Just wanted to get the word out on a new type of Diesel Engine. This engine is called Buck Marine Diesel.

I work at Buck Marine Diesel. We are currently developing a prototype diesel engine specifically designed for inboard marine use, with some possible OTR applications in the future. We're still working on things right now. We're getting VERY close to getting the first prototype fully up and running. We had it running the other day for about an hour at around 2000 rpm without any problems. We need to do a little more work to get our dyno fully-functional but things are going good.

We are currently working on a 6-cylinder model with 3- and 4-cylinder models to follow. The engines have a unique two injector per cylinder design that will increase the fuel mapping potential exponentially and result in lower emissions capability. The family of engines will range from 150 to 700 HP and have been designed from the bottom up with a totally different approach. These engines are capable of exceptional cooling, allowing for substantial improvements in power output while increasing longevity.

The cooling path for this engine is a fraction of most engines. In the classic designs, coolant flows into the front of the engine, all the way back to the rear cylinder, then back out the front. This means that the rear cylinder is always receiving water that has already been heated by the previous cylinders.

In the Buck Marine system, the coolant flows individually into and out of each cylinder. This means that the all of the cylinders will be operating at the same temperature at all times. Using individual and shorter cooling paths, will also help eliminate hot spots and temperature stacking.

The engine also has a dual cooling system that uses both an internal coolant as well as circulating raw water from whatever body of water the boat is in. This cooling system will keep the engine running cool, allowing us to generate more power. If a problem should arise, the engine is also very serviceable.

The modular cylinder design allows for easy maintenance. With our design, you can change an individual cylinder, head, piston, and connecting rod without having to remove the crank case. We are estimating that the entire upper half of the engine (cylinders, heads, pistons, and connecting rods ) could be entirely replaced in about 2 hours time. Each of the aforementioned parts is also interchangeable with each of the other cylinders. In addition, nearly every seal is made with an o-ring of some form, meaning that the gasket set for the entire engine can fit in a gallon-sized plastic bag. These two factors will significantly reduce part inventory. A video of the connecting rod replacement procedure is available on the website.

Since we didn't have the dyno working properly, we're not positive on the actual power numbers. However, while running under a moderate load at about 2500 rpm, the exhaust temperatures were around 1200 degrees F. We ran under those conditions for about 15 minutes. The hottest that the coolant pump got was about 110 degrees F. None of the 6 heads were over 135 degrees and all of them were within about 3 degrees of one another. You could lay your hands on top of the valve covers.

We will hopefully be back up and running by the end of next week with a fully-functioning dyno. When we have some solid power numbers, I will be sure to let everyone know.

Check out our website for further pictures and videos.

Feel free to ask any questions that you have.

http://www.buckdiesel.com

This is a video of our cylinder replacement procedure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsgCHbptRRc

This is a video of our engine actually up and running:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5PkOV6gxZA

Looks good and sounds good. However, I for one would never ever buy a new prototype of anything, especially a diesel engine that is unproven and will be very expensive.

Come back in 10 years with some hard facts on how it's doing and we'll take a look at it.

Actually, we are working on proving it right now. We have several Dyno tests that we are putting the engine through. As soon as we get through all that, we will be putting about 25 into boats and getting them some actual time on the water. This design will not be actually available on the market for another 2 years or so.

As for pricing, we will be competitive in the market for an engine of this size.

Just letting everyone know, we have the engine up and running again. Power numbers will be coming soon... having a few issues with dyno calibration, but we will hopefully have those sorted out this week.

We have some preliminary power numbers.

So far, we have only gotten about 160 Hp at 9 gal/hr fuel burn. My boss's boat has 2 Cat diesels, when he is burning 35 gal/hr, he gets about 565 Hp. So let's assume it's a linear trend, at 36 gal/hr (4x our current fuel burn), we will be getting about 640 Hp! We are working to adjust our BSFC. These numbers were made with a BSFC around 0.45. We are still extremely happy with these numbers and as soon as we get more, I will be sure to let everyone know.

Hey all, sorry it has been a little while since I've posted. I've got a new clip of our engine. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnFOy5qtITc

In this video, we take a running engine, shut it down and tear down a single cylinder to the bare crankshaft, rebuild it, and start the engine back up. All in less than 8 minutes!

Don't believe me? Watch it

Let me know if you have any questions.