Repair
Marine diesel repair, from an oil change to a full repower
I service and repair marine diesel engines, transmissions and generators on boats and yachts. That runs from routine maintenance and diagnostics through injector work, cooling system repair, rebuilds and complete repowers. Work happens where your boat is, dockside or in the yard.
Deferred maintenance gets expensive fast
A neglected marine diesel finds trouble much sooner than one that has been kept up, and the longer a problem sits the more it costs to put right. Unusual noises, warning lights, uneven running and white exhaust smoke are all early signals. Addressed early they are small jobs. Ignored, they turn into rebuilds.
What is included
- Emergency, dockside and travel service
- Engine diagnostics and video borescope inspection
- Oil and filter changes with oil analysis
- Raw water pump repair and replacement
- Fuel injector testing, repair and replacement
- Cooling system maintenance and heat exchanger work
- Steering system diagnostics
- Valve adjustments and tune ups
- Heat exchanger and exhaust manifold flushing and repair
- Ultrasonic cleaning
- Electronic and electronic control repairs
- Engineering and consulting
How it works
Tell me what it is doing
Call and describe the symptom. Noise, smoke colour, temperature, a warning light, a fuel or coolant loss. Most of the time that narrows the problem before I arrive.
Diagnose on the boat
I come to the vessel with diagnostic equipment and a borescope. You get told what is wrong and what it will take, before any parts get ordered.
Repair and verify
The work gets done and then tested under load, not just at idle. If a fluid sample or a follow up interval is warranted, I will say so.
Jon Diesel Marine services marine diesel propulsion engines, transmissions and generators dockside across Sarasota and Manatee counties, covering diagnostics, injectors, cooling systems, valve adjustments, ultrasonic cleaning, electronic control repair and complete repowers.
Related repair work
Engine Diagnostics
Find the actual cause before parts get bought, using engine management data, live readings and a borescope.
Engine Repower
Replacing tired engines with new power, including the mounts, controls, exhaust and propeller match that make it work.
Valve Adjustment
Valve clearance adjustment and tune ups that restore compression, economy and starting on high hour engines.
Diesel Repair: common questions
Do you come to the boat?
Yes. This is a mobile service. Most work is done dockside or in the yard where the vessel is hauled, across Sarasota and Manatee counties and further afield when the job calls for it.
What engine brands do you work on?
I trained and certified with Volvo Penta and spent six years at a dealer, and I have worked on nearly every make of marine diesel over 20 years, from small auxiliaries to yacht propulsion pairs.
How often should a marine diesel be serviced?
Follow the manufacturer interval by hours, and treat annual service as the floor even on a lightly used boat. Salt water, heat and long idle periods age these engines by the calendar as well as by the hour meter.
What does white exhaust smoke mean?
White smoke commonly points to unburned fuel or water entering the combustion chamber, which can mean an injector problem, a head gasket or a cracked component. It is worth diagnosing quickly because the cheap causes and the expensive causes look identical from the dock.
Tell me what the engine is doing
Describe the symptom on the phone and most of the time the problem is narrowed before I arrive. Surveys are booked around your sea trial date.