Sailing Triteiavideo

BLOWN ENGINE; One Year After A Complete Rebuild Our Engine Blows Up In Australia

9 June 2024 · 53 min · 55K views · East coast of Australia

What this video covers

Triteia's diesel engine failed one year after a complete rebuild in New Zealand, with zero compression on the aft piston and a broken valve found inside the cylinder head during a top-end teardown.7:37 James and Rhonda were transiting out of Lake Macquarie, Australia, when the engine bogged down and died under load, producing white smoke and unburned diesel from the exhaust.8:21 Troubleshooting proceeded in stages: a frayed water-pump fan belt was replaced first, then the primary fuel filter was changed and the system bled repeatedly, then the injectors were pulled and sonically cleaned by Dave at Advantage Diesel in Warner's Bay — crud was present, and one injector showed scoring.12:15 None of those steps resolved the rough idle or smoke.25:49 A compression test borrowed from Advantage Diesel revealed just under 300 PSI on the forward piston and zero on the aft, confirming a blown engine.30:26 The top-end teardown exposed a shattered valve.30:47 The engine's history: originally rebuilt in a private garage in Southern California for $3,200 USD, it suffered a seawater ingestion failure between American Samoa and Fiji in 2022, was fully rebuilt in New Zealand over three and a half months, then failed again exactly one year later.5:46 Community members contributed funds unsolicited via Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App.3:20 The engine was subsequently repaired and running for over a month before this account was published.37:58

Watch on YouTube

Boats in this video

Alberg 30Their boat

More from Sailing Triteia

Exploring LA DIGUE Island, Sailing Back to Mahe and Saying Goodbye to VictoriaSept 2026Seeing the World Famous Giant Tortoises of the Seychelles!Sept 2026Sailing To The Beautiful Praslin Island in the Seychelles 🏝️Sept 2026Victoria Arrives to Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles and We Sail to Silhouette IslandAug 2026

From Sailing Triteia — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.

The Sailing Directory Newsletter

One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.

Report an issue