In a conventional marine diesel engine the power is produced by hot compressed air igniting fuel sprayed under very high pressure into the cylinder head. A marine diesel engine does not use a carburetor to mix fuel and air or spark plugs to ignite the mixture. Instead it employs the pistons to compress the air to 3000 kPa which causes it to become extremely hot and the fuel is ignited as soon as it is injected into the cylinder.

Some marine diesel engines are fitted with a heater plug in the inlet manifold or a glow plug in the pre-combustion chamber of each cylinder to provide additional heat to the combustion air during starting.

Diesel engines are heavier and slower revving than petrol engines but they are also more reliable because they do not rely on external carburetion or an electrical spark for ignition.

Newer engines use an electronic fuel injection system whereby fuel and air are mixed more thoroughly in the pre-combustion chamber before entering the cylinder. This system maximizes power and fuel economy and is also less polluting.

Every boater should have an understanding of how their engine works so let's start by explaining the mechanical cycles.

Most reciprocating piston internal combustion engines work on one of two mechanical cycles-either the four-stroke cycle or the two-stroke cycle. These cycles designate, in correct sequence, the mechanical actions by which the fuel and air gain access to the engine cylinder, the gas pressure - due to combustion - is converted to power and, finally, the burnt gas is expelled from the engine cylinder.

The Basic Four-Stroke Diesel Engine

From its name, it is obvious there are four strokes in one complete engine cycle. A stroke is the movement of the piston through the full length of the cylinder and - since one such movement causes the crankshaft to rotate half a turn - it follows that there are two crankshaft revolutions in one complete engine cycle.

The four strokes in the order they occur are:

1. Inlet stroke. With the inlet valve open and the exhaust valve closed, the piston moves from top dead center (TDC) to bottom dead center (BDC), creating a low-pressure area in the cylinder. Clean, filtered air rushes through the open inlet valve to relieve this low-pressure area, and the cylinder fills with air.

2. Compression stroke. With both valves closed, the piston moves from BDC to TDC, compressing the air. During this stroke the air becomes heated to a temperature sufficiently high to ignite the fuel.

3. Power stroke. At approximately TDC, the fuel is injected, or sprayed, into the hot, compressed air, where it ignites, burns and expands. Both valves remain closed, and the pressure acts on the piston crown, forcing it down the cylinder from TDC to BDC.

4. Exhaust stroke. At approximately BDC the exhaust valve opens and the piston starts to move from BDC to TDC, driving the burnt gas out of the cylinder through the open exhaust valve.

The Two-Stroke Diesel Engine

The two-stroke engine uses two piston strokes to complete one power stroke and, therefore, fire twice as often as a four-stroke engine. A two-stroke engine is smaller and simpler with fewer moving parts. A two-stroke engine has the potential to produce twice as much power as a four-stroke engine of the same size, however, because of the extra fitting required in a two-stroke diesel engine, for example blowers and governors, they become more expensive to produce. There has been a shift towards four stroke diesel engines which have become more efficient and smaller.

Protect Your Marine Diesel Engine

Protect your engine by avoiding long periods (more than 10 minutes) of idling in a "no-load" situation. This is often done to charge batteries or cool refrigeration but if done repeatedly it will glaze the bores of the engine and cause premature engine failure. If the vessel is in a berth the engine can be put in gear to create load at idle.

All boat owners should have an understanding of basic marine diesel engine maintenance to keep themselves and their families safe on the water.

Understanding the marine diesel engine cooling system is a necessary part of marine diesel engine maintenance.

Raw Water Cooling

Flexible impeller pumps provide an efficient solution to most raw water pumping needs. The primary advantage of a flexible impeller pump is that it is self-priming, which means that when the vanes of the impeller are depressed and rebound, they create their own vacuum, drawing fluid into the pump. A dry pump can lift water up to as much as three meters. Thus a flexible impeller pump being used for engine cooling does not need to be manually primed or located below the water line. An added feature of a flexible impeller pump is that it can pass fairly large solids without clogging or damaging the pump. This reduces the need for filtration of incoming fluids.

For general or fresh water applications, a standard long lasting neoprene rubber impeller is used.

A general feature of all flexible impeller pumps is that they cannot be permitted to run dry for more than 30 seconds. Both the impeller and the seals require water for lubrication and will soon burn out if run dry. Parts that start to show wear are easily replaceable and service kits are readily available for most models.

Fresh Water Cooling

For circulation of the internal, closed, fresh water circuit of the cooling system it is common to use a flexible rubber pump if it is located on the cold side of the system (max. 55°C). Other types of belt-driven centrifugal pumps are also used. The closed circuit normally transfers heat from the engine to the heat exchanger. The liquid used is water and anti-freeze.

Cooling Capacity

The required output of the cooling pump is related to engine type and size, not to the size of the heat exchanger and exhaust system. This is true for both raw water as well as fresh water handling systems.

Temperature Regulators (Thermostats)

Thermostats are usually placed in the outlet at the top of the cylinder head to prevent the coolant from moving to the header tank until the marine engine has nearly reached operating temperature.

There are different types of thermostats, the most common being the wax pellet type. The capsule on the lower part of the thermostat has a mixture of wax and copper (to increase the thermal conductivity) sealed in it. As the coolant temperature increases, the wax expands and forces a rod to open the poppet valve at the top of the thermostat, which allows the coolant to circulate.