Vetus M4.55 SOLAS User manual

Operation manual
M4.55

Operation manual
Please enter the serial numbers here.
These numbers should be quoted when inquiring about Customer
Service, Repairs or Spare Parts (see page 6).
1
We reserve the right to make any changes without previous
notice.
Copyright © 2009 Vetus N.V. Schiedam Holland
Serial numbers
Engine serial number Vetus:
Mitsubishi:
Gearbox serial number:
M4.55
340402.01

Please read and observe the information
given in this operation manual. This will
enable you to avoid accidents, preserve
the manufacturer’s warranty and maintain
the engine in peak operating condition.
For the Guarantee Conditions, see the
Vetus Diesel 'Service and Warrantee
Manual' (320199.05).
This engine has been built exclusively
for the application specified in the scope
of supply and is to be used only for the
intended purpose. Any use exceeding
that scope is considered to be contrary to
the intended purpose. The manufacturer
will not not assume responsibility for any
damage resulting therefrom. The risks
involved are to be borne by the user.
Use in accordance with the intended
purpose also implies compliance with the
conditions laid down by the manufacturer
for operation, maintenance and servic-
ing. The engine should only be operat-
ed, maintained and serviced by persons
which are familiar with the former and the
hazards involved.
The relevant accident prevention guide-
lines and other generally accepted safety
and industrial hygiene regulations must
be observed.
Unauthorized engine modifications will
invalidate any liability claims against the
manufacturer for resultant damage.
Manipulations of the injection and regu-
lating system may also influence the
performance of the engine, and its emis-
sions. Adherence to legislation on pollu-
tion cannot be guaranteed under such
conditions.
2

1 Safety measures 4
2 Introduction 9
Data tag 10
Serial number 10
Cylinder numbering 11
Fuel pump seal 11
Identification of engine parts 12
Control panels 14
3 Use
General guidelines 17
First commissioning 18
Running-in 21
Starting 22
Pre-heating 23
Cruising 26
Stopping 28
4 Maintenance
Introduction 29
Maintenance schedule 30
Checking the oil level 32
Checking the coolant level 33
Checking and cleaning the
raw water strainer 34
Draining water from the water
separator/fuel filter 35
(Bleeding) 36
Changing the oil 37
Battery, cables and cable
connections 40
Checking the gearbox oil level 42
Changing the gearbox oil 43
Checking valve clearance 46
Replacing the fuel filter 48
Cleaning fuel lift pump 49
Checking the V-belt 50
Checking flexible engine mounts 51
Checking hose connections 51
Checking fastenings 51
Checking the raw water pump 52
Coolant replacement 54
Changing the air filter 58
Checking the starter motor 58
Checking the alternator 58
Checking engine rpm 59
Cleaning the heat exchanger 60
5 Winter storage procedure 64
6 Recommissioning after winter
storage 67
7 Troubleshooting 72
8 Technical Data 80
9 Operating media
Fuel 83
Lubrication Oil 85
Coolant 87
10 Wiring Diagrams 88
11 Overall Dimensions 94
12 Index 95
3
Contents

4 4
1 Safety measures
Da n g e r
Indicates that great potential danger exists
that can lead to serious injury or death.
Wa r n i n g
Indicates that a potential danger that can
lead to injury exists.
Ca u t i o n
Indicates that the usage procedures,
actions etc. concerned can result in serious
damage to or destruction of the engine.
Some CAUTION indications also advise
that a potential danger exists that can lead
to serious injury or death.
no t e
Emphasises important procedures, cir-
cumstances etc.
Symbols
Indicates that the relevant proce-
dure must be carried out.
Indicates that a particular action is
forbidden.
Pass the safety precautions on to other
people who will use the engine.
General rules and laws concerning safety
and accident prevention must always be
observed.
Warning indications
The following warning indications are used
in this manual in the context of safety:
Warning indications

5
1 Safety measures
• Donotsmokeifrefuelling.
• Avoid spilling fuel on hot surfaces.
Spilled fuel must be cleaned up imme-
diately.
• Do not use petrol or diesel to clean
components but make use of good
quality, non-inflammable, non-poison-
ous solvents that are available from
dealers.
• Always be alert to possible fuel or oil
leakage!
If you discover a leak, take counter-
measures immediately. If fuel or oil is
spilled on a hot engine, fire can break
out. This can cause physical injury or
damage to the equipment.
• Donotfillthefueltankwhiletheengine
is running!
Only refuel with the engine stopped.
• Never put flammable materials in the
vicinity of the engine!
• Keep the engine and engine compart-
ment clean!
Remove all inflammable materials such
as fuel, oil and other litter before it
builds up in the vicinity of the engine.
• Connecting (emergency) extra starting
battery
Proceed as follows when an extra start-
ing battery is used to jump start the
engine:
- First connect the positive lead
- Lastly connect the earth cable (nega-
tive pole) to the engine block
If this cable is connected in error
to the negative pole of the engine
battery, a spark can occur. The
result of this could be that explo-
sive gas produced by the battery
explodes.
- Once the engine is started, first
remove the earth cable.
Preventing fire and explosion
Fire risk!

6
1 Safety measures Prevention of injury
• Themovingpartsoftheenginearedan-
gerous. Never touch moving parts of
the engine while it is running, to prevent
cuts and other injuries.
• Stop the engine before carrying out
maintenance!
• Alwaysstoptheenginebeforetopping
up or replacing fuel, oil or coolant.
• Before carrying out inspection or
maintenance, the ignition key must be
removed and the main battery switch
turned off.
• Satisfy yourself that everything is in
order before the engine is started
again!
Make sure that no-one is working on or
close to the engine before you start it.
Remove all foreign objects from around
the engine, such as litter, oil, tools and
other components that are not part of
the engine.
• Installallprotectivecovers!
To prevent injury, make sure that all
protective covers and cover plates are
replaced over moving parts.
• Removeanytoolusedtoturntheengine
over. If you leave this in position, seri-
ous injury or damage to the equipment
can result.
• NEVERopenthecapoftheexpansion
tank when the engine is at working tem-
perature.
• Only check the coolant level after the
engine has been stopped and the
filler cap on the heat exchanger is
cool enough to be removed with bare
hands.
• Neverattempttoadjustthefanbeltona
running engine.

7
1 Safety measures Prevention of injury
• Becarefulwithbatteryacid!
If battery acid comes in contact with
the eyes or skin, rinse the affected part
immediately with copious amounts of
water. If battery acid comes in contact
with the eyes, rinse them out immedi-
ately with plenty of water and consult a
doctor.
• Becarefulwithantifreeze!
If you accidentally swallow antifreeze,
make yourself vomit and consult a doc-
tor immediately. If antifreeze comes in
contact with your eyes, wash them out
immediately with plenty of water and
consult a doctor.
• Makesurethatyouarewearingsuitable
clothing before starting work!
For your own safety you will most likely
need special equipment – safety hel-
met, eye protection, safety boots, safety
goggles, heavy gloves, ear protectors
etc. Use them when necessary.
• Carry out maintenance procedures
safely by only using suitable tools.
• Exhaustgases
Do not start the engine if the exhaust
system is not connected.

8
1 Safety measures
• When the engine stops suddenly:
If the engine stops suddenly, do not
start it again immediately. Track down
the cause and carry out the necessary
repairs before you start the engine
again. If you do not do this, serious
engine problems can develop.
• If the oil pressure is too low:
Stop the engine immediately and check
the lubrication system. Running an
engine with low oil pressure can cause
bearing and other parts to seize.
• lf the engine overheats:
If the engine should overheat, do not
switch it off immediately. If an overheat-
ed engine is stopped suddenly, this can
cause the coolant temperature to rise
rapidly and moving parts to seize. First
let the engine run in neutral to allow the
hot parts of the engine to cool down,
stop the engine and allow it to cool,
and then gradually top up the coolant.
Remember: adding coolant to an over-
heated engine can cause damage to
the cylinder head.
• If the fan belt is broken:
Immediately stop the engine. If an
engine is used with a broken fan belt,
this can lead to the engine overheat-
ing, which in turn can cause coolant to
spray out of the expansion tank.
When problems occur

99
Vetus diesel engines are designed
both for pleasure and commercial craft.
Consequently, a wide range of variants
are offered to meet the requirements of
specific cases.
Your engine is appropriately equipped for
your vessel, which means that not neces-
sarily all components described in this
manual are mounted to your engine.
We have endeavoured to highlight any
differences so that you will able to locate
the operating and maintenance instruc-
tions relevant to your engine quickly and
easily.
Please read this manual before starting
your engine and always observe the
operating and maintenance instructions.
We are available to help with any addi-
tional inquiries.
Sincerely,
Vetus n.v.
2 Introduction
Dear customer,

10
1 Engine data tag
The Ve t u s engine serial number and per-
formance data are printed on the engine
data tag.
Model and engine serial number must be
given when ordering spare parts.
2 Engine data tag location
The Ve t u s engine data tag is attached to
the valve cover.
3 Engine serial number
The Mitsubishi engine serial number
is stamped on the fuel injection pump.
(arrow)
2 Introduction Data tag, serial number
VD01139 VD01048 VD01132

11
4 Cylinder numbering
Cylinders are numbered consecutively,
beginning at the front end.
5 Fuel pump seal
Ca u t i o n
Breaking the seals on the regulator to
alter the settings of maximum rpm and
maximum injector volume may only be
carried out by authorised Vetus Service
personnel.
Breaking the seals and altering the set-
tings can lead to:
•Accelerated wear of engine compo-
nents.
•Increasedfuelandoilconsumption.
•Incorrectly adjusted injector volume
and poor engine performance.
•Breakingemissionregulations.
Cylinder numbering, fuel pump seal
2 Introduction
Lead seal
Maximum
rpm adjust-
ment screw
VD00637 VD00145

12
1 Oil filler cap
2 8 mm fuel hose connection
3 Fuel pump
4 Oil filter
5 Engine oil cooler
6 Water separator/fuel filter drain
plug
7 Water separator/fuel filter
8 Gearbox
9 Gearbox filter
10 Air inlet
11 Gearbox oil cooler
12 Air filter
13 Turbo
14 Electrical system connector box
and fuses
15 8 mm fuel return hose connection
16 Water separator/fuel filter bleed
nipple
17 Oil dipstick
18 Manually operated electrical stop
19 Push-pull throttle cable connection
20 Oil filler cap
2 Introduction Identification of engine parts
Service side
1239 8 7 456
18171610 11 12 151413 19 20
VD01149

13
21 Push-pull gearbox cable connec-
tion
22 Gearbox drain plug
23 Gearbox oil dipstick/filler cap
24 Starter motor
25 Alternator
26 Sea water pump, inlet ø 20 mm
27 V-belt
28 Extra expansion tank connection
(only for keel cooling option)
29 Cooling system air bleeding nipple
30 Cooling system filler cap (pressure
cap)
31 Expansion tank
32 Heat exchanger
33 Cooling system drain plug
34 Vent connection
35 Exhaust injector elbow ø 50 mm
Identification of engine parts
Starter side
2 Introduction
22 212326 25 24
34 353327 28, 29 323130
VD01150

1 Tachometer/Operating hours counter
2 Voltmeter
3 Starter pre-heat switch/lock
4 Warning light high raw water temperature
5 Warning light low oil pressure
6 Warning light high coolant temperature
7 Warning light battery charging
8 Indicator light pre-heating
9 Warning light gearbox low oil pressure *
*) This is an option, not fitted as standard.
14
Basic panel (model 22)
Fly-bridge panel (excl. voltmeter, model 21)
Sailingboat panel (model 10)
2 Introduction Control panels,
engines with intercooling
53
7
8
6
4
VD00575
53
78
6
49
1 2
VD00576

15
1 Tachometer/Operating hours counter
2 Voltmeter
3 Starter pre-heat switch/lock
4 Warning light battery charging second alternator
5 Warning light low oil pressure
6 Warning light high coolant temperature
7 Warning light battery charging
8 Indicator light pre-heating
9 Warning light gearbox low oil pressure *
*) This is an option, not fitted as standard.
Basic panel (model 22)
Fly-bridge panel (excl. voltmeter, model 21)
2 Introduction Control panels,
engines with keelcooling
53
78
6
49
1 2
VD00630

16
1 Tachometer/Operating hours counter
2 Voltmeter
3 Starter pre-heat switch/lock
4 Warning light high raw water temperature
5 Warning light low oil pressure
6 Warning light high coolant temperature
7 Warning light battery charging
8 Indicator light pre-heating
9 Warning light gearbox low oil pressure *
10 Temperature gauge, coolant
11 Oil pressure gauge
*) This is an option, not fitted as standard.
Extended panel (model 34)
2 Introduction Control panels,
optional
53
78
6
49
1 2
10
11
VD00631

17
Implementing the following recommenda-
tions will result in longer life and better
performance and more economical opera-
tion of your engine.
• Carry out the maintenance described
regularly, including the ‘Daily proce-
dures before starting’.
• Useanti-freezeintheenginecoolantall
year long, this helps prevent corrosion
as well as protecting against frost dam-
age. For specifications see page 87.
• Neverruntheenginewithoutathermo-
stat.
• Use a good quality lubricating oil. For
specifications see page 84.
• Use a good quality diesel fuel that is
free of water and other pollutants.
• Always stop the engine immediately
if one of the warning lamps for oil
pressure, high coolant temperature,
high raw water temperature1or battery
charging lights up.
• Always follow the safety advice, see
page 4.
1 Only engines with intercooling.
3 Use General guidelines
General guidelines for use

1 Commissioning the engine
Before starting the engine for the first time,
the following procedures must be carried
out:
2 Filling with engine oil
As a rule engines are delivered empty of
oil.
Fill the engine with oil through the filler
neck on top of the valve cover, for quantity
and specification see page 65.
Check the oil level with the dipstick, see
page 32.
A second oil filling cap is located at the
distribution cover.
First commissioning
3 Use
18
Engine Oil
5.5 litres 15 W40
(1gal-1.7pt,UK)
(1 gal - 3.6 pt, US)
API: CF, CF-4, CI-4
For example:
Vetus Marine Diesel Engine Oil
Shell Nautilus Premium Inboard 15W-40
OIL
VD01052
OIL
VD01142