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I have a 3JH4e in my boat. Every now and then I turn the key and nothing happens. I can hear the relay click but no start. Keep turning the key on and off and it will eventually click in. I have been told it's a common fault due to the inadequate wiring from the instruments. I have heard that there is an easy fix. Does anyone know what it is ? Other than that I think it is a good but not necessarily great motor.

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Would Yanmar's popularity be a case of people being comfortable with what they know / liking what they've got, and there are loads of yanmars out there already? i.e. the cornered the market in the 80's / 90's (maybe for economic reasons), and people just replace like with like / what they know.

 

We had a no name diesel, 30 years old, unknown hours and it never missed a beat. (accept when we had diesel bug, but that was the fuel not the engine) I would have gone with another one of those but they aren't available any more. 

 

If an engine does what it is supposed to do (make the prop go round) can you ask any more of it? I'm sure there are several brands that are simple, reliable donks like yanmar. I also understand there are some that bark like a dog...

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Sorry if this upsets anyone who thinks their Yanmar is a "purpose built marine engine" but Yanmars are converted tractor engines, just like Kubotas. See yanmartractor.com.

 

Also, John Deere engines and tractors are rebadged Yanmars which is why you don't see Yanmar tractors in countries where John Deere are sold.

 

There's really no difference between a Beta or Nanni based on the Kubota tractor engine or a Yanmar based on a Yanmar/John Deere tractor engine, except the silly price of spare parts. For the Kubota-based engines you can readily buy the parts at tractor prices, Yanmar not so easy. John Deere parts would probably fit but they deliberately give them different part numbers for the same part to make it difficult. Beta are happy to publish the part numbers for the underlying kubota parts.

 

And as for being designed as marine engines, tell that to anyone who has to get the stupidly placed impeller out of a JH2 engine in a hurry. Allow an hour to change the impeller if your arms are triple jointed! Also frustrating needing a vacuum extractor to pump the oil out up the dipstick pipe because yanmar put the drain plug where you can't reach it on a boat (handy on a tractor though). The built-in oil extractor hand pump on a Beta is a great feature.

 

I have 2 tired yanmar 3JHs, these are some of the frustrations. I have no actual experience with Kubotas but I'm sure they have their own different set of issues. To me though, the beta looks much more like it was "designed to be a marine engine" than the Yanmar 3JH.

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Twisty add a relay close to the starter on the JH, problem solved.

We had the same issue on the catamaran as the wiring is light. It certainly won't cope with the ten meter wiring run we had to the starboard engine

 

Syohana for swapping the raw water impeller on a JH just take the starter motor off when you begin the battle.

You can get the impeller out with it in place but way easier with it out of the way.

 

A little tip with the Yanmar sail drives, you can get a blockage up the water intake on the leg from any soft plastic.

Happened to us in the med twice. After swapping the perfectly good impellers finally worked out what the issue was.

Cleared the obstruction with a length of copper pipe jammed up the leg and twisted before pulling it out.

Whenever you are on the hard make sure that intake is clean and clear.

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The Yanmar engines have been good, but not the SD40 saildrives.

Terrible dealer support for a well recognised problem, and never really sorted.

I’d look hard for an alternative, given that you know the dealer won’t back them up.

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Very happy with my Beta.  Any engine manufacturer that has built 8 million-plus engines has worked out a few things.  Picked up some oil filters at the Engine Room, cheaper than SuperCheap Auto!  

 

If you translated this to cars - Beta = Toyota Corolla, Yanmar = Alfa Romeo.  Alfa owners love driving their cars - to the workshop to have them fixed.

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Ive gone through 3 Yanmar 30s over the years, cheers for retrieving my dipstick in Nagels Bad Kitty........ hard to change engines when it means you also have to change the legs to match some other brands. Its added cost and makes changing away cost prohibitive

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No the engine (1993) blew a sandshoe and spat the dipstick clean out of the engine and into the bilge. Bad Kitty has longer go go gadget arms than me. I believe BK was relieving a sore head in front of me by sucking on a cold one when he saw smoke pouring out of my cabin....which in itself is a fantastic way to freak out the wife and kids btw.

 

The French didnt put much thought into space in the engine bays back then by the look of it....now most have hatches halfway up the stairs meaning engines are alot easier to attack when you need...good advancement in thinking

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I have an Isuzu industrial engine..

No marinisation to worry about.

Dry exhaust and keel cooled.

2000 hours so far

Cost $ 5k brand new .

..

Get rid of all that silly salt water stuff. : )

 

That is the first mention of a brand that isn't Yanmar or Beta.

And I've just pulled out a 30 yr old Isuzu and replaced it with a Beta.

 

Interesting that other 'main stream' marine engine brands haven't popped into the thread?

 

 

Edit, sorry, there are passing references to Bukh and FNM (I don't count those two as main stream / big recognised brand though).

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I think you will find Yanmar and Isuzu are pretty similar under the paint and marine parts.

Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Yanmar Diesel Engine Co. agreed to mutually supply diesel enginesfor industrial use, starting this year. Isuzu will supply Yanmar with engines from 4.8 to 5.2 liters displacement, while Yanmar Diesel will supply engines with displacements from 0.5 to 3.3-liter displacements to Isuzu.

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Didn't Isuzu produce their 2.8ltr turbo diesels with CHROME cylinder liners? Bought a "MU" years ago, Original Jap miles on the clock and was told to go to full synthetic oil. Ow to something. We de-sludged the engine and did it. About 5 years sold it and engine still mint. Was warned NEVER run a yanmar on synthetic oil. Only use mono grade 30w. So very different engines?

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Interesting that other 'main stream' marine engine brands haven't popped into the thread?

As the owner of a Lombardini marine diesel I suppose it would not qualify as mainstream, but it us nonetheless a nicely engineered unit.

We all have our engine preferences but would you agree that all modern diesels are going to give years of reliable service if regularly maintained according to the manufacturers instructions? Big name engine builders cannot afford to have a shitter with their logo on it out there in the market place.

And I agree with Idlerboat. The keel cooling on my Lombardini is great!

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