhaul of their #Caterpillar 3406 #engine by another firm.

As it turned out, a fundamental setting had been missed.

Once on the vessel, we checked the backlash of the timing gears and found them to be out of tolerance, and the result was damage to the teeth on the gears.

The engine arrived in our workshop, where we began our investigations including: * Changing their oil pump gear for one we had in stock to see if there were any gear issues – none were found * Removing their shaft from the case and swapping for a genuine one we had in stock – on testing, the backlash reduced from 0.025” to 0.010”!! On further inspection we discovered that the 3rd party crankshaft was incorrectly made, with the teeth on the crankshaft gears being cut too deeply, causing the excessive backlash.

As part of the overhaul, we also measure all conrods – all were oval.
One way of rectifying this could be to machine them, (like the repair shared here: https://bartechmarine.com/blog/2017/07/26/detroit-16v71-oval-conn-rod-correction/) But because they were 3rd party, with no markings denoting manufacturer or conformity, we cannot recommend this process.

It is vital to ensure your maintenance provider is using quality parts when carrying out any work on your engines, and you should always get backlash readings from anyone overhauling your engine.

If you have any concerns or would like Bartech to help with an upcoming work scope, contact us now, we’d be happy to help.

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If you are reliant on “heritage” engine models, or those simply not made anymore, then chances are you will have experienced supply problems for ongoing maintenance or repairs.⠀
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Sourcing of spares can usually be overcome with a bit of digging, but when it comes to major assemblies, it can be a lot more complicated, not to mention expensive!⠀
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One of our clients found themselves in that position recently with two Sulzer LAG46 Turbochargers that had seized.⠀
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With no replacements available, the turbochargers have arrived in our workshop for full overhauls. ⠀
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The work we are carrying out demonstrates a mixture of options which I hope is of interest in case you find yourself needing to resurrect a “heritage” engine:⠀
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*Rotor shaft skimmed and new labyrinth cover made after the shaft was found to have considerable circular grooving due to contact from the labyrinth seal as a result of excessive bearing clearance⠀
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*Manufacturing new non-standard high tensile bolts in-house after the nozzle ring retaining bolts sheared off during removal.⠀
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*Manufacturing replacement bearings because removed bearings had radial scoring and required renewing. These bearings are no longer available⠀
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*The aluminium air volute flange was cracked and had to be specialist welded and skimmed flat⠀
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*Specialist welding of the cast iron exhaust inlet housings, which have cracked in various areas around the internal webbing⠀
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Once the inlet housings are back from welding, we will be able to complete the overhaul and get the turbos back to the client with minimal downtime and cost.⠀
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If you have any issues that require specialised machining or have an upcoming overhaul due, we’d be happy to help. Send an email to info@bartechmarine.com or call +44 (0)1206 673101.

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Great to be engaging future engineers at last week’s career event

Instagram post 2152214264400519386_10238154 $During the overhaul of a generator package, we came across an issue that could’ve been costly to our client. As standard, we removed & dismantled the cylinder heads, including the valve seats. However, the process for the seat removal (to heat each head to 220°C, then remove the valve seat & install the new one before the head can cool) doesn’t allow time to measure the valve seat bores. With aluminium heads, the new seats require a higher interference fit than cast iron heads, & we ‘ve seen the results of valve seats dropping in the past! We tested the new valve seats by allowing the heads to cool, & re-heating them back to 200°C. When running, the cylinder head faces should see temps around 450°C. The valve seats were then checked for movement & during this process, we found there was too much, so the valve seats were removed for oversized seats to get the correct interference fit. The OEM doesn’t offer oversized valve seats, so they recommend new cylinder heads at a cost of around £1.5k each. The alternative? We’re having them made by a trusted specialist, at a fraction of the cost, allowing us to complete the overhaul with minimal delay and cost. If you have any issues sourcing specialised parts or need an engine specialist for your asset we’d be happy to discuss. Send an email to info@bartechmarine.com or call +44 (0)1206 673101.$

