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Cat 3208's

Discussion in 'Engines' started by mbursey, Jun 10, 2007.

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  1. mbursey

    mbursey New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2007
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    5
    Location:
    Newfoundland
    Catapillar T-3208

    Does anyone have these engines? What are they like on fuel? Approx what kind of life expectancy would they have ? Anyones general comments would be appreciated.

    :confused:
  2. SeaEric

    SeaEric YF Historian

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    Jan 28, 2007
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    out on the dock
    I have them in my boat. I find them to be quite economical to run. The life expectancy has everything to do with the horsepower rating of the particular unit, and how hard it's been run. Bear in mind that a diesel engine's life span is more based upon how much fuel has passed through it than the number of hours it has run.

    My Cat 3208's are rated at 355 HP and I expect to get 8000 hours out of them.
  3. CaptPKilbride

    CaptPKilbride Senior Member

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    Mar 16, 2004
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    Location:
    On the water
    I have run several boats with 3208 CATS, and found them to be good, workhorse engines. There are many different power ratings now, and generally the higher the power rating, the less the life expectancy.

    The 3208 engine was concieved as a "throw-away" engine, suited for small commercial vessels... the weak point in the design in my view is that the cylinders do not have removable liners.
  4. SeaEric

    SeaEric YF Historian

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    With all due respect, the "throw-away" description always irks me a little. 3208's are able to be bored and sleeved. Although they must be removed from the boat for this to happen. It's true that sleeved engines may be rebuilt in the boat, and that is a definite plus.
  5. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Jul 11, 2005
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    They are anywhere from 2500 hours for the high horsepower ones 425hp, to over 10k hours for the naturals. They are good on fuel economy and generally run well. The biggest plus is that CAT REMANS are relatively cheap and it doesn't pay to have someone rebuild them, just buy a reman and throw it in.
  6. CaptTom

    CaptTom Senior Member

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    Keep in mind that Cat stopped producing the 3208's a number of years ago. You should have no trouble getting spare parts, but that may change as the years go on.
    Reliable engines, just keep up on the maintenance. And if they sit low in the bilge and you have any saltwater down there, the engine pans will corrode. Had to change the pans on both engines when they developed pinhole leaks. New pans were coated to alleviate that in the future.
  7. viking 40

    viking 40 New Member

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    Dec 17, 2007
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    Panama city beach
    I have an old pair. Been in my boat for at least 30yrs. I bought it 6 yrs ago and they had been recently re-built. they have 2600 hrs since then and not a single problem. They have after market twin turbos, but they still only put out about 250 hp ea. They are 50% of the reason I chose to buy the boat. Their reputation is outstanding.
    Yes, they were introduced as a throw away engine, but their reputation for being durable and dependable grew quickly. They are probably the most common diesal engine in the world. Shop around and parts can get pretty cheap.
    To help answer your other question, the boat weighs 15 tons, I have a top speed of 16kts. Add in a good bit of trolling and I average 1mpg. Together they burn about 20 gph at wot.