Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board

Re: Load/RPM's/Engine Life

Posted By: Vic Roy
Date: Thursday, 26 January 2006, at 5:45 p.m.

In Response To: Load/RPM's/Engine Life (JC)

JC - the #1 rule here is there is no such thing as a dumb question - we all learned from somewhere. Well, just so happens I have the identical boat (I have 1/2 tower,not full) with the identical 250 hp 6BTAs.

The engines should be propped to reach at least 2600 rpm at WOT with a full load on board. 2650 is better. If you can do that rpm, you are not overloading the engines. The engines do not give a hoot how much weight they are pusing, just so laong as the props are right to let them turn up to their rated rpm of 2600, and most of us, as mentioned, like to prop the 250's to reach 2650.

They smoke black upon acceleration, totally normal, and the white smoke you see at cruise thereafter is actually steam, again totally normal. They belch a lot of blue smoke upon start up, again totally normal. Start up procedure should be to start them with the throttle at idle. Block heaters will help if you live in a cold climate.

I run mine at 2400 rpm all day long, produces 24.5 kts and burn about what you said, again, totally normal. Assuming you can reach 2600-2650 rpm WOT with a full load on board, you can kick your cruise rpm up to 2400 without worry. I have over 2,000 hours and they run perfect - to this day use virtually no oil up to about 115 hours on an oil change.

Use Shell Rotella-T 15W40 motor oil, and the premium Fleetguard oil filters (I have the # here somewhere for the filters). Drain your Racors frequently - before they clog up - and you will get many years of service from the engines. In my view the 6BTA 250 is probably the best engine Cummins - or anyone else, for that matter - ever built that will fit in a B31. Dirt simple engines. Oh yeah, my favorite bitch when I see other folks Cummins (hear me Andre'?) is keep paint on them - a few cans of Cummins gray (actually it's near white) paint a couple of times a year will make those hunks of iron stay happy.

UV

Messages In This Thread

Load/RPM's/Engine Life
JC -- Thursday, 26 January 2006, at 4:55 p.m.

Re: Load/RPM's/Engine Life
Vic Roy -- Thursday, 26 January 2006, at 5:45 p.m.

Re: Load/RPM's/Engine Life
Vic Roy -- Thursday, 26 January 2006, at 5:56 p.m.

Re: Latest & greatest 6BTA oil filter
Vic Roy -- Thursday, 26 January 2006, at 10:13 p.m.

Re: Latest & greatest 6BTA oil filter
Capt. Dave Kosh -- Friday, 27 January 2006, at 9:47 a.m.

Re: Latest & greatest 6BTA oil filter
Vic Roy -- Friday, 27 January 2006, at 9:56 a.m.

Re: Latest & greatest 6BTA oil filter
Capt. Dave Kosh -- Friday, 27 January 2006, at 10:14 a.m.

Re: Latest & greatest 6BTA oil filter
Vic Roy -- Friday, 27 January 2006, at 10:24 a.m.

Re: Latest & greatest 6BTA oil filter
Capt. Dave Kosh -- Friday, 27 January 2006, at 3:26 p.m.

Re: Latest & greatest 6BTA oil filter
JC -- Friday, 27 January 2006, at 1:32 p.m.

Re: Latest & greatest 6BTA oil filter
Vic Roy -- Sunday, 29 January 2006, at 11:49 a.m.