SERVICE

LETTER

Services, Wärtsilä Finland Oy

Engine section Engine type Ref. Date Issue Document No. Page
11 Crank mechanism See list WFI–S 25.06.2007 01 3211S085 1(2)

Connecting rod handling and inspection

Engine type This bulletin concerns WÄRTSILÄ® Vasa 32, 32LN, WÄRTSILÄ® 32,
32GD, 32LNGD, 32DF, 34SG and W34SG engines.

General The connecting rod is one of the most vital parts of the engine. Operating
with a damaged connecting rod puts the operators and engine at risk and
must be avoided. Any surface damages may lead to stress concentrations
and eventually connecting rod failure.

Handling When handling connecting rods during e.g. overhauls or transport, care
must be taken not to dent or scratch any surfaces.
Handle the components carefully. Do not drop them or allow them to hit
anything during moving or lifting.

Hydraulic lock If water is present in the cylinder or the receiver during a starting attempt, it
may cause a hydraulic lock that bends the connecting rod. If there are
indications that there is water in the cylinder(s) or the receiver, the engine
must not be started until the fault is found and corrected.
Recommendation
When overhauling, check for damages. Small dents on the connecting
rod shank (areas marked with red dotted lines (……) in the illustration
above) can be repaired according to the instructions on next page.
Always follow the starting procedure as described in the engine manual,
chapter 03.2.
If hydraulic lock is suspected, the affected connecting rods should be
removed from the engine and checked for straightness.
Contact your closest Wärtsilä Service Network for further advice if
necessary.

Wärtsilä Finland Oy P.O. Box 252 (Tarhaajantie 2) Telecop. +358 10 709 1847 Tel. +358 10 709 0000 Business ID 0773744-3
Services, Vaasa FIN-65101 Vaasa, Finland Telecop. +358 10 709 1380 Registered Office: Vaasa
Wärtsilä Finland Oy P.O. Box 50 (Stålarminkatu 45) Telecop. +358 10 709 3279 Tel. +358 10 709 0000
Services, Turku FIN-20811 Turku, Finland Telecop. +358 10 709 3410
Services, Wärtsilä Finland Oy Service Letter
Issue Document No. Page
01 3211S085 2(2)

Inspection All connecting rods in the engine to be visually checked.

If dents are found, do a magnetic particle inspection of the dents.
If cracks are found, the connecting rod upper part / complete
connecting rod must be changed.
If no cracks are found, the dents to be repaired according to the
repair instructions below.

Repair instructions 1. Check the depth of the damage, damages less than 1 mm deep can be
repaired.

Note! All damages over 1 mm deep must be individually approved by Wärtsilä

Finland Oy, Technical Service, before repairing.

2. Grind and polish the area with the defect according to the sketch below.

3. Do a magnetic particle inspection after polishing the area with the

damage.
If cracks are found, the connecting rod upper part / complete
connecting rod must be changed.

4. Clean carefully. It is of utmost importance that the connecting rod is

properly protected during, and cleaned after the inspection and repair.

Letter distribution Wärtsilä Service Network and owners/operators of engines concerned.

Letter validity Until further notice.

2007 Wärtsilä Finland Oy – All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, graphic, photocopying, recording,
taping or other information retrieval systems) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. Wärtsilä Finland Oy makes no
representation, warranty (express or implied) in this publication and assumes no responsibility for the correctness, errors or omissions for
information contained herein. Information in this publication is subject to change without notice.
Unless otherwise expressly set forth, no recommendation contained in this document is to be construed as provided due to a defect
in the engine, but merely as an improvement of the engine and/or the maintenance procedures relating thereto. Any actions by the
owner/operator as a result of the recommendations are not covered under any warranty provided by Wärtsilä and such actions will
thus be at the owners/operators own cost and expense.
NO LIABILITY WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, IS ASSUMED WITH RESPECT TO THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. THIS PUBLICATION IS CONFIDENTIAL AND INTENDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY.