Prior Power diesel mechanics completed a challenging top-end overhaul and cylinder pack replacement on a CAT D349 engine situated on an offshore installation.

While conducting a cylinder borescope inspection during a routine service, our mechanics identified heavy vertical scoring and surface corrosion on the cylinder bore walls, along with evidence of potential liner porosity. A cylinder pack replacement was therefore scheduled.

To complete this work, some 40 components first needed to be removed.

A new cylinder head was finally sourced from the USA and shipped to our workshop in Great Yarmouth for pressure testing and inspection before shipping offshore.

All removed components were thoroughly cleaned by our mechanics on the platform, who worked around the clock to rebuild the engine, fitting new seals and gaskets along with the new cylinder head.

Once complete, our mechanics performed load runs on the engine with pressures and temperatures recorded for the customer.

To give an indication of the scale of the challenge of this project, aside from being located on a platform 150km off the coast of Shetland with little room to manoeuvre, this particular model went out of production in 1973, so it is at least over 50 years old. Replacement parts were both difficult and time-consuming to source.

Despite the challenges, the job was completed and handed back to the platform, fully operational on schedule.

Find out more about our engine rebuild capabilities.