GM V6 4.3 marine and industrial engine differences????????

[Sicobra]

Guys, I have a cracked block and have been offered a very good complete GM V6 4.3 based industrial engine, it is multi fuel but set up for propane at the moment. Does anyone know what the differences are between marine and industrial engines? Can i use it complete with a different inlet manifold and carb or just the block, crank pistons etc or am I wasting my time? It is very low hours and very good value as it stands but I am struggling to find out what the differences are. Any advice/ help would be much appreciated, cheers, Si

 

[Don S]

Re: GM V6 4.3 marine and industrial engine differences????????

The cams have a different grind for marine engines, the RV and truck cams are fairly close.
The core plugs are brass instead of steel for rust prevention, and the gaskets are either all composite or metal inserts are stainless instead of steel for the same corrosion protection.
That is the differences for the long block.

Now, when it comes to electrical, ignition, and fuel system parts, they need to be marine rated for the most part. Prevention of external fuel leaks and sparks that can create explosions if there is a fuel leak.
The parts include but not limited to starters, alternators, distributors, carbs, fuel pumps, fuel hose etc.

Normally when people have cracked blocks from freezing, replacing the long block is the way to go. You would still be using all the marine accessories.

 

[Sicobra]

Re: GM V6 4.3 marine and industrial engine differences????????

The cams have a different grind for marine engines, the RV and truck cams are fairly close.
The core plugs are brass instead of steel for rust prevention, and the gaskets are either all composite or metal inserts are stainless instead of steel for the same corrosion protection.
That is the differences for the long block.

Now, when it comes to electrical, ignition, and fuel system parts, they need to be marine rated for the most part. Prevention of external fuel leaks and sparks that can create explosions if there is a fuel leak.
The parts include but not limited to starters, alternators, distributors, carbs, fuel pumps, fuel hose etc.

Normally when people have cracked blocks from freezing, replacing the long block is the way to go. You would still be using all the marine accessories.

Thanks Don, when I said "industrial" engine I meant that sort that is used for station pumps/ fork lift trucks etc rather than truck/RV's, do you know if they differ at all apart from cam? Wasn't sure if they ran different compression etc? Si

 

[Don S]

Re: GM V6 4.3 marine and industrial engine differences????????

I have no idea about industrial engines.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: GM V6 4.3 marine and industrial engine differences????????

While i do not know for sure there should be differnces in the valve train and cam. I would check cery closely with the mfg the expected duty cycle for a hyster would be quite a bit different than a boat. Propane and gas are much differnt in term's of how fuel is disbursed...PM QC i believe he does have experince in this area.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: GM V6 4.3 marine and industrial engine differences????????

They'll use industrial engines running on natural gas or propane to power large generators, sawmills, and backup air compressors in factories. Tree surgeons use them in cherry pickers and wood chippers. Most of the tractor companies have industrial engine divisions. The old 300 straight 6 Ford engine was a popular industrial engine.

Industrial engines are built to run at a constant speed, and they'll sometimes have strong governors to keep the rpm's constant.

Using an industrial engine would probably require installing different intake system, distributor, camshaft, etc. Since the engine you're talking about is a propane engine, I would probably pass. It's probably easier to come up with a marine engine that you'll know works right.