Surveys
Video borescope inspection without tearing the engine down
A borescope is a camera on a flexible probe that goes in through an injector or glow plug port and shows the cylinder walls, piston crowns and valves. It turns an expensive guess into a picture. I use it on surveys and on any diagnosis where the readings alone do not settle the question.
Opening an engine to find out is the expensive way
Pulling a head to see whether a liner is scored costs real money and days of downtime, and half the time it confirms the engine was fine. The borescope answers most of those questions in an afternoon with nothing more than the injectors out.
What is included
- Cylinder wall, piston crown and valve inspection
- Exhaust passage and manifold internal condition
- Heat exchanger and cooling passage inspection
- Still images captured for the report
- Assessment alongside compression readings
How it works
Access
Injectors or glow plugs come out to give the probe a path into the cylinder.
Inspect
Each cylinder is examined and photographed: scoring, carbon, valve face condition, any sign of water intrusion.
Correlate
Images get read alongside compression figures, because the two together give a far more reliable picture than either on its own.
Video borescope inspection allows the cylinder walls, piston crowns and valves of a marine diesel to be examined and photographed through the injector ports, without removing the cylinder head.
Related surveys work
Mechanical Marine Surveys
A documented condition report on your propulsion engines and generator, from visual inspection through sea trial.
Pre-Purchase Engine Survey
The engine half of your buyer's due diligence, documented before you sign and priced against the repairs it finds.
Oil and Fluid Analysis
Laboratory analysis of engine oil, coolant and transmission fluid to catch internal wear before it surfaces.
Video Borescope Inspection: common questions
Does a borescope inspection require taking the engine apart?
No. Access is through the injector or glow plug ports, so the cylinder heads stay bolted down. That is the whole point of the tool: it answers a question that would otherwise cost days of downtime and a set of head gaskets to ask.
What does scoring on a cylinder wall mean?
It indicates abrasive wear, often from poor filtration, overheating or a failed ring. Light scoring may be liveable on a high hour engine, heavy scoring is a rebuild conversation. Seeing it is what lets that call be made honestly.
Do the images go in the survey report?
Yes. Anything found gets photographed and identified in the report so the finding is not just my word for it.
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.