Cummins 4M3.3B

Cummins makes a very competitively priced 3.3L naturally aspirated engine that looks like a great replacement candidate for the old W60. It has perhaps the largest dealer network of any marine engine. It is very similar to the W64, but has a significant price advantage. The engine is a Kamatsu block modified for Atlantic Marine (the mid-Atlantic regional distributor) by Transatlantic Diesels, one of the Cummins Marine engine dealers in Virginia. Komatsu is a very reputable Japanese manufacturer of large industrial engines and heavy machinery such as commuter trains and excavation equipment. Even though TAD does the modification, it can be purchased from any Cummins dealers. I chose to contact TAD directly for the purchase, since as far as I can determine, they are the only distributors that can answer questions about the engine. It comes with a bell-housing and heat exchanger for the Velvet Drive. TAD even sent me drawings that showed mounting dimensions in that configuration. It lacks mounting options for a refrigeration compressor. It also lacks a mount for a second alternator, though it could accept a fairly large primary alternator using the stock oversized drive belt and an optional Balmar mount kit. This kit would not only allow mounting a Balmar alternator, but any alternator that uses a standard dual-foot mount. The exhaust comes only off the back of the engine. It even had provisions to route the control cables from either end of the engine, though it is unclear that the actuation direction would be correct if the cables come in from the front. One minor drawback was the fuel filter. It would be difficult to reach for service but it appears possible to relocate. The Cummins engine comes with a nice instrument panel that includes all the features I wanted except the fuel gauge. The panel lacks a provision to add a fuel gauge. A new panel would need to be fabricated. There were many engine features that I liked, especially the lower price tag. After a lot of research and comparisons, I had selected this engine to purchase but wanted to resolve a few nagging issues before writing out a check. The warranty period offered by Atlantic Marine is for only 12 months. If the engine were purchased as an industrial engine, the warranty period was 24 months. It seemed odd that the warranty period was shorter if purchased as a marine engine. There was a question about cable actuation direction that needed to be resolved. Also, the fuel filter must be relocated. After waiting for over a week for an answer from TAD, I contacted Cummins directly and found that the basic engine warranty period was issued by Cummins for 24 months. The more limited Atlantic Marine warranty only covers the marinized parts. I exchanged several email messages with Transatlantic Marine in an attempt to iron out these details. The owner lost patience with my questions and suggested that I take my business elsewhere. If his pre-sales service is so poor, I can't imagine what his post sales service would be like. Too bad, since I think the engine has potential. If TAD were a little more attentive, I'm confident that I would have purchased this engine. I've heard complaints about their service from other customers, but I'd never had a bad experience until now. His rude behavior soured my opinion of the engine so I dropped it as a possible replacement.