Yanmar''s 6LY diesel engine is one of the most popular engines in the Japanese-headquartered company’s comprehensive range. It has become the engine of choice for larger RIBs and for a wide variety of patrol and workboats.
Now Yanmar has upgraded this engine to bring it up to modern standards and to meet modern emission requirements and the new version meets IMO Tier 2 requirements and EPA Tier 3 in the USA. With this upgrade comes an increase in the power output as well.
The upgraded engine now features a common rail injection system produced by Denso. The engine is now fully electronic and the power output has been increased to 440 hp in the higher rated version of the engine. This higher rating is designed for light intermittent use whilst for heavier duty requirements the engine power is limited to 400 hp which is equivalent to about 80 hp per litre from this 5.8 litre engine. The maximum rpm for both versions of the engine is 3300.
This 6LY is turbocharged and has a water-cooled turbocharger housing. The engine is fresh water cooled with a seawater heat exchanger and it comes as standard with a 12 volt electrical system powered by a 125 amp alternator. To simplify installation there is a dipstick on both sides of the engine for easy access. One of the attractions of this and other Yanmar diesels in their compact dimensions and low weight which makes them particularly suited for high speed applications.
A range of accessories can be incorporated with the engine. These include a secondary 24 volt alternator, a high-rise water mixing exhaust elbow instead of the standard L-elbow and a SOLAS kit that comes complete with a certificate. A variety of gearboxes are available including an integral V-drive unit and down angle boxes. The standard control panel is a multi-function colour display coupled to the Yanmar CAN-bus control system,
By Dag Pike