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Recently, we were asked to survey some Blackstone engines. ⠀
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The engines are an emergency power system, so they’re absolutely vital for the site’s safety system. ⠀
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All three engines had various issues, but there was a familiar one which had gone unnoticed and came to light as soon as we started engine 1. ⠀
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As soon as the engine turned over, fluid started leaking from the top of it. ⠀
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We stopped it straight away, and checked the fluid, finding that because of the colour, consistency and smell, it looked like fuel was in the oil.⠀
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The engine was isolated, and rocker covers removed to get to the injectors. ⠀
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Once the injectors were removed, a borescope inspection was carried out and fortunately, there were no major issues found.⠀
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We removed the crankcase door, and that was when it became obvious that the oil had become contaminated by fuel, as the oil level in the sump was nearly up to the bottom of the main bearings, which is approximately 6” higher than it should be.⠀
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By turning on the fuel supply, we could see it dripping from the camshaft followers of cylinders B2, B3 and B4 indicating leaking fuel pumps.⠀ ⠀
The fuel pumps and injectors have been removed for overhaul, and the oil drained. The filters will be changed and some of the big ends checked for damage.⠀ ⠀
As I said, there were various hidden issues found, which included:⠀
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* Gearbox oil pressure gauge reads zero⠀
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* Gauge panel rev counter reads low⠀
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* Freshwater temperature A bank gauge reads low – The temperature was checked using a hand-held thermometer and was found to be the same as B bank.⠀
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* Low exhaust temperature on cylinder B6 of engine 3 – Indicating an injector or pump issue⠀
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* Freshwater pressure A bank gauge reads zero – Checks needed on the water circuit, but likely gauge needs replacing⠀
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* Engine oil pressure very slightly low one Engine 3. The OEM specifies a minimum of 40psi – Requires further investigation⠀
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Please don’t leave it too late for an engine health check, it is not worth the risk of an engine failure on a safety-critical system.⠀
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If you need advice on what you may need, Email info@bartechmarine.com or call +44 (0)1206 673101.

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Instagram post 2141374595018365074_10238154 $Deutz DFP6 fire pump cooler issue⠀ ⠀ You may remember my post about the RCA we carried out on a Deutz DFP6 fire pump engine?⠀ ⠀ If so, you’ll know that the engine had suffered extensive vibration damage.⠀ ⠀ To replace the failed engine, we used a donor that was overhauled and converted to match the same specification as the original.⠀ ⠀ And all this seemed to be working until we had the engine on test!⠀ ⠀ The test procedure consisted of checking for leaks, then running on idle before gradually adding load and increasing the speed all whist checking key engine parameters. ⠀ ⠀ Everything was fine for the first 8 hours of running, then things went awry.⠀ ⠀ At 75% load, with 18 PSI of boost and 230 HP, the boost hose popped from the turbocharger.⠀ ⠀ Bad news.⠀ ⠀ We carried out the repairs and restarted the engine at idle, and as we were running through preliminary checks we saw water coming out of the intake manifold, so shut down the engine again.⠀ ⠀ When we investigated this further, we found the source of the leak was the charge air cooler. One of the signs was that it was cool to touch when it would normally be around 110°C.⠀ ⠀ The air cooler was removed for further inspection, and with the paint removed, we could see that the unit was of all copper construction, handmade and soldered together, showing the core and housing are a complete unit. ⠀ ⠀ The fresh cooling water enters and exits the cooler at the same end of the cooler after the water passes through the cooler a total of 4 times before exiting to lower the charge air temperatures from 110°C to 50°C.⠀ ⠀ There is no bracing of the tubes centrally in the cooler making them susceptible to fracture through excessive movement.⠀ ⠀ This cooler was from the original engine, and although it was tested and found to hold pressure before being used on the replacement engine, there was an inherent weakness that caused the failure.⠀ ⠀ On discovering this failure, it came to light that the previous cooler had a similar issue and was replaced with the same type within the last 5 years. Click here for the full story: https://buff.ly/2lUFq9j$

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