3208 cat

[pan06]

engine is running very rough,sounds like it is not running on all zylinders,somebody told me it sounds like clogged injectors,is this true,can you clean them or do you have to replace them ,how do you know which one is clogged

 

[Bondo]

Re: 3208 cat

Have you tried Changing the Fuel Filters,..??....

Was there any Water or Dirt in them,..??....

If 1 Injector is Bad,.... Chances are, All of them should be changed out for Rebuilt units...... They are rebuildable, but You're not going to Do It....

To see Which 1s are the Problem,.....
Crack the fuel Injection Line on each 1,+ Listen for the Dropped cylinder......
If there's No Change,.... That 1 Ain't firing.....

 

[QC]

Re: 3208 cat

Bondo is correct, the balance test should be your first stop. However, that will not guarantee this is an injector problem as it could also be in the injection pump itself.

Do you have any history on this thing? Year, rating, S/N? There are a number of different injector part numbers for those, so make sure they are right if you replace them, it even matters which little washer/seals you get. They are color coded.

This may be the most sensitive diesel engine you can find to water in the fuel. The injection pump itself is fuel lubed and can fail even with a water separator. Extremely important that you: a) monitor it and b) have a good one. The little square glass one is a POS and should not be trusted . . .

Also, although those injectors (actually simple spray nozzles) are available rebuilt as Bondo suggests they can also be easily tested out of the engine. They "pop" test them for good pressure and spray pattern and it should be really cheap as it only takes around 10 - 15 minutes once the tooling is setup. You need to check with either the local CAT Dealer wherever you are or a decent Fuel Injection shop for testing if you choose to go that way. They are supposed to get a whole set every 2000 hours or so anyway . . .

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: 3208 cat

what QC said - 3208's like to run away when water in the fuel causes rust and seizes the fuel racks in the "fuel on" position. In other words, water in that engine can mean a burning sinking boat....
How that ever became a popular marine engine I'll never understand.
Us heavy equipment mechanics have always referred to the 3208 as "The Grenade"....
Boaters love it....
In a 553 compactor or old 225D or 231 Cat excavator.... nuthin' but trouble.

Are you new to the boat? If it already ran away once and somebody stopped it with a plate or CO2 fire extinguisher... it's running rough because the pushrods are all bent...after about 7500rpm the pushrods start swapping rockers..

 

[QC]

Re: 3208 cat

Yeah, they can run away, but I would seriously doubt that's his problem at this point. I agree that the 3208 has an undeserved (good) reputation in Marine applications, but if kept water free and taken care of they can live reasonably long . . .

BTW, I don't think they'd make 4500, let alone 7500 RPM before big issues, the highest that series was ever rated was 3200 (dual valve springs) and most were at 2800 (single).

 

[426catalina]

Re: 3208 cat

what QC said - 3208's like to run away when water in the fuel causes rust and seizes the fuel racks in the "fuel on" position. In other words, water in that engine can mean a burning sinking boat....
How that ever became a popular marine engine I'll never understand.
Us heavy equipment mechanics have always referred to the 3208 as "The Grenade"....
Boaters love it....
In a 553 compactor or old 225D or 231 Cat excavator.... nuthin' but trouble.

Are you new to the boat? If it already ran away once and somebody stopped it with a plate or CO2 fire extinguisher... it's running rough because the pushrods are all bent...after about 7500rpm the pushrods start swapping rockers..

Hello,To avoid the runaway issue,there is a maintenance procedure wich Cat published in their Maintenance Section-Governor Housing -Drain of the 3208TA Marine engine .I was working on this engines years ago and I know they had issues ,but most of the issues were related to poor maintenance and abuse.Since I own two of them,built in 1987,and I am reading and searching for more bad and good news about this marine engines.So far not to many bad news!Again,the checking and routine maintenance are the best practices and will keep your boat afloat!I am the old school diesel mechanic and for a quick injector check I use the temperature test .Still working good if you consider the cylinder cut out test performed by E.C.M. controlled engines will come with the same result.Use a temp gun and compare the temp. readings.Will give you an idea at list!

 

[chizwizdiz]

Re: 3208 cat

Hello,To avoid the runaway issue,there is a maintenance procedure wich Cat published in their Maintenance Section-Governor Housing -Drain of the 3208TA Marine engine .I was working on this engines years ago and I know they had issues ,but most of the issues were related to poor maintenance and abuse.Since I own two of them,built in 1987,and I am reading and searching for more bad and good news about this marine engines.So far not to many bad news!Again,the checking and routine maintenance are the best practices and will keep your boat afloat!I am the old school diesel mechanic and for a quick injector check I use the temperature test .Still working good if you consider the cylinder cut out test performed by E.C.M. controlled engines will come with the same result.Use a temp gun and compare the temp. readings.Will give you an idea at list!

Yikes, a 2007 throwback. Nice!

 

[Don S]

Re: 3208 cat

Welcome iboats 426, You should look at the dates of threads before you reply to them, this one is 5 years old. That and the guy you replied to isn't even a member any longer.

 

[426catalina]

Re: 3208 cat

Yikes, a 2007 throwback. Nice!

Sorry,a honest mistake!