anyone having trouble with cat 3116 or 3126 hearing of alot of trouble with them
95-99 were the worst years, they got such a bad reputation that Cat changed the names on the motors. If they have lived this long, they probably have had all the updates to them, make sure you have them checked out by a real good mechanic thats familure with Cats. Cat denigned they had a probalem for a long time, but once they finally admitted they were building crap, they took care of a lot of it. Biggest problems were the cylinder heads and head gaskets.
thanks for the reply,hearing alot about clyinder walls rusting up,causing cross hatching to wear out, cause according to cat lack of use and moisture
The 3196 is the engine that has the worst reputation due to the aftercooler being located on top of the engine. If the cooler leaked or normal condensation inside it caused water to drain onn top of the valves or in the cylinder. The 3116 and 3126 has some issues as well. If I remember correctly it was mostly head and turbos.
The biggest killer of marine diesels is how the engine is installed. A poorly designed exhaust system is going to cause issues with wearout/rust in the bores like you mentioned and is not necessarily and engine manufacturer problem.
Iain Pelto
Edgewater 185CC “Jumpin’ Bean II”
Native Manta Ray 14