Marine Diesel Engine Troubleshooting for Boaters: Diagnosis, Emergency Repairs, Preventive Maintenance & Cooling System Failures for Recreational and Cruising Vessels - Softcover

Press, Talor

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798249378028

Publisher: Independently published, 2026

Synopsis

Learn to find what is wrong with a marine diesel before a small fault becomes a breakdown at sea. This illustrated guide is written for owners and crews of recreational and cruising boats who want to check, understand and care for their own engine.

The book follows the way a skipper really works: look, listen, smell and touch first, then test one thing at a time, starting with the cheapest and safest check. Every lesson has a drawing or table inside it, and the book is full of practice you can do ashore before you need it afloat.

What is inside:

- About 160 short lessons in 16 teaching parts, with 308 drawn figures and 14 tables
- How a diesel works and the six systems: fuel, air and exhaust, cooling, lubrication, electrical and drive train
- Daily checks, starting and running, warm-up and shutdown
- The fuel path, filters, water trap, bleeding, bad fuel and running dry
- Starting failures: flat batteries, the starter circuit, glow plugs, cold starts and low compression
- Cooling system failures: raw water, fresh-water loop, strainer, impeller, heat exchanger, thermostat, mixing elbow and overheating
- Oil and lubrication, air, exhaust and smoke colours, electrical troubles and drive train faults
- Emergency repairs at sea: hoses, impellers, bleeding fuel, belts, jump starts, fire, flooding and towing
- Preventive maintenance: service schedule, weekly checks, winterising, anodes and engine records
- Drawn symbol charts: warning lights, wiring symbols, smoke colours and engine parts, each shown beside its meaning
- Using your senses and a multimeter to find faults
- 20 test procedures, 36 troubleshooting trees and 20 case studies
- 30 quick engine sums with the working shown, and 24 "what do you do first?" drills
- 20 job cards, 6 forms and logs to copy, a quick-reference part and a glossary

This book is a learning guide to diagnosing and caring for marine diesel engines on recreational and cruising boats. It is not a substitute for the engine maker's manual, a qualified marine mechanic or local regulations, and engine work carries real risks of fire, burns, injury and carbon monoxide poisoning. Intervals, readings, pressures and procedures vary between engines and are given only as typical examples: always follow the manual for your engine. Names, boats, hours and readings in the examples are fictitious.

Ideal for new and experienced boat owners, charter and delivery crews, and anyone who wants to understand the engine before the weather turns.

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798249378028
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 172