4BTA 155hp Cummins?

[scot]

I've "heard" for years that the 4BTA at 155hp was indestructable, do any of you guy's have first hand experience with this little engine...at this rating?

[Face]

The 4BT is 150/155 hp, depending on what you read. The 4BTA is 250 hp. I have two of the 4BT's which I am about to put back into a B28 I am restoring. I bought the boat with the motors, all neglected. I talked to another B28 owner from bertram28.net. He said he cruises at 18 kts and can do 20-21 kts WOT with a few guys and offshore gear. I sure hope he is right...1.5:1 gear, 1 1/4" shafts, and he said either a 17*17 or a 16*16 prop (he couldn't remember).
Here they are after new paint:

[In Memory Walter K]

With the torque I think those engines create and 1:50 gears, it seems to me those props can be upped in size (if you have the right clearance) and given a bit more pitch. One man's opinion. Obviously you should check further. Walter

[Charlie]

Stock 28B's with 302 fords or 305 Chevys came with 1.5:1 trannys turning a 17"X17" three blade bronze prop. My 28B had 60 gallons extra fuel and made canyon trips. I had the props cut down to 17"X16 with a med cup. This gave me greater cruise speed. The 302 put out 225HP. I bet the 17"X17" for a 150HP diesel is not far off.

[scot]

Paint jobs work wonders, nice looking little B's. I have heard, read, etc about the injector problems on the 4BTA 250hp. The HP options on these engines seems limted, a 190-210hp version would be nice. I wonder if there is any way to pump the 155's up to around 200hp without running into problems?

[In Memory of Vicroy]

Scot - nope, not worth the effort. Any 4 cyl., 4-stroke diesel is a harmonic nightmare if run over about 1800 rpm, which is why the 4BT is such a great genset engine, but you don't see them in many propulsion applications.

UV